Veale’s Brigantine Melina

An email query about the Veale seafarers of Waterford brought me to the Waterford Museum of Time this week in search of a painting of a Waterford vessel, the Melina. In the company of Cliona Purcell and Donnchadh Ó’Ceallacháin of the Museum, we passed a pleasant ½ hr looking at the ship and discussing the associated history.

The painting was donated by the Veale family of Dublin. According to family lore it is a sailor’s painting; which was restored in 2015 by Justin Laffan in Co Waterford. It is on display thanks to the kind permission of Gabrielle Veale and Thomas FJ Veale and with gratitude to Thomas A Veale (1936-2015).[i]

Melina, artist unknown, used by kind permission of the Waterford Museum of Treasures

The ship

The Melina, was a two-masted brigantine, 152 tons and measuring 93.4 x 21.9 x 12.9 feet, built in Green Bay, Newfoundland in 1853 by W Knight. Her official number was 33844. Originally owned by Thomas Row of St John’s, Newfoundland. Lawrence Veale of Youghal, Co Cork was listed as owner from 1868 on the Lloyds Register. In 1892 the managing owner was his son John Veale of Yellow Road, Waterford City. Melina last features in the Mercantile Navy list in 1895.[ii]

Melina was registered in Cork throughout her Irish career, but from looking at the newspapers of the time, she regularly sailed to and from Waterford. Her principal cargo inwards was coal; outbound was either pit props to support the ceilings of the ever-deepening mines of Wales. She sometimes sailed in ballast.

Laurence Veale – Master Mariner

She was owned and operated at this time by Master Mariner Lawrence (Laurence) Veale (1831-1894). His family may have owned several other sailing ships, and the trade carried cargo between Waterford, Dungarvan, Youghal and South Wales.

According to the half-yearly agreement and account of the voyages of a ship engaged in home trade only June 1878 (coasting trade in the British Isles)[iii] Laurence Veale is owner and master, and completes the form in a firm, assured and very stylish hand. The ship was registered in Cork on July 5^th 1869. The ship is registered at 131 tons[iv]

Laurence, of Dungarvan, aged 48 is listed as master, John Veale, aged 19 of Youghal, is mate, a Swede and a Dungarvan man are listed and so too are Thomas Veale aged 22 and Laurence Veale aged 16 listed as able seaman and boy. Augustine Salmon aged 35 of Waterford is AB. Most of the trips that half year are between Waterford and Cardiff, but they did a run from Cardiff to Southampton in March, returning to Cardiff and back to Waterford.[v]

An earlier agreement for 1874[vi] lists his business address as Kings St, Waterford. There is a King St in Dungarvan, but there was also one in the city which is part of present day O’Connell St. John(15) Thomas (18) and William Veale (20) are sailing on the vessel. Presumably, these are all Laurence’s sons. John is the boy, his brothers are listed as AB and OS[vii]

Melina on the first floor of the Museum of Time. Image used with kind permission of Waterford Museum of Treasures

Tragedy for the family

One son, Augustine, drowned off the Melina in the River Suir on 5th July 1882, aged 14 years. It was one of those tragic incidents recorded in the papers at the time.

He boarded the vessel, which was anchored above Bilberry Rock on the river, close to the southern Railway Station. From the reportage, it seems the ship was then loading, most likely pit props from lighters alongside. It seems his father was not happy to have his son aboard and sent him ashore. He left via a boat alongside, but seemed to slip off the bow and he fell into the river and was drowned, despite the efforts of a boatman who jumped into his aid.

Details are scant, but presumably he hit his head and sank immediately. Despite constant dragging of the river, the body was not recorded as found (that I could source).[viii] The only mention in the papers about the family was less than two weeks later, Melina was listed as departing Cardiff with coal. Veale was recorded as master.[ix]

Augustine Salmon -ships mate

In December 1879 a sailor named Augustine Salmon, mate of the Melina received an award for lifesaving.[x] He received the medal from the Humane Society “…for his heroic exertions in saving the life of cotman who fell into the river in a drunken state at the last Waterford Regatta. The exertions of Salmon on the occasion were most praiseworthy, and through him the unfortunate man’s life was saved. Quay River Watchman McGrath also rendered valuable assistance on the occasion as did also Mr Silvester Phelan Arthur Dobbyn.[xi]

Death of Laurence

Laurence died on Jan 28^th 1894 at the Yellow Road, Waterford and was interred at Ballygunner. His death was listed as caused by a “softening of the brain” and no doctor was present. The witness was his son Patrick.[xii] I can only assume that this address was where his son John operated his coal business from. John Veale was then the managing owner of Melina and is listed as such from 1893. A new master is listed on Lloyds at this stage – W Maher.

Another of Lawrence’s sons, Thomas, born in 1856 captained the barquentine Elvira Camino and lived in 24 Michael Street where his wife Mary (née Wall) had a shop and where he died in 1926. In 1932 she moved to Churchtown, Dublin to follow her two sons, Laurence and Michael.

The Elvira Camino, amongst numerous other sailing vessels at Waterford Quay in the early 1900s. Courtesy of Liam Ryan.

End of the Melina

I understand that Melina was driven ashore at Waterford in 1877 during bad weather on a voyage from Cardiff but was re-floated the next day. This may tally with some information from Owen Paddy O’Grady, a regular with the blog from our earliest days. His grandmother Agnes was a daughter of Lawrence and one of the stories passed on to Paddy was that a sailing vessel belonging to the family was lost at the Foxes Hole – which is a placename on the Kilkenny side of the river between Smelting House Point and Gyles Quay. I wonder were these one in the same incident?

You see although the Melina seems to have stopped sailing between 1894-5 nothing dramatic is recorded about her demise. It’s very likely she was simply hulked; her masts cut down, anything of value removed, and her hull used as a floating pontoon or store somewhere in the port.

Elvira Camino and other vessels?

The family would continue to operate the same route and cargo with another vessel, the Elvira Camino, from 1897 to 1911 – Thomas Veale as master, John operating the coal store from Yellow Road.[xiii] As yet I have not found another vessel bridging the two ships.

However, there was one mention in a coroners court proceeding about the drowning of a lighterman in 1897 where Veale’s coal ships was referenced.

I also found a vessel named Orwell (1811) which was owned by John Veale from 1889 to 1897. His address was given as the Glen, Waterford city. Could it be the same John using an alternative business address, a family member or unrelated? She was listed on numerous times at Passage, either sailing to or from Cardiff, same cargoes and Veale as master. And just to add to the similarities, the Orwell also grounded at Foxes Hole and was refloated. An obituary of Thomas’ wife Mary in 1936 confirms that Orwell was part of the family fleet. It also mentions Crest. I can find no information on the vessel thus far, however. John Veale was also associated as master on the waterford owned Dauntless. Based in Waterford between 1884 – 88 the barquentine belonged to William and Kate Phelan on 46 Michael St.

My thanks to Owen Paddy O’Grady for extra information,  to Gabrielle Veale for inspiring this research and to Cliona Purcell and Donnchadh Ó’Ceallacháin of the Museum for their time and support.

If you want to read the Elvira Camino story click here.

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