Ellan Vannin (ship) - Aftermath

Aftermath

The Board of Trade inquiry found that the captain was not to blame for the disaster and the cause was extreme weather. The official inquiry referred to waves 24 feet high and declared the ship to have been in good condition and fully seaworthy. After the foundering, her masts broke the surface. Divers inspecting the ship found damage to the bows and that the lifeboat davits had been swung out ready for lowering. Soon after the disaster the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board destroyed the wreck using explosives, as it was causing a hazard to shipping in the channel.

A disaster fund was established for those who were dependents of the deceased, the Steam Packet contributed £1,000 to this fund. The crew of 21 included one woman, a Mrs. Callister, of Crosby, Isle of Man, who left one child. The 20 men were survived by 18 widows and 70 children. All but two of the crew lived on the Isle of Man. Five of the passengers came from the mainland, the rest from the north of the island. The last beneficiary of the fund was a Miss Benson of Ramsey, the daughter of one of the crew. She was 20 at the time of the disaster and was in very poor health. It was most unlikely that she would be the last to benefit from the fund, but she was, dying in 1974 at the age of 85.

Although the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has a tradition of reusing old ship names, they have never reused the name Ellan Vannin.

A song written by Hughie Jones of The Spinners commemorates the disaster.