MV Plassy The Ship That Ran Aground

MV Plassy was a cargo ship that made history in a tragic way. It ran aground on a rocky outcrop off the coast of Ireland in 1963.

The ship was carrying a cargo of timber and was traveling from Dublin to Cork when the accident occurred. The crew was forced to abandon ship.

MV Plassy's grounding was a significant maritime event that made headlines around the world.

The MV Plassey shipwreck is located on the rocky shore of Inis Oirr.

A severe storm in 1960 washed the freighter onto the rocks, and it was later blown up onto the shoreline by another storm.

The ship is mostly rusted out, with large holes and a vibrant orange color due to the rust.

We circled the ship and heard the creaks of straining metal every time the wind blew.

The rocks surrounding the ship are stained orange from the rust, and there's a lot of debris scattered about, including gears, hardware, and other unidentifiable items.

It's not safe to access the ship due to its fragile state from decay.

The MV Plassey shipwreck is a fascinating sight to behold. It's located on the rocky shore of Inis Oirr, an island that's been battered by severe storms.

Back in 1960, a fierce storm washed the freighter MV Plassey onto the rocks just off the coast of Inis Oirr. The crew were all rescued but the ship couldn’t be freed from the rocks.

The ship was eventually blown up completely onto the rocky shoreline of the island by another storm, where it still sits today. We climbed over a field of stones and made our way to the coastline and the Plassey.

The basic form of the ship still stands, but it has deteriorated heavily in the harsh island weather. Broken in pieces, with large holes and orange with rust, the ship is slowly wasting away on the rocks.

It’s a shame that the ship is mostly rusted out, with the orange spilling down to the rocks around it. The rocks surrounding the ship were all stained orange from the rust.

We circled the ship a bit, checking it out from all angles. Every time the wind blew you would hear the creaks of straining metal.

Suggestion: MV Spirit of Vancouver Island

The MV Plassy shipwreck is a fascinating piece of history. It's located near Ballyhees and offers some great hiking options.

The MV Plassy (Shipwreck 1960) – O'Brien's Castle / Dún Formna loop is a great choice for those looking for an easy hike. This loop is 6.68km long and takes about 1 hour and 48 minutes to complete.

If you're short on time, the MV Plassy (Shipwreck 1960) loop from Ballyhees is another option. It's a shorter 3.92km loop that takes about 1 hour and 2 minutes to complete.

If you're looking for a bit more of a challenge, the Inis Oírr loop is a great choice. This intermediate loop is 10.8km long and takes about 2 hours and 47 minutes to complete.

Here are some details about the hikes:

The aftermath of the MV Plassy's crash on Finnis Rock was a chaotic and devastating scene. A hole was torn on the bottom of the ship, and water began to pump into the engine room, causing the ship to lose power and lights.

The crew's distress message sent to the captain's words "taking water fast, abandoning ship" was a stark reality of the situation. A local businessman, Mr J. Sweeney, began to fund the salvaging of the ship just two weeks after the crash.

Some of the cargo, including cotton, whisky, lawn mowers, hand basins, and copper tubing, was washed away, but some items did wash ashore. The Limerick Steamship Company evaluated their wreck and believed that the Plassy was unsavable.

Today, the MV Plassy remains high and dry on the rocks, a constant warning to those traveling those dangerous seas. The spring tides, high seas, and horrific storms have kept it from washing back into the sea.