Introduction to training ship Indefatigable

How would you like to go to school on a ship? The boys of the Indefatigable did. There were two ships called the Indefatigable, which were moored in the River Mersey close to New Ferry. The first was used from 1864 until 1914 and the second until 1941. They were training ships for “the sons and orphans of sailors”. As well as teaching the usual subjects like reading and arithmetic, the boys learnt about practical seamanship, such as navigation, use of the compass, setting, reefing and furling sails etc. They slept on board in hammocks, cleaned the ship themselves and washed and mended their own clothes. The ships in the river were replaced by a land-based Indefatigable School in Anglesey.

TS Indefatigable vessels

Two different vessels served as TS Indefatigable on the River Mersey.

The Indefatigable was a school ship moored in the River Mersey in the 19th and 20th centuries. On it poor and orphaned boys whose fathers were seamen were trained for a life at sea.

The first Indefatigable was built for the Navy at Devonport in south-west England and launched in 1848. She retired from active service in 1857 and in 1864 arrived at the Sloyne off Rock Ferry on the Mersey, on loan from the Navy . An inspection in 1912 showed that this ship needed replacing. She was towed away early in January 1914 to be taken apart.

The second Indefatigable was built of steel on the River Clyde in Scotland and began service in the Royal Navy as HMS Phaeton in 1886. Although she was a steamship she was also fitted with sails. HMS Phaeton was withdrawn from active service in 1903 and sold to the Indefatigable Committee for £15,000 (worth over £915,000 in 2001). The second Indefatigable took over from the first in the Mersey off Rock Ferry pier on 15 January 1914.

TS Indefatigable’s founders, captain and cadets

Indefatigable’s founders

Captain John Clint had the idea of establishing a training ship specially for poor and orphaned boys in 1864. He was an important person in Liverpool’s charitable world. He had already helped set up two other school ships: the Akbar and HMS Conway. Liverpool shipowner James J. Bibby donated £5000 (the same as around £254,000 in 2001) to convert the first Indefatigable from a warship into a training ship. Later he bought the second Indefatigable as well as paying for its re-fit.

The Indefatigable’s first captain

Captain Groom was the Indefatigable’s first captain. His wife went on board with him because it was believed that the boys needed some feminine guidance.

The Indefatigable’s cadets

The Indefatigable had enough room for 300 boys though the original aim was to admit 200. The Indefatigable’s governing body insisted that the boys it trained were of good character. This clearly set the Indefatigable apart from the Akbar and the Clarence which were both reformatory ships for boys with criminal records. Indefatigable boys received a normal education as well as training in seamanship skills. Over 14,000 boys were trained as seamen on board the Indefatigable. Most of the boys went into the Merchant Navy on leaving the ship, though some joined the Royal Navy.

TS Indefatigable events and eventual closure

The Indefatigable and bad weather

Being moored in the River Mersey meant that the training ship Indefatigable was at risk during bad weather. In 1873 the Indefatigable broke her moorings and was so badly damaged that she remained in dock for eight months. No new boys were admitted during this time.

TS Indefatigable and the Second World War

The Indefatigable continued to train boys in seafaring until 1941. Then the heavy bombing of Liverpool during the Second World War made it unsafe to stay in the River Mersey. The school found temporary premises near Ruthin in Wales and then moved to a mansion at Plas Llanfair in Wales in December 1944. However this school closed in 1995