MV Ardingly

MV Ardingly was a coaster built in 1951 as a collier for Stephenson Clarke Shipping.^[1] She carried coal from North East England to ports in Southern England until this trade declined early in the 1960s.^[1] Stephenson Clarke then transferred her to carrying bulk cargoes including limestone and grain.^[1]

History
United Kingdom
Name	MV Ardingly
Operator	Stephenson Clarke Shipping,[1] Newcastle Upon Tyne
Builder	SP Austin & Son Ltd,[2] Southwick, Sunderland
Yard number	406[2]
Launched	25 October 1950
Completed	1951[1]
Acquired	1951[1]
Out of service	1971[1]
Fate	Sold
United Kingdom
Name	MV Ballyrobert[1]
Operator	John Kelly,[3] Belfast
Acquired	1971[3]
Out of service	1977[3]
Identification	IMO number: 5022778
Fate	Sold
Cyprus[1]
Name	MV Lucky Trader[1]
Acquired	1977[1]
Out of service	1982[1]
Identification	IMO number: 5022778
Fate	Scrapped at Piraeus, Greece, 1982[1]
General characteristics
Class and type	Coaster
Tonnage	1,473 GRT;[2] 1,930 long tons (2,160 short tons; 1,960 t) deadweight[2]
Length	240 ft 0 in (73.15 m)
Beam	36 ft 4 in (11.07 m)
Draught	20 ft 0 in (6.10 m)
Capacity	1,860 long tons (2,080 short tons; 1,890 t)[2]

Many Stephenson Clarke ships were named after places in South East England.^[2] MV Ardingly may have been so named because one Stephenson Clarke director, Mr. P.G. Wallace, had been a pupil at Ardingly College in 1909.^[1]

In 1971 Stephenson Clarke sold her and a sister ship, MV Steyning, to John Kelly^[3] in Northern Ireland. Kelly renamed her MV Ballyrobert^[1] after the village of Ballyrobert in County Antrim.

In 1977 Kelly sold her to a Cypriot operator who renamed her MV Lucky Trader.^[1] She was sold for scrap and broken up in Piraeus near Athens 1982.^[1]

References

1. Landymore, B.E.; Gibbs, Ken (2010). "And then, Ardingly gave its name to...". Old Ardinian (30, Summer 2010). Old Ardinians Society: 6.
2. Johnson, Paul (1998–2010). "Stephenson Clarke Shipping Co". British Coastal and Short Sea Shipping Companies. Retrieved 28 June 2010.^{[permanent dead link]}
3. "John Kelly's Coal Boats". Irish Coast Shipping. Retrieved 28 June 2010.