#DublinsTallship - Jeanie Johnston which became the final ever vessel to use Dublin Port's last working graving dock is to return to her usual city-centre berth this afternoon, writes Jehan Ashmore.
On Monday, the replica of a 19th century famine emigrant barque had departed the 200m graving dock having undergone planned maintenance.
The facility that also was a shiprepair and conversion business is to be decommissioned. Dublin Port are to in-fill the site for the Alexandra Basin Redevelopment ABR project. This will be phase one of the port’s Masterplan to permit largers ships to enter the port and expand capacity.
After been towed from drydock, Jeanie Johnston is currently at a temporary berth along the North Wall Quay Extension next to the Tom Clarke toll-bridge. The bascule-bridge lift is to be raised to facilitate the Jeanie Johnston by heading upriver.
Following this transit, Jeanie Johnston is not to directly head to her routine berth at Custom House Quay. Instead the barque will berth along Sir John Rogersons Quay. From this southside berth the tallship will await clearance subject to specific opening times, before making a transit through the Samuel Beckett swing-bridge.
Once this second transit has been achieved then the 301 gross tonnage tallship will finally reach her berth on the Liffey at Custom House Quay.
According to the operator's website, tours of the replica tallship are to begin this Friday. The original Jeanie Johnston completed 16 trans-Atlantic emigrant voyages between Ireland and north America in the years from 1847 to 1855. Over 2,500 people were transported and notably with no loss of life.
