MARY P COOPER, EX SS. OWENABUEE Vessel History.
The ship SS.Owenabuee was built for the Cork harbour Commissioners in 1896 by Fleming & Ferguson at their Phoenix Works, Paisley yard. She was launched Wednesday 25/11/1896.
Built as a Grab Hopper, later used as a Sand Dredger.
Yard No: 245.
Official No: 106275.
Length: 195 feet.
Breadth: 33.2 feet.
Tonnage 953 grt.
Depth: 16.5 feet.
Engine Details: T3Cylinder 2-Screw.
First Port of Register: Cork.

During the Irish Civil War on the 6th August 1922 the SS Owenabuee was commandeered from the Cork Harbour Commissioners along with her sister ship the Owenacurra by the Irish Republican Irregulars and used as a blockade ship, she was sunk in the entrance to Cork Harbour by the Irish Free State forces in a failed attempt to prevent the National Army from landing their troops.
At what date she was raised it is not known but she must have remained in service until eventually sold to W. Cooper & Sons, Liverpool. Where she continued to give service until March 1961 when she was involved on the evening of March 21st 1961 when two vessels collided in the Manchester Ship Canal east of the swing bridge at Stockton Heath, they were the coaster Foamville who was heading towards Liverpool and the sandhopper Mary P Cooper heading in the opposite direction. the latter had a large gash in her port side and sank almost immediately. Thankfully there were no fatalities. The Foamville suffered no major damage and remained afloat. The canal remained blocked for several weeks as a salvage team worked to raise the loaded sand hopper.
To make her hold watertight it was completely covered with either wood planking or thick plywood and braced with 21 steel beams bolted across this decking. Large cylindrical floatation tanks were filled with water and lowered into the bottom of the canal, divers attached the tanks to each side of the hull, compressed air was then pumped into the tanks to expel the water thus creating bouyancy, prior to the lifting operation the MSC Grab Hopper No.1. removed as much of the sand load as possible to lighten the sand hopper to help the refloating of the Mary P Cooper.
May 5th 1961 the damaged vessel was towed into the old river Mersey behind Greenall’s Avenue and beached, all fittings of any value were removed, she was then left to rot. The land was later infilled and eventually developed for building, presumably the Mary P Cooper still lies there under the earth.