River Mersey

The River Mersey /ˈmɜːrzi/ is a river in North West England. Its name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon language and translates as "boundary river". The river may have been the border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria and for centuries it formed part of the boundary between the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.

The start of the Mersey is at the confluence of the River Tame and River Goyt in Stockport. It flows westwards through the suburban areas of south Manchester towards Warrington where the river widens before it then narrows as it passes between the towns of Runcorn and Widnes. From Runcorn the river widens into a large estuary, which is 3 miles (4.8 km) wide at its widest point near Ellesmere Port. The course of the river then heads north, with Liverpool to the east and the Wirral Peninsula to the west and finishes at Liverpool Bay. In total the river flows 70.33 miles (113 km).

Two road tunnels pass under the estuary from Liverpool, the Queensway Tunnel opened in 1934 connecting the city to Birkenhead, and the Kingsway Tunnel, opened in 1971, connects with Wallasey. The Silver Jubilee Bridge completed in 1961, crosses between Runcorn and Widnes. There is a Railway bridge adjacent to the Silver Jubilee Bridge and between Liverpool and Birkenhead there is a railway tunnel. The Mersey Ferry operates between Pier Head in Liverpool and Woodside in Birkenhead and Seacombe and has become a tourist attraction offering cruises that provide an overview of the river and surrounding areas.

Mersey (1801 ship)

For the River, see River Mersey.

The Mersey was a ship wrecked in the Torres Strait, Australia about mid-June 1804.

The Mersey was built in Chittagong, Bangladesh in 1801 and registered at Fort William, India. It was 350 tons and carried 10 guns (cannon). It was owned and captained by James Wilson. The ship had been chartered by Governor Philip Gidley King to purchase 250 cows from Bengal and deliver them to Hobart, Tasmania. The Mersey sailed from Port Jackson on 24 May 1804 with a cargo of timber for Bengal. While passing through the Torres Strait, the Mersey was totally wrecked. Only 17 crew and the Captain were saved by sailing in a longboat to Timor; 56 others drowned. After refitting the longboat at Dili they reached Bencoolen from where they sailed to Madras on an Acheen vessel. Captain Wilson arrived in Calcutta 20 September 1804 on board the Margaret, from Madras.

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Mersey (1894 ship)

The Mersey was a 1,829 ton iron-hulled sailing ship with a length of 270.7 feet (82.5 m), beam of 39 feet (12 m) and depth of 22.5 feet (6.9 m). She was built by Charles Connell and Company of Glasgow, named after the River Mersey in north-western England and launched on 18 May 1894 for the Nourse Line. Nourse Line used her primarily to transport of Indian indentured labourers to the British colonies. Details of some of these voyages are as follows:

In 1908 the Mersey was sold to the White Star Line for use as a training ship for 60 cadets, making six voyages to Australia as a White Star training ship, traveling around the Cape of Good Hope outbound and Cape Horn inbound. In 1910 she became the first sailing ship to be equipped with a radio. She was also the first sailing ship aboard which an operation for appendicitis was performed on a cadet. In 1915 the White Star Line gave up their training scheme due to the war and sold the Mersey to Norwegian owners. She changed hands a number of times and her name was changed to Transatlantic then to Dvergso. She was scrapped in 1923.