Ierne 12 N 5

Overview

Launched in 1911 at Fairlie by William Fife III, IERNE was commissioned by A. F. Sharman-Crawford, an Irish yachtsman and friend of Sir Thomas Lipton. She was one of the last 12 Metres built to the International First Rule, representing the pinnacle of pre-war Scottish yacht design. Sharman-Crawford had previously owned Cyra and, after selling Ierne in 1914, commissioned an 8 Metre of the same name.

Built for speed and competition, Ierne quickly proved herself among the most successful Twelves of her time, racing extensively in Britain, Germany, and Scandinavia.

Design and Performance

Designed to the First Rule, Ierne carried the classic Fife balance of elegance and power—long overhangs, fine bow sections, and a strong, balanced hull. She was fast, responsive, and beautifully handled.

In 1911 she achieved 13 firsts, 8 seconds, and 4 thirds from 39 starts. The following year she dominated her class with 25 victories and 2 seconds from 30 races, establishing herself as one of the top-performing 12 Metres of the early fleet.

That same year she sailed from the Clyde through the Forth Canal to Cuxhaven, where she won four out of five races against Magda IX, Skeaf V, Heti, and Davo III. She also competed in the first “Europe Week” at Cowes in 1911, alongside Alachie, Cintra, Javotte, and Rollo, taking third and fourth places—having lost several minutes assisting Alachie after she went aground.

Ownership and Career

1911–1912 A. F. Sharman-Crawford – Glasgow, Great Britain. Name: Ierne. Highly successful in Clyde and continental regattas.
1913 Prof. Gustaf Estlander – Helsingfors (Finland). New name: Irene. Raced in Ramsgate, Le Havre, and Trouville against Alachie and Cintra.
1914–1915 Gustaf A. Eslander – raced actively in Kiel and Norway; entered Europe Week 1914 in Norway.
1915–1919 P. O. Serck – Birmingham and Petrograd.
1920 Chas. W. Scappel – Christiania (Oslo, Norway). Listed as “formerly Int. Rating Class 12 Metres” in Lloyd’s Register.
1921–1928 Olaf Brown – from 1924 reverted to the Ierne name.
1929–1936 Willy Wilhelmsen – converted to Bermudian cutter around 1930; sail area approx. 140 m². Competed at the Jubilee Regatta in Hanko, with one first, one second, and two thirds.
1937 Nils Astrup & Ths. Stang.
1938–1946 Unrecorded period; believed to have remained active in Norwegian waters.
1947–1950 Ths. Stang – Oslo, Norway.
1951–1957 Egil K. Sundbye – new name: Natascha. Norwegian records mention Melby Fadum as owner between 1954–55, possibly reverting to the Ierne name.
1958 Removed from Lloyd’s Register.

Fate

By the mid-1950s the former Ierne, then sailing as Natascha in Norway, slips from the record. Lloyd’s Register and later class lists note her as “disappeared” in 1958, with no verified trace thereafter.

Contemporary research, including the International 12 Metre Class and German “Yacht Trivia” archives, confirm that Ierne remained active in Norway into the 1950s before vanishing from registry. The wording “disappeared in 1958 in Norway” appears consistently across independent records.

No source indicates a wreck, scrapping, or preservation. Whether broken up, converted, or abandoned, her final fate remains unknown—her last confirmed sighting being as Natascha under Norwegian ownership.

Legacy

Ierne was one of the fastest and most widely travelled 12 Metres of the First Rule era. Her success across the Clyde, the North Sea, and the Baltic made her a standard of Fife’s artistry and competitive mastery. Though her final fate remains a mystery, she endures as one of the most accomplished racing Twelves of her generation—elegant, relentless, and quintessentially Fife.