1898 - Parish on the Sea - Floating Church at Swansea - There has just arrived at Swansea, on her maiden voyage, the steamship Eirene, which forms the floating church of the parish of the Bristol Channel, of which the Rev. C. W. Browne, B.A., of the Missions to Seamen, is chaplain. The parish is 60 miles in length, and extends from Newport Roads to Lundy. In it are three lighthouses, four lightships, five roadsteads, and one fishing fleet, and a floating population of 80,000 seamen, amongst whom there is no post office, no reading-room, no church, and no clergy. At least not till the Eirene made her appearance, which she did at the end of last week, and it is her object and that of her chaplain, to supply as far as possible the needs created by the absence of these great agencies.

The Eirene started on her first voyage from Penarth, which is the centre from which she works, on Saturday, and she arrived at Swansea in the evening. She visited en route the light-ships, and gave them literature and other comforts, it being too stormy to get aboard, and early this (Tuesday) morning she goes on to Carmarthen Bay, ministering to those she meets on the way, and then to Lundy, Ilfracombe, and on to Bristol.

As she lay in the South Dock, Swansea, she was visited by a number of people, and much admired. She is 80 feet long, 15 feet beam, 70 tons register, and 125 horse-power, and has the appearance of being a very serviceable sea-boat. She will steam 9 knots, and the main feature of her accommodation is the possession of a large saloon in which the idea of a schoolroom church has been followed out. Here prayers will be said daily and Holy Communion celebrated weekly, and Divine service held as often as crews from a fishing or wind-bound fleet can attend.

An important adjunct is an oil tank called the "Wave Subduer" for pouring oil on the sea in bad weather. Of the necessity for such a mission boat there can be no question, and everyone will I wish that this maiden voyage will in its results fully realise the highest expectations and that the voyage will prove the precursor of much spiritual good to the floating population of the Bristol Channel. - South Wales Daily News [136] [361] 16th August 1898.