The British snow IRENE was built in on Staten Island by Jan Van Deventer, for the Moravian church (Unitas Fratrum), and launched on 29 May 1748. June 1748, registered to John Antes. 8 September 1748, maiden voyage, Nicholas Garrison, master, to New York. During her 9-year career the IRENE made 14 voyages for the Moravian Church, crossing the Atlantic 24 times, sailing between New York and ports in England and Holland, and making one voyage to Greenland. Although the overwhelming majority of Moravian immigrants were destined for Pennsylvania rather than New York, Bishop Spangenberg explained to Governor Hamilton that the vessel sailed to New York rather than to Philadelphia

since our captain is a native of New York, and has a large acquaintance with the merchants of that city, he can more readily obtain freight there than in Philadelphia, passengers alone not being sufficient [to pay the costs of the voyage to England]. Another serious objection is, the merchants of Philadelphia own their own vessels.

On 20 November 1757, the IRENE sailed from New York, but ten days later was captured by the French privateer MARGARET, out of Louisburg. On 12 January 1758, as she was being taken by a prize crew to Louisburg, she struck a rock and sank.

Source: John W. Jordan, "Moravian Immigration to Pennsylvania, 1834=1765," Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 33 (1909), reprinted in Michael Tepper, ed., Emigrants to Pennsylvania, 1641-1819; A Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists from the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co, 1975), pp. 38-52.

The U.S. ship IRENE, 1187 tons, was built at Essex, Connecticut, in 1851, and registered at the port of New York on 11 December 1851. Master, in 1853-1854: Edward C. Williams. In addition to at least three voyages from Le Havre to New York in 1853-1854 (see Germans to America, vol. 4, pp. 279-282; vol. 5, pp. 341-345; and vol. 9, pp. 97-102), she was also advertised as sailing in the Washington Line of New York-Liverpool packets in 1853, and in the Sturges & Clearman Line of New York-Liverpool packets in 1854.

Sources: Forrest R. Holdcamper, comp., List of American-Flag Merchant Vessels That Received Certificates of Enrollment or Registry at the Port of New York, 1789-1867 (Record Groups 41 and 36), National Archives Special Lists, No. 22, National Archives Publication No. 68-10 (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1968), p. 345; Carl C. Cutler, Queens of the Western Ocean; The Story of America's Mail and Passenger Sailing Lines (Annapolis: United States Naval Institute, c1961), pp. 385 and 387.