The Argenta was a prison ship that was stationed in Belfast Lough around 100 years ago. It was used to hold men who were suspected members of Sinn Féin or the IRA. I have just written a Diary about it in the Irish Times newspaper. Read it here.
Photograph of the Argenta. Image source.
Life was tough for those on board the wooden hulled steam ship. Conditions were extremely cramped and the food was of poor quality and often spoiled or under cooked. Disease was also a common feature of life on board for the men who were locked up in metal cages for hours on end with little hope of any improvement in their day to day experience. For more information on the conditions in which the internees were kept, read this Century Ireland article.
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