The iron barque Irene, 722 tons, was built by Pearse at Stockton-on-Tees in 1869. She was one of a group of fifteen iron vessels, none of which exceeded 800 tons, ordered from British yards between 1868 and 1870 by the French firm of A.D. Bordes. All intended for the South American nitrate trade, they carried mixed cargoes and passengers from Bordeaux to Valparaiso (Chile) where they loaded the precious fertiliser for the homeward passage to Europe. A dangerous trade for both the ships and the men who sailed in them, Irene (lost in 1890) was amongst ten of the original fifteen sisters which did not survive beyond the end of the century.