The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-28
Its Just One Ship, But
 Has Promising { Career

SAN FRANCISCO, July 2I--Ire- land now has merchant marine. She has no navy, but she now has her flags on the high seas on a merchant fleet There was great crowd and the flag of the Irish Free State was bseen to enter the harbor of San Fran cisco few days ago, flying high upon the staff of the steamship Knockfierna. When she finally docked at Pier 38 on the waterfront it meant that one-half of Ireland's merchant marine was in port, This is the first time that the flag of the Irish Free State was ever seen in any American harbot.
 The Knockfierna is an S,30S tonner, built in Glasgow in 1919, owned by the Limerick Shipping company of Limerick, Ireland, under the com mand of Capt. Maurice Strymans, and she carries crew of 3S men. There is just one other deep sea vessel flag. That vessel is the Kilkedeen, and pany.
 A Real Hero
 Capt. Maurice Strymans, who is in command of this half of the Irish Mer- chant Marine, is real hero. He is q war veteran, having been an aviator in the Allied forces during the World war. He was shot down by Richtover, the German ace, and, as a result Of this accident, he was unconscious for eight days. Noted surgeons in France at the time operated upon him in one of the base hospitals, and, by miracle of surgery, he was almost made over again. Several of his bones are half silver. He is now in splendid health, so he declares.
 The Kilockfierna came to American waters under charter to the newly or ganized Pacific European Line which is operated by the firm of Parke Ash burn & Co. This operating firm is incidentally headed by an lrish-Amer- ican who was responsible for the bringing of this half of the Irish Mer- chant Marine here. He is Parke Ash burn, 'sWho is he?" one will ask. We'll, he is young man who was born in Washington, October Il, 1894, of the splendid old family of plantation own CTS for whom the places of Ashburr in the states of Virginia and Georgia are called.
 He is a graduate of the Jesuit uni versity, Georgetown. One will think at first that the name of Ashburn is not an Irish name, but it is. Mir. Ashburn is a cousin of Lord Ash burn, an Irish peer, whose home in the Elnerald Isle was burned down by the British troops at 2 o'clock one morning four or. five years ago as ,aqretaliation for his sentiments on Rsbes half of his country. "
 For River Shannon.
 The Knockfierna is named for a city on the River Shannon, and the translation from the Gaelic language into the English means the city of fairies, Mir. Ashburn is president of both Parke Ashburn & Co, and the Pacific European Line, and it was upon the persuasion of his old friend, Charles A. Sweigert, former police com missioner and one time candidate for the district attOrneyship of the Wes- tern city, which caused him to bring the KnOckfierna to American waters.
 Mir. Sweigert, in spite of his Hol- land-sounding name, is half Irish, his mother having been, before her mar riage, Miss Catherine Downey, of the famous old family of Irish barristers who have more than done their part to make the name of Ireland and par ticularly Limerick well known. All of his sentiments are more Irish than otherwise.