THE SUNDERLAND SITE - PAGE 044
SHIPBUILDERS - PAGE 5

May I suggest that you navigate the site via the index on page 001    PRIOR PAGE / NEXT PAGE A list of the Sunderland built vessels referenced in these pages is at the top of page 040. A list of the Sunderland shipbuilders referenced in these pages is a little lower on page 040. Copyright? Do you want to make a comment? A site guestbook is here. On this page ... Austin and Mills, E. Bailey, Jas. Ball, George Barker, W. Barklay or Barclay, Barkes, page bottom (e-Bay vendors). Corrections in any of the material which follows, however tiny, would be most welcome. And additions, of course! (50 +1 + 1 + 5 + 16 + 2 = 75) Test. Miramar, Plimsoll, images, xplornet, mariners-l.co.uk, Excel DP, MNL, eBay, Delcampe, wrecksite.eu, A. English (thru #1 Star Beam only), To search for specific text on this page, just press 'CTRL + F' & then enter your search term. A general site search facility is here. AUSTIN and MILLS (1839-1869) of Southwick, Sunderland 'Where Ships are Born' refers to a Southwick ship building partnership named 'S. Austin & Mills'. The 'S. Austin' would appear to be one of the members of the Austin family, but I cannot tell you which particular one it was.  What the webmaster believes to now be a complete list of vessels built by Austin & Mills can be found on page 140. Here. 70 vessels in total. The lists includes one vessel, of 262 tons & built in 1848, whose name is not recorded in two available Sunderland build lists. 1   Coldstream 214/190 tons 1839 A snow-rigged vessel. The vessel, which was completed in Oct. 1839, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1839/40 thru 1850/51, with the exception of 1848/49. The vessel's initial owner, thru 1843/44, was Smith & Co., of Blyth, for service from Sunderland to London, with 'Ferguson' LR stated to be the vessel's captain. In 1843/44, G. Virtue of London became the vessel's owner for service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean (1843/44), service ex London (1844/45 thru 1847/48), & from the Clyde to the West Indies (in 1849/50 & 1850/51). R. Short was, per LR, the vessel's captain for most of the years of Virtue ownership, thru 1847/48 at least. In 1849/50 & 1850/51, LR lists R. Galetly as her captain. On Feb. 05, 1850, as per line 44 here, the 191 ton snow  was wrecked at Havana, Cuba, while en route from Liverpool to Havana. The vessel's cargo is not identified. Crew of 11 - none lost. Vessel then owned by George Virtue. The detail circumstances of the vessel's loss are not yet to hand. Can you tell us more? #1967 2   McLeod 293/325 later 293 later 294 tons 2122 1839 A snow or brig. The vessel, which was launched or completed in Sep. 1839 is, with a couple of missing years, Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1839/40 thru 1860/61 - listed as M'Leod at the beginning of the M's - thru 1848/49 owned by 'Gtsh&TySh.Co', presumably Gateshead & Tyne Shipping Co. of Newcastle for service initially from Sunderland to Odessa, Ukraine, then from Liverpool to Singapore, then ex Shields. In LR of 1848/49, Lawson of Shields, later H. Lawson & Lawson & Co., became her owner for service from Shields to the Mediterranean, to Barcelona, Spain, & to France. Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1855 lists the vessel as registered at Shields, owned by H. Lawson jun. of South Shields & with D. Irvine her captain. TR of 1856 (M'Leod) records H. Lawson as her then owner. While Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 clarifies her owner's name as being Henry Lawson Jun. of Shields. On Dec. 17, 1860, per line 909 here, the 294 ton snow was lost on Hasborough Sand (near Cromer, Norfolk), while en route from Shields to London with a cargo of coal. None of the 10 man crew was lost. The vessel is stated to have been owned by Henry Lawson. Can you add anything? #2004 3   Penrith 292/314 1839 A snow or brig. Penrith, which was first registered in May 1839, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1839/40 thru 1848/49 only. The vessel's launch on May 28, 1839 (in red). It was owned, per LR, thru 1847/48, by Newcastle Shipping Co. (or Newcastle General Shipping Co.) of Newcastle, with G. Lacy (or R. Lacey) serving as her captain from 1840/41 thru 1844/45 except for a period in 1841/42 when 'Russell' is stated to have captained her. And with 'Guillet' so serving from 1844/45 thru 1847/48. For service i) from Sunderland to the Mediterranean in 1840/41 & also in 1842/43 & 1843/44, ii) from Liverpool to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1841/42 & iii) from Liverpool to Calcutta (now Kolkata), India from 1844/45 thru 1847/48. LR of 1848/49 notes that the Liverpool registered Penrith was then owned by 'Ironside' for service from Liverpool to Rio de Janeiro. With 'Quene' her captain. LR of 1848/49 also notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. This vessel is detail site listed as a result of the webmaster seeing that Penrith, stated to be of 326 tons, was listed in Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of Mar. 1854, as being registered at Liverpool & owned by Ironside & Co., of Liverpool, with Philip Le Queane stated to be her then captain. How can that be so, if, indeed, the vessel was wrecked many years prior? Such listing does seem to be a strange error but an error none the less. I learn that at about 1 a.m. on Nov. 26, 1847, Penrith, Philip Lequesne in command & with a crew of 14 all told, struck the Goodwin Sands, Kent. She was on a voyage from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Hamburg, Germany, with a cargo of 6,435 bags of coffee & 14,000 horns. When the vessel grounded, the captain descended to the cabin to save the ship's papers, while the crew took to the vessel's long boat. It would seem that such long boat, alas with a single oar, drifted away from Penrith when the painter broke & the captain was unable to join them. He clearly was drowned when the vessel sank. After several hours adrift, the long boat made it safely to the North Sand Head Light Vessel from which they were, later that same day, rescued by a lugger & landed at Ramsgate. Penrith was noted to have been owned by Charles Ironsides and Johnson, of Liverpool. Some contemporary news reports - 1, 2 & 3. Ironside & Co. were a merchant or trading firm, of Liverpool, with businesses in both Portugal & Brazil. Their business closed in 1853, I have read. Can you tell us more? Or correct the above in any way. #2222 4   Unity 233/232, later 207 later 212 tons 14007 1839 A snow or brig. The vessel, which was launched or completed in Apl. 1839 is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1839/40 thru 1852/53, a gap of 13 years, then again from 1866/67 thru 1880/81. It was initially owned, per LR thru 1847/48, by 'Ebdell' of Sunderland, for service ex Sunderland. With 'Ebdell' serving as the vessel's captain throughout such period. In 1848/49, per LR, Barber & Co. of Sunderland became the vessel's owner for service from Sunderland to London. With 'Lawrence' serving as the vessel's captain thru 1852/53. LR of 1852/53 still names Barber & Co. as the vessel's owner but provides limited other data. The vessel is not listed in the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848 but IS included in the equivalent register of 1854, owned by Thos. and Mary Ann Riseborough, Anthony Barber & George T. Laurence, all of Sunderland, with Robt. Hunter serving as the vessel's captain. Such ownership data is confirmed by Turnbull's Shipping Registers ('TR') of 1855 & 1856, with a tiny spelling change i.e. Lawrence rather than Laurence. On Dec. 29, 1852, the vessel stated to be a 232 ton brig en route from Sunderland to L'Orient (Brittany, France) with a cargo of coal, put (back?) into Sunderland in a leaky condition due to stress of weather. 'Riseborough' stated to be her then captain. As per this U.K. Government page. The vessel clearly was sold, the Mercantile Navy Lists of 1865 thru 1868 listing the vessel as then registered at Lynn, Norfolk. & owned by J. Paul, sen. of Lynn. When LR coverage continued, in 1866/67, J. Paul of Lynn is recorded as the vessel's owner, thru 1875/76, for service ex both Sunderland & Lynn incl. service from Lynn to the Baltic. With W. Allan, P. Bird & R. Elsdon serving as the vessel's captains. It seems likely that J. Paul sen. must have passed on. MNLs of 1870 thru 1876 just list John Paul, of King's Lynn, Norfolk, as the vessel's then owner. In 1875/76, per LR, T. A. Laverick, became the owner of the Lynn registered vessel with R. Adamson serving as the vessel's captain. LR listed at 212 tons in 1880/81. MNLs of 1878 thru 1880 tell us that such owner was Thomas Arrowsmith Laverick of Seaham Harbour, County Durham. LR never recorded the vessel's length, signal letters LKHS. LR of 1880/81 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. The detail circumstances of the vessel's loss are not yet to hand. Can you tell us exactly what happened to her or add anything additional? Lots of crew lists are available here. #2008 5   Earl Durham or Earl of Durham 233/323, later 350 tons 11584 1840 A barque, but also listed as a ship & as a square. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1839/40 thru 1861/62 as 'Earl of Durham' but consistently listed as 'Earl Durham' by the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL'), from 1858 thru 1868. I cannot tell you which name is correct though it would seem that it was initially launched as Earl Durham. It would seem always to have been registered at Newcastle & always owned by Newcastle owners. It was owned thru 1847/48 by Gateshead & Tyne Shipping Co. for initial service, thru 1842/43, from Sunderland to Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, & from 1843/44 thru 1847/48 for service from Shields to Bordeaux, France. With 'P. Crouch' serving as the vessel's captain thru 1843/44 & 'Patterson' thereafter, thru to 1852/53 it would seem under new owners. The ownership data in LRs of 1848/49 thru 1850/51 is unusual. In 1848/49, 'Hoggett & Co.', a name not previously LR referenced, were replaced as owners by Thompson & Co. However Hoggett & Co. are again recorded as the vessel's owners in 1849/50, to be again replaced in 1850/51 by Thompson. An unlikely series of changes or so it seems to me. Service in those few years was either from Shields to the Mediterranean, or from Newcastle to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Some ownership clarity may be found in the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, in Jul. 1848 data, which lists Mark Thompson & Co., of Newcastle as the owner of 'Earl Durham' a 378 ton ship. And in Marwood's similar directory of 1854/5, in Apl. 1854 data, which lists 'Earl Durham' as owned by Mark Thompson & Robt. Pearson, both of Newcastle, with G. Venus serving as the vessel's captain. Data largely confirmed by Turnbull's Shipping Registers of both 1855 & 1856 both of which list her as 'Earl of Durham'. 'Thompson' would seem to have owned the vessel thru 1857/58 with G. Venus her captain from 1854/55 thru 1856/57 then, but briefly, G. Reay. Per LR, the vessel saw some varied service under 'Thompson' ownership. From Newcastle to Ceylon from 1850/51 thru 1852/53, then mainly service to the Mediterranean ex Bristol, Waterford (Ireland), the Clyde & Swansea. The vessel was first LR recorded at 350 tons in 1856/57. In 1858/59, per LR, T. Davidson of Newcastle became the vessel's owner for service from Swansea to Spain, later to the Mediterranean ex either Newcastle or Swansea. With 'J. Wilkinson', then 'Huntley', then 'Reay' again, then 'J. Huntley' serving as her captains. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 records Thomas Davison of Howdon (Northumberland), as the then owner of 'Earl Durham'. Signal letters KGTF. LR of 1861/62 notes that the vessel had gone 'Missing'. On Aug. 14, 1861, per line 1982 on this page, 'Earl of Durham' a 350 ton barque left Quebec, Canada, for Yarmouth (presumably the one in Norfolk) with a cargo of timber. Crew of 12 all lost of course. Then stated to be owned by Thomas Davison. I note that the MNL listed 'Earl Durham' from thru 1868 & in 1865, as an example, 4 years after she was lost, records her as owned by Thomas Davison of Howdon. A confusing history, with even her name in doubt! Can you tell us more? #1971 6   Glide 224 tons 1840 A snow. A vessel which had a very short life. It was launched in May 1840 & per Lloyd's Register ('LR') of 1840/41, the only LR reference to the vessel, was owned by Doxford of Sunderland with 'Harrison' serving as the vessel's captain. For service from Sunderland to Southampton. Such LR entry also notes that the vessel had 'Foundered'. I have not so far spotted what happened to the vessel nor when. Can you provide that detail or otherwise add anything? #1992 7   Mark Palmer 291/348 tons 1840 A ship, later a barque, which was launched or completed in Sep. 1840. Another vessel which had a very short life. It is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1840/41 thru 1846/47 only, owned throughout such period by Palmer & Co. of Sunderland. For service thru 1841/42 from Sunderland to Marseilles, France, & thereafter from Sunderland to Mauritius. Per LR, P. Palmer served as her captain thru 1841/42. C. Spence so served thereafter. LR of 1842/43 first lists the vessel as a barque. LR of 1846/47 perhaps notes that the vessel had been wrecked - the reference is both partial & faint. I have not so far spotted what happened to the vessel nor exactly when. Can you provide that detail or otherwise add anything? #1999 8   Mayborough 247/260 tons 23495 1840 A snow or brig, which was launched or completed in Apl. 1840. There would seem to be much confusion as to the vessel's exact name. Two master lists of vessels built at Sunderland refer to 'May Brough'. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') refers to both 'Maybrough' & 'Mayborough'. Lloyd's Register ('LR') always referred to the vessel as 'Mayborough'. Read below the name references of 5 NE shipping registers. The vessel is LR listed from 1840/41 thru 1858/59, & was initially owned, thru 1846/47 by Gateshead & Tyne Shipping Co. for service from Sunderland to Cape of Good Hope, South Africa (1840/41 thru 1843/44), & from Liverpool to i) Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in 1844/45 & ii) the Mediterranean. With 'Cooper' serving as the vessel's captain thru 1844/45 or 1845/46 & 'Stephenson' for a period thereafter. In 1846/47, per LR, the vessel became owned by Dryden & Co. of North Shields ('NS'), it would seem for the rest of the vessel's lifetime. It first became registered at NS on Jan. 19, 1849. For service from Shields to the Mediterranean (1846/47 thru 1849/50, in 1852/53 & 1853/54 & in 1857/58), from Newcastle to Barcelona, Spain (in 1850/51 & 1851/52), from Blyth to Cadiz, Spain (1854/55 thru 1856/57) & from Newcastle to the Mediterranean (in 1858/59). With, again per LR, G. Dryden serving as the vessel's captain from 1846/47 thru 1849/50, 'R. Bain' from 1850/51 thru 1856/57 & 'W. Forster' thereafter. The North of England Maritime Directory of Jul. 1848 lists G. & T. Dryden as the Newcastle registered vessel's (Maybrough) then owners. Marwood's equivalent register of 1854 lists George & Thos. Dryden as the owners of NS registered vessel (Maybrough) with Robert Watson Baines her then captain, data confirmed by Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1855 (Mayborough). TR of 1856 (Maybrough) lists just G. Dryden as the vessel's owner. While Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 lists Maybrough as then owned by George & Thomas Dryden. It would seem that the vessel was lost, in 1859 or perhaps in 1860, but detail as to what exactly happened & when is not yet to hand. Can you tell us about it? Or otherwise add anything? #2000 9   Ohio 239/248 later 232 & 233 tons 2146 1841 A snow or brig which had a very long life indeed. It was launched, I read, on Apl. 19, 1841 & is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed in every year from 1840/41 thru 1883/84. Per LR it was initially owned by 'GenShCo.' - General Shipping Company? - of Stockton. Such data would seem, however, to be in error. A Lloyd's Survey report, conducted while the vessel was under construction, lists Pow & Co. as the vessel's then owner with 'Sangster' her captain. From 1840/41 thru 1863/64, Ohio is LR reported as owned by Pow & Co. - of Newcastle thru 1845/46 & of North Shields thereafter. Per LR, J. Sangster was the vessel's captain from 1840/41 thru 1857/58, then W. Dunn briefly, & 'Arrwsmth', 'Arrowsmith' I presume, from 1859/60 thru 1863/64. The 'Pow' ownership is confirmed in a number of shipping registers. Newcastle registered & owned by 'Pow & Fawcus' in Jul. 1848 data, per the Mercantile Navy List of 1848/9. In the equivalent directory of 1854/5, in 1854 data, now registered  at Shields & owned by Robert Pow, Margaret and Jno. Fawcus & George Davison, of North Shields, with John Sangster her then captain. In 1856, still Shields registered, per Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR'), owned by R. Pow, J. & M. Fawcus & G. Davison.  TR of 1855 lists William Dunn as her then captain. The owners names are spelled out in Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 - Robert Pow, George Davison, Margaret & John Fawcus. Ohio's service while 'Pow' owned? From Sunderland to Archangel, Russia, from 1841/42 thru 1844/45, from Liverpool to Odessa (Black Sea, Ukraine) in 1845/46, from Shields to the Mediterranean from 1846/47 thru 1852/53 & from 1858/59 thru 1863/64 & from Shields to the West Indies from 1853/54 thru 1857/58.  In 1863/64, per LR, Johnson & Co., of North Shields, became the vessel's owner, for service from Shields to i) Archangel thru 1865/66, ii) the Mediterranean thru 1867/68 & iii) to the Black Sea in 1869/70 & 1870/71. With W. Smith serving as the vessel's captain. A Sunderland shipping website, which website requests no links or recognition, tells us that on Jul. 23, 1863 the vessel was registered in the names of William Johnson & William Smith. We thank such site. From 1870/71 thru 1878/79 Ohio was, per LR, owned by the 'Greenfield' family of North Shields - 'Greenfield' thru 1875/76 & then T. Greenfield from 1876/77 thru 1878/79. With C. Warnett her captain, per LR, thru 1873/74, then 'Bull' briefly & A. Finlay from 1874/75 thru 1878/79, indeed, per LR thru to 1883/84 under new owners. From 1878/79, per LR thru 1883/84, W. Beckwith, of North Shields, was the vessel's owner - likely her last owner it would appear. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') records Ohio, from 1857 thru 1878, as always registered at Shields. Owned from 1865 thru 1870 by Wm. Johnson of North Shields. MNLs from 1871 thru 1878 record Thos. Greenfield of Sunderland as the vessel's owner. No edition of MNL refers to 'Beckwith' or 'Beckwell'. 86.0 ft. long, signal letters HMWB, many crew lists are available via this page. What finally happened to Ohio? I read that on Sep. 13, 1878, the vessel, Captain 'Strachan' in command, left Sunderland for Cronstadt (St. Petersburg), Russia with a cargo of 360 tons of coal. At 5 p.m. on Sep. 14, 1878, when 150 miles off Souter Point (mouth of the River Tyne), the vessel became considerably damaged as a result of shipping a heavy sea during a strong SW gale. The vessel became 'big-time' leaky, taking on board 18 inches of water per hour. The crew tried to control the water but at 8 a.m. on Sep. 15, 1878, by then totally exhausted, they took to a ship's boat & abandoned ship. Fortunately Elise, a German barque under the command of Captain Wieting (reported in the English press as 'Whiting'), en route from Bremen, Germany, took the Ohio crew members aboard & on Sep. 23, 1878 landed them at the Tyne.- specifically 'Strachan' & 6 Ohio crew members. Per these contemporary news reports - 1 & 2. Later, on Oct. 02, 1878, it was reported that a little wreckage, identifiable as being from Ohio, had came ashore at Raabjerg (Råbjerg, Skagen, northern tip of Denmark). A U.K. Government wreck listing records the data somewhat differently. It reports, here, that on Sep. 13, 1878, Ohio, now Newcastle registered, had to be abandoned when 160 miles off Souter Point. Further that W. Beckwell, of Sunderland, was the vessel's then owner with J. Strauchan her then captain. (A number of news reports re the vessel's loss noted that Thomas Greenfield was her then owner). Who did own Ohio at the time of her loss? It would seem it was 'Beckwith'. In that regard he notes that the Sunderland shipping website referred to above advises that on Feb. 18, 1878, Thomas Beckwith, of Sunderland, became the registered owner of Ohio. Can you add anything additional? Or correct the above text in any way? #2804 10   Ann 111/87 tons 1842 A schooner. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1843/44 thru 1846/47 & not thereafter. It was owned, for that brief period by Ogle & Co. of Sunderland, for service as a Sunderland coaster. LR of 1846/47 notes that the vessel had been 'LOST'. I have no other data but note that Ogle & Co. acquired a second vessel of the name, perhaps after this vessel was lost. LR of 1846/47 records Ogle & Co. as owning two vessels of the name, the 2nd being a snow of 164 tons, built at Sunderland in 1845 - with 'Lawson' the captain of both of the vessels. The later vessel for service from Sunderland to Boulogne, France. This listing was created after the webmaster read this interesting guestbook message from Ebbe Hove of Denmark. Thanks Ebbe! About a Sunderland vessel named Ann, that 'foundered off Skagens Rev (North Jutland) on Nov. 28, 1846. Local fishermen saved the crew of six. The wreck was bought by a local man, but when a period of calm weather arrived - about half a year later - the hull was taken ashore and found to be nearly intact. Possibly it was repaired and sailed again. The Danish painter Martinus Rørbye portrayed the work on the ship in 1847, and I just uploaded the picture at Wikipedia Commons here'. I invite you to view that image! And the delightful sketch that is available at page bottom. Ebbe has now kindly provided some additional information from this Danish web page (a giant list of wrecks near Denmark) - that Ann was sailing from Stettin (Szczecin, on the Baltic, then in Prussia) to London with a cargo of barley & that Robert Johnson was Ann's master or captain. How remarkable that the hull was not destroyed by many months of pounding seas! Now LR lists seven vessels named Ann, registered at Sunderland in the period from 1843/44 thru 1848/49. Six of the 7 seem for a variety of reasons definitely not to 'fit'. This Ann seems close to fitting. But be warned. LR is an unreliable source for data at that point in time. Witness the many vessels recorded in these pages that were i) never LR listed at all, ii) were listed for a period only or were intermittently listed or iii) LR listed with data that clearly is incorrect. There are many examples of such matters. Until new data emerges, such as a contemporary newspaper article about the North Jutland wreck, we need to keep an open mind. Can you add anything that might advance the resolution of this interesting puzzle? #1972 11 Judith Allan 505/608 tons 1842 A ship. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1841/42 thru 1850/51, and, so far as I can see, not thereafter. It has the distinction of being mentioned in 'Where Ships are Born' which refers at page bottom to an 'S. Austin & Mills' shipbuilding partnership & informs us that 'some very fine ships were launched under the supervision of George and John Mills'. And specifically mentions Judith Allan in that regard - owned by John Allan & placed into the China trade. We have a little mystery as to when Judith Allan was built. The webmaster has two Sunderland build lists available to him. They both, to his surprise, list the vessel as built in 1840. It is the webmaster's belief that those references are in error & that LR was correct when they referenced 1842 as her year of build. Now 'Lloyd's Register Foundation' kindly makes available 3 Surveys for the vessel, one of them noted to have been undertaken while the vessel was being built. Such Survey, which can be accessed here, is dated Jan. 1942, & notes that her then captain was Thomas Hayes & that John Allan, of J. Allan & Co., of London, was the vessel's sole owner. I can tell you something about Thomas Hayes. On Jul. 20, 1840, Miranda, a vessel built at Stockton in 1824, arrived at London ex Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, (left Feb. 07, 1840), via Rio de Janeiro, with 'Hayes' in command. From Jul. 27, 1840 thru Aug. 31, 1840, such vessel was advertised for another departure to Hobart Town, with Thomas Hayes in command. A sample advertisement. Was it the same Thomas Hayes? I believe so since Miranda was then owned, per LR, by J. Allan of London. Miranda left London on Sep. 20, 1840, with a general cargo & 3 passengers, & arrived at Hobart on Jan. 30, 1841.  On Apl. 01, 1841, she left Hobart for Lombock (Lombok, an Indonesian island located just east of Bali) in ballast. But did not  make it! On May 06, 1841 the vessel was on shore, during a calm, on Portland Reef, Torres Straits, which lie between northern Queensland & Papua New Guinea, but suffered no damage. But on a date prior to Jun. 21, 1841, it drifted on shore at night, in a calm, & was lost at the island of Madura (off the NE coast of Java, NW of Lombok). Her entire crew were saved & landed at Sourabaya, Java, while Captain Hayes went on to Batavia i.e. Jakarta, Indonesia. I note that on Feb. 20, 1842, at Middleton (Rochdale, greater Manchester), Thomas Hayes married Sarah Kilvington of Aislaby, N. Yorkshire. The webmaster's interest in 'Hayes'? None other that the fact that the Miranda data confirms that Judith Allan surely was not built in 1840. For all of the above indicated years, J. Allan of London is LR listed as the vessel's owner, with T. Hayes her captain. For service from London to China in 1841/42 & 1842/43 & for service thereafter from London to Calcutta (now Kolkata), India. There are references to the vessel in publications including 'Allen's Indian Mail ...' re the vessel's trading from London to Calcutta & other Far East ports, indeed carrying troops to Calcutta. The webmaster has not so far researched the early operational history of the vessel. But spotted that on Mar. 20, 1842 the vessel left London for Hong Kong, arriving there on Aug. 01, 1842, en route to Macao (near Hong Kong) with Government stores.  On May 11, 1844 the vessel arrived at Gravesend, London, 'Hayes' in command, ex Macao, with 7289 chests & 1825 boxes of tea & 80 bls (bales?) of silk. 'Hayes' woud seem to have been Judith Allan's captain until the spring of 1844. From May 24, 1844 thru Jun. 28, 1844, Judith Allan was advertised for a departure to Calcutta, initially with her captain unnamed but from Jun. 21, 1844 with R. A. Murray noted to be her captain. It left London on Jun. 30, 1844, with 'Murray' in command, & arrived at Calcutta on Oct. 17, 1844 with military detachments of the 9th Lancers aboard. It arrived back at London on May 08, 1845 & on Jun. 14, 1845 again left for Calcutta, arriving there on Oct. 12, 1845. I read that on Nov. 29, 1845 or Dec. 09, 1845 (Diamond Harbour) the vessel left Calcutta for Mauritius, via Sauger (Madras now Chennai maybe?) arriving at Mauritius on Jan. 19, 1846 - likely to load a cargo of sugar. On Feb. 22, 1846, Judith Allan, 'Murray' in command, is reported to have left Mauritius for London. 123 ft. 6 in. long. A c.1845 pencil sketch of the vessel in Hong Kong harbour is available via the image at left. Such dating may be suspect. I had previously noted in this spot, that I did not know what happened to Judith Allan, probably in or about 1851. I now have found that there are no references to the vessel in the U.K. press (or at least none that I have found) after Jun. 26, 1846 when Lloyd's List noted the above departure from Mauritius. Was the vessel lost in some way? Or sold to a non U.K. owner? But now, in Dec. 2023, thanks to Liam Duncan, we know what happened to the vessel. One of Liam's ancestors was a Mauritian, whose 22 year old son Édouard, left Mauritius aboard Judith Allan on Feb. 22, 1846, intending to go on to Paris, to work in France & there pursue his legal career. A family memoir records that Judith Allan was then captained by the vessel's owner, which may well mean that 'Murray' was not only her then captain but also was a shareholder in the vessel. The family never heard from Édouard again, to the great distress of his family & particularly of his mother. The family anxiously awaited word of the arrival of the ship in England or in any port en route. Which word never came. It is likely that the vessel would have been reported at Cape Town, South Africa, had it made it that far. It would seem, accordingly, that the vessel went missing, for reasons unknown, in the southern Indian Ocean, while on that voyage from Mauritius to London. Exactly what happened may never be known. It is strange that the loss of the vessel seems not to have been reported in the U.K. press of the time. The webmaster has searched for the vessel, for many variations/spellings of its name & of both the captain's & owner's names - without success. We thank Liam Duncan for sharing a portion of his family history. Can you add anything additional? 12   Till 247/258 tons 1843 A snow. The vessel, which was launched or completed in May 1843. is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1843/44 thru 1857/58. Per LR, the vessel, for its entire lifetime was owned by Pow & Co. of North Shields, with just two captains i.e. J. Barker thru 1851/52 & Henderson thereafter. For service to St. Petersburg, Russia, from Sunderland thru 1846/37 & in 1847/48 from Shields, & thereafter to the Mediterranean ex Shields. The vessel is recorded in a number of NE shipping registers. The North of England Maritime Directory of Jul. 1848 records the vessel as registered at Newcastle & owned by 'Pow & Fawcus' of North Shields. Marwood's equivalent register of 1854 has the vessel registered at Shields & owned by Robert Pow & John & Marg. Fawcus, all of North Shields. With J, Davison (a name not LR referenced), as her then captain. Such ownership data is confirmed by Turnbull's Register ('TR') of 1855. Till is not recorded in TR of 1856. Now even though the vessel is LR listed thru 1857/58, it was not, so far as I can see, issued an Official Number. I suspect, accordingly that the vessel was lost prior to Jan. 01, 1855, most likely in late 1854. Can you tell us what, in fact, happened to the vessel & exactly when? Or otherwise add anything? #2006 13   Alacrity 211/295, later 184, later 177 tons 5444 1844 A snow or brig. From the tonnages at left, it would seem that the vessel shrank as it got older! Alacrity is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1844/45 thru 1875/76. It was initially owned, until part way thru 1848/49 per LR, by 'Austin & Co.' of Sunderland for service from Sunderland to Archangel, Russia. In 1848/49, per LR, Ward & Co. of Blyth (in 1853/54 G. Ward of Shields), became the vessel's owner for service from Blyth to London thru 1850/51, from Shields to Galatz (i.e. Galați, on the Danube, Eastern Romania, Black Sea) in 1851/2 & 1852/53, & from Clyde to the Mediterranean in 1853/54. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, in Jul. 1848, lists the vessel at 195 tons, owned by G. Ward of Blyth. The vessel's tonnage, per LR, became 211/195 in 1853/54. In 1854/55, per LR, T. Taylor (from 1860/61 Taylor & Co.) of Blyth became Alacrity's owner thru 1873/74. Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1856 lists the vessel as registered at Shields & owned by J. Taylor of Morpeth, J. Robson of Wideopen, J. Sample of Blyth & T. Gallon of Fenrother. Which owner names are clarified & revised by Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 to mean John Taylor, John Robson, Thomas Gallon & John Wigham of Morpeth (rather than J. Sample, who per LR served as the vessel's captain from 1854/55 thru 1857/58). For consistent service under 'Taylor' ownership ex Blyth - to the Mediterranean (in 1854/56), to Stettin (Szczecin, Poland, on the Baltic) (in 1856/58), to the Baltic in 1858/59, to London (in 1859/60), to the Baltic again in 1860/61, to Lisbon, Portugal (in 1861/63), to the Baltic (in 1863/65), a Blyth coaster in the period of 1865/67, & from Blyth to the Baltic in the period of 1867/73. Per LR the vessel became of 184 tons in 1858/59. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') record Alacrity as registered at Shields from 1857 thru 1874 & owned from 1865 thru 1874 (1870) by Thomas Duxfield of Gosforth, Northumberland. On Jan. 26, 1874, the vessel was offered for sale. In 1873/74, per LR, H. Gibson of Whitby, Yorkshire, became the owner of the vessel, now of 177 tons, for service ex Newcastle with H. Gibson her captain. MNL of 1875 lists the vessel as owned by Hansel Gibson of Robin Hood's Bay, Yorkshire. The vessel is not listed in MNL of 1876. 81.0 ft. long, signal letters JHQV. Many crew lists are available here. This listing was revised in Jul. 2022, when the webmaster saw this entry for the vessel is a 1908 Whitby shipping history book. Which tells us that the vessel had become owned by Hansell Gibson and Harrison Allison, presumably both of Whitby. It also tells us that the vessel was lost on the Gunfleet Sand in May 1875. Wikipedia tells us (thanks!) that Alacrity, en route from Bo'ness, Lothian, Scotland, to Sheerness, Kent, ran aground on the Gunfleet Sand (7 km. SE of Clacton-on-Sea, Essex), on May 22, 1875, & became a wreck. Her crew were rescued by Emblem, a smack. The webmaster has not so far spotted any detail as to the circumstances. Can you add to (or correct in any way) the above text? #1973 14   Oak 183 later 168 & 175 tons 19631 1844 A snow or brig, later a sloop which was launched in Nov. 1844. The webmaster has made a small start only (thru 1880) on the history of this modest vessel, which amazingly would seem to have survived until 1907. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1844/45 thru 1852/53, a gap 21 years, then from 1874/75 thru 1879/80 (& probably later but I have not yet checked), It was initially owned, per LR, by Austin & Co. of Sunderland (likely its builder) with 'Loyd' serving as the vessel's captain for service from Sunderland to London. In 1850/51, per LR, the vessel became owned by Gilby & Co. of Sunderland, for service as a Sunderland coaster. With 'Gilby' serving as the vessel's captain. LR of 1852/53 names Gilby & Co. as the owner but provides limited other detail. And then the long LR silence, but all is not lost; the vessel is listed in many NE & other shipping registers. The North of England Maritime Directory of Apl. 1848 lists C. Gilly of Sunderland & S. Souter of Fishbourne, West Sussex, as the vessel's then owners. Which owner names the equivalent register of Mar. 1854 clarifies as meaning Christopher Gilby of Sunderland & Stephen Souter of Fishbourne - with Christopher Gilby her then captain. Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1856 confirms such ownership data & lists the vessel at 168 tons only. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 lists Sarah Gilley (not Gilby) of Sunderland & S. Souter of Fishbourne. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865 thru 1872 list Joseph N. Nelson, of Sunderland, as the vessel's then owner. While the equivalent registers of 1874, 1875 & 1876 rather list Joseph N. Wilson as her owner. It would seem that Wilson was likely correct & he was likely the managing owner. LR, when coverage recommenced in 1874/75, & thru 1879/80 lists J. N. Wilson of Sunderland as her owner. But Turnbull's Register of 1874 lists Sarah Gilby of Sunderland as the then owner of 32 shares in the vessel & Jos. N. Wilson as owner of the other 32. MNLs of 1878 thru 1880 list a new owner i.e. Robert Lynn of Seaham Harbour. My last snippets of data is from TR of 1884 which lists the vessel at 175 tons, registered at Newcastle & owned by J. Watson. Later a sloop. 79.8 ft. long, signal letters MSRP. Hopefully more data in the future, whenever time permits. Many crew lists, thru 1906 are available here. Is there anything you can add? #2224 15   Sharp 328/373, later 320 tons 24377 1844 A barque. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1844/45 thru 1869/70 with the exception of 1847/48. Was first registered at Newcastle on Aug. 23, 1844. It continued to be registered there thru 1864/65 & then at Sunderland. Was owned throughout the vessel's entire lifetime, roughly until 1869, by the 'Sharp' family of Gateshead & Sunderland, per LR by 'Sharp' thru 1847/48, 'R. Sharp' thru 1855/56 & 'J. & B. Sharp' thereafter. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, in Jul. 1848 data, clarifies the then ownership of the Newcastle registered vessel when it lists J. Sharp of Gateshead as the vessel's then owner. While Marwood's equivalent directory of Apl. 1854 lists J. Sharp of Gateshead & Robert Sharp of Bishopwearmouth. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 lists the two Sharps while the Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865 thru 1868 all list John Sharp of Gateshead as the vessel's then owner. LR first listed the vessel at 320 tons in 1861/62. The vessel had some varied service indeed. From Sunderland to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1844/45 & 1853/54, from London to Madras (now Chennai, India) from 1848/49 thru 1852/53, from Dublin, Ireland, to the West Indies (in 1858/59 & 1859/60), from Gloucester & Liverpool to North America (in 1861/62 & 1862/63 respectively), from the Clyde to Barbados (in 1863/64  & 1864/65), from Sunderland to the Baltic (in 1868/69 & 1869/70) & in many of the other years to the Mediterranean ex Sunderland, Shields or the Clyde. The vessel, per LR had many captains. Mallet or Mallett (in 1844/45 & 1846/47), A. Mitchell in 1845/46, J. Spratt (from 1848/49 thru 1852/53), Middleton or C. H. Middleton (from 1853/54 thru 1855/56), Henderson (in 1856/57 & 1857/58), J. Lilley (in 1858/59 & 1859/60), Robson (in 1860/61), W. Hutch or W. Hatch or B. W. Hatch (in the period of 1861/62 thru 1864/65), A. Scott (in 1865/66 & 1866/67), G. Robinson (from 1866/67 thru 1868/69) & Atkinson (in 1868/69 & 1869/70). Also J. Mowat in 1855 (per Turnbull's Shipping Register). 100.5 ft. long, signal letters NWMC. A few crew lists are here. LR of 1869/70 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. Details as to what happened to the vessel & exactly when are not yet to hand. Can you tell us more about what happened or add anything additional? #2002 16   Boadicea 310/346, later 326 & 325 tons 25930 1845 A barque, which was completed on Apl. 23, 1845. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1845/46 thru 1861/62, initially owned by Parker & Co., of Sunderland, with 'Backhouse' serving as her captain, for service from Sunderland to Marseilles, France. Such ownership was short lived, however. In 1845/46, the vessel became captained by A. McKey (thru 1853/54) & owned by J. Pollock, of Glasgow, for service i) ex the Clyde to Singapore, ii) in 1846/48 from London to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, iii) in 1848/51 from the Clyde to Valparaiso, Chile, iv) in 1851/54 from the Clyde to Port Phillip, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, v) in 1854/56 from the Clyde to Penang, Malaysia. W. Muir, per LR, served as the vessel's captain in 1854/55 & in 1855/56. In 1856/57, per LR, Dunlop & Co., of Greenock, Scotland, became the vessel's owner for service from Clyde to the West Indies. LR advises that Buchanan was the vessel's captain in 1856/57 & 1857/58, A. Allan in 1858/59 & 1859/60 & J. Rutter from 1860/61. Became of 326 tons in 1861/62 in which year LR notes that the vessel had been 'BURNT'. On Jan. 19, 1862, per line 2069 here, the 325 ton barque burnt in Demerara Harbour when en route from Demerera (Guyana, N. coast of South America), to the Clyde with a cargo of sugar etc. Crew of 14 - 1 lost. Then owned by R. Dunlop. Signal letters PJBQ. Can anybody tell us about the circumstances of the vessel's loss? #1988 17   Clio 351/385, later 372 tons 24525 1845 A barque. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1845/46 thru 1876/77 &, so far as I can see, was registered at London for its entire lifetime. Launched on Apl. 23, 1845, it was first registered on May 22, 1845, owned by Colling & Co. of London, thru 1862/63 per LR. For service to Demerera, (Guyana, N. coast of South America), from Sunderland (in 1845/46) & from London (in 1846/47 & 1848/49). For the years from 1851/52 thru 1855/56 & in 1860/61, LT records the vessel as trading from London to the West Indies. Under 'Colling' ownership, the vessel, per LR, had 3 captains - Mules or R. Mules thru 1850/51, Evans or W. Evans from 1851/52 thru 1855/56 & again from 1859/60 thru 1862/63, & W. Edm'nds from 1856/67 thru 1858/59. Many owner changes in the following years. In 1862/63, 'Thomson' became the vessel's owner with G. Shadrake her captain for service from London to the West Indies. In 1863/64, T. & A. Carter became her owners, with Milne or G. Milne her captain for continued service to the West Indies i) ex London in 1863/64 & ii) ex Sunderland in 1864/65. Note however that the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1865 records 'Cindunur and Thomson', of London, as the vessel's then owner. In 1865/66, per LR, W. Morrison of London, (MNL of 1867) became the vessel's owner, with Thompson & W. Goddard her captains, for service from Sunderland to the West Indies & from Shields to Lisbon, Portugal. From 1867/68 thru 1872/73, 'Simpson' became the vessel's owner for service from London to the West Indies, with Honeyborne serving as the vessel's captain. (Per MNL of 1868 & 1870, 'Simpson' means Miss Fanny Simpson of Wimbledon, Surrey. Yet more owner changes! In 1872/73, per LR, Ebblewhite & Co. of Whitby (Geo. Ebblewhite per MNL of 1874), became the vessel's owner with J. Cummins her captain. For service from Whitby, Yorkshire, to the West Indies. John Cummins in 1875 & in C. Harrison in 1876, both also of Whitby, were the vessel's following owners. The vessel was listed at 107.5 ft. long & 26.7 ft. wide in LR from 1864/65. From 1867/68 the vessel's length was LR listed at 111.8 ft with an increased width also (27.0 ft.). Was the vessel partially rebuilt, I wonder? Or a recording error corrected? Signal letters PBFW. Some crew lists thru 1874 are here. LR of 1876/77 notes that the vessel had been 'LOST'. In mid Apl. 1876, Clio, owned by C. Harrison & under the command of John Cummins, left Kabea on the N. coast of Africa (Morocco perhaps?) for Newcastle with a cargo of iron ore & esparto grass. On Jun. 01, 1876, Captain Cummins died - Captain Leng, of Boston, took over command & proceeded to Lisbon where Captain Cummins was interred. Clio resumed its voyage to Newcastle. On Jul. 08, 1876 Clio was off the Sussex coast between Dungeness & Beachy Head, in thick fog. Later that evening, still in fog it would seem, a steamer was seen in the distance, a steamer that proved to be Narenta, an Austrian vessel registered at Trieste, under the command of Captain Druscovich. When about 15 miles off the coast & at about 10 p.m. that day, Narenta struck Clio in the area of her fore rigging. Leng & four other Clio crewmembers clambered aboard Narenta, while 6 others were thrown into the water by the force of the collision or jumped overboard. Clio sank 4 minutes after the collision. The Narenta crew apparently made no effort to launch a boat to save those in the water. So Leng did so himself & 4 of the 6 were rescued using a Narenta ship's boat. Two Clio crewmen were, however, lost - John West, an A.B. & a Swede, & John Stent, an apprentice. The 8 Clio survivors were later landed at Cardiff by Narenta. All as per these contemporary newspaper reports 1, 2, 3. Can you add anything to this summary history? #1990 18   Grange 304/323, later 289 tons 8585 1845 A snow-rigged vessel. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1845/46 thru 1871/72 & not thereafter. It was owned, for that entire period, by G. Hudson of Sunderland. For initial service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean (thru 1848), from Liverpool to 'Miramc', presumably Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada (1848/50), ex Sunderland, ex Gloucester (1858/60), from the Clyde to the West Indies (1860/61), from Sunderland to the Mediterranean (1861/63), thereafter from Sunderland to Quebec, Canada. The vessel became of 289 tons in 1856/57. The North of England Maritime Directory of Apl. 1848 records the Sunderland registered vessel as then being owned by G. Hudson & J. Ade, both of Sunderland. While the equivalent directory of 1854, i.e. Marwood's, confirms such data & tells us that John Ade was the vessel's captain. As does (owner data) Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1856. It would appear that J. Ade was the vessel's captain from 1845/46 thru 1859/60 though the name is spelled in a number of ways - Aid to 1847/48, J. Aid to 1851/52 & J. Ade thereafter. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 clarifies the owner names as being George Hudson & John Ade. The Mercantile Navy List of 1867 lists George Hudson of Monkwearmouth as her then owner. 97.0 ft. long, signal letters KCSH. What finally happened to the vessel? Can you tell us? #1975 19   Marcia 246 tons 25806 1845 A snow-rigged vessel which was launched or completed in Jun. 1845. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1845/46 thru 1857/58 only. It was owned, for its entire lifetime per LR, by Wake & Co. of Sunderland, for service from Sunderland to Archangel, Russia, (thru 1850/51), ex Liverpool (from 1851/52 thru 1853/54) & ex Sunderland thereafter including to London thru 1856/57. LR lists three captains, 'Tilley' thru 1850/51, J. Hall from 1851/52 thru 1856/57 & 'Weighill' in 1857/58. Four NE shipping registers clarify the 'Wake' ownership & the names of her captains. The North of England Maritime Directory of Apl. 1848 lists T. Wake & W. Backhouse, both of Sunderland & H. Parker of Bishopwearmouth, as the vessel's then owners. Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of Mar. 1854 lists the vessel's then owners as being Thos. Wake, Hannah M. A. Wake & John Hall, with 'Hall' serving as the vessel's captain. Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1855 is similar but with Wm. R. Weighill being both an owner & captain in place of Hall. TR of 1856 lists her then owners as being T. & H. M. A. Wake of Sunderland. So far the webmaster has not spotted a reference to what finally happened to Marcia nor exactly when. This page (#25806), however, advises that a certificate was issued respecting her loss on Jan. 25, 1858, so presumably the vessel was lost either in very late 1857 or early in Jan. 1858. Can you add anything additional? #1997 20   Anna 326, later 298, later 284 tons 4302 1846 A snow or brig. The vessel, which was registered at Sunderland on Feb. 19, 1846, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1845/46 thru 1869/70. It was owned, per LR, thru 1864/65 by T. Wood of Sunderland. With D. Toft serving as the vessel's captain thru 1850/51, 'Steward' so serving from 1851/52 thru 1855/56, J. Colling from 1856/57 thru 1859/60 & W. Grey from 1860/61 thru 1864/65. During the period of 'Wood' ownership, the vessel served ex Sunderland i) to Algiers from 1845/46 thru 1850/51, ii) to the Mediterranean from 1851/52 thru 1859/60, iii) to Quebec, Canada, in 1860/61, iv) to the West Indies in 1862/63 & v) served from Shields to the West Indies in 1863/64. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, in Apl. 1848 data, states that 'Wood & Toft' of Bishopwearmouth were her then owners. The equivalent register of Mar. 1854, i.e. Marwood's, lists Thomas Wood of Sunderland with Robert Smith her then captain, data which is confirmed by Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1855. TR of 1856 reports T. Wood of Sunderland as her then owner while Christie's Shipping Register of 1858, (which incorrectly lists the vessel as Anne), lists Thomas Wood. In 1864/65, per LR, the vessel became registered at North Shields & owned by T. Knox. For service to the Mediterranean from i) Shields in 1864/65 thru 1867/68 & in 1869/70, & ii) Swansea, Wales in 1868/69. With per LR, J. Noble serving as the vessel's captain from 1864/65 thru 1866/67 or 1867/68, then R. Knox from 1866/67 or 1867/68 thru 1869/70, & finally J. Annis during a portion of 1869/70. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') records the vessel as registered at Shields from 1865 thru 1869 & at North Shields in 1870. Owned from 1865 by Thomas Knox of North Shields. 98.0 ft. long, signal letters JBVR, of 298 tons per LR from 1856/57 thru 1860/61, of 301 tons from 1861/62 thru 1863/64, of 298 tons again from 1864/65. MNL of 1870 lists the vessel at 284 tons only. Many crew lists are here including 1870. LR of 1869/70 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. Reported as lost per a return dated Mar. 08, 1870 on this page (#4302). The webmaster does not know what happened to 'our' Anna. Now Wikipedia reports (thanks!) that a brig named Anne (means Anna, I believe) was driven ashore at Tynemouth on Dec. 30, 1869. Further that i) her crew were rescued by the South Shields lifeboat Northumberland & ii) she was soon re-floated & towed into South Shields. Per 'The Times' of London on Jan. 01, 1870. I do not know which vessel of the name that was. It is possible that the actual newspaper article might include additional detail. But, since there are crew lists available via the link above dating from 1870, it appears unlikely that the vessel was 'our' Anna. Can you tell us more? #2234 21   Regina 239 tons 1846 A snow-rigged vessel. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1845/46 thru 1852/53 but not thereafter that I can see. The vessel, per LR, was initially owned, thru 1847/48, by Austin & Co. of Sunderland, for service from Sunderland to the Baltic. With 'Walker' serving as her captain. In 1848/49, 'Bourke' of Ballina (County Mayo, NW coast of Ireland), became the vessel's owner for service from Liverpool to Africa. With, per LR, J. Lamb serving as the vessel's captain. In 1850/51, 'Campbell', of Liverpool, owned the vessel, with 'Wakeham' her captain, for service ex Liverpool in 1850/51 & from 1851/52 for service from Liverpool to Jamaica. Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of Mar. 1854 lists the Liverpool registered vessel as owned by 'Campbell and Rudo' with George Wakeham her then captain. It would seem that the vessel was not issued an Official Number & accordingly would no longer have been in existence on Jan. 1, 1855 or in a 3 or 4 month period thereafter. Can you tell us what finally happened to the vessel, likely in late 1854. #1976 22   Sailor 333, later 303 or 304, later 295 tons Marie Brandt Sailor 7385 1846 A snow, later a brig, later a lighter. Sailor is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1845/46 thru 1881/82 & again from 1886/87 thru 1894/95 at least. Was initially owned, from 1845/46 thru 1856/57, by G. Hudson of Sunderland for service from Sunderland to i) America in 1845/46, ii) the Mediterranean from 1846/47 thru 1850/51, & thereafter ex the Clyde from 1851/52 thru 1856/57. With Crozier (G. Crozier from 1851/52) serving as the vessel's captain. The North of England Maritime Directory of Apl. 1848 lists the vessel as then owned by 'Hudson & Crozier' of Monkwearmouth. The equivalent directory of Mar. 1854, i.e. Marwood's, & also Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1855, clarifies the names to mean Geo. Hudson & Gowen Crozier with Gowen Crozier stated to be her captain. TR of of 1856 also lists G. Hudson & G. Crozier as her then owners. In 1857/58, per LR, & thru 1863/64, the vessel, now of 303 tons, was owned by 'Sandrsn' & Co. of Shields, for service ex Sunderland in 1857/58 & 1858/59 & for service from Shields to the Mediterranean thereafter thru 1862/63. With 'J. Sandrsn' (various spellings) her captain thru 1860/61 then R. Mitchell thru 1863/64. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 clarifies the name when it lists George Dixon & James Sanderson, both of South Shields as the vessel's then owners. From 1863/64 thru 1880/81, per LR, the vessel was owned by Dixon & Co. (G. Dixon from 1864/65), for service, where LR indicated, to the Mediterranean ex Gloucester in 1865/66 & otherwise thru 1873/74 ex Shields. With Sanderson still her captain thru 1866/67, then, from 1866/67 thru 1869/70 J. Birch, then W. Taylor for all the following years from 1869/70 thru 1881/82. In view of the 'Christie's' data above, the Dixon ownership may simply have initially meant a change in the vessels' managing owner, but I note that TR of 1874 lists G. Dixon as then the sole owner of the vessel, listed (strangely) as a 520 ton barque. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') tells us that the vessel, of 304 tons thru 1866 then 301 tons, was registered at Shields in 1858 & 1859 & from 1865 thru 1880 (1870) was registered at South Shields, owned by Geo. Dixon of South Shields. The Mercantile Navy Lists of 1867, 1870 & 1880 all list the then owners of the 304 or 301 ton vessel to be Geo. Dixon of South Shields. LR in 1880/81 records the vessel becoming owned by J. B. Bushell. While LR of 1881/82 lists no owner name but indicates that the vessel had become registered at Denmark. Now Niels Hald-Andersen advises (thanks!) that from Nov. 1880 thru Sep. 1883, the vessel, renamed Marie Brandt, was owned by Harry Thorvald Brandt, of Copenhagen, Denmark. When LR coverage resumed, in 1886/87, Sailor, noted as being previously named Marie Brandt, was South Shields registered again & described as a 295/318 ton jury rigged towing lighter, owned by J. B. Bushell. MNLs of 1888 thru 1890 record John B. Bushell of South Shields as her then owner. Two further ownership changes. LRs of 1890/91 thru 1892/93 & MNLs of 1891 & 1892 list J. Grinton or John Grinton, of South Shields, as her then owner. With W. Ellington her captain in 1891/92 &  J. Severn in 1892/93. LRs of 1893/94 & 1894/95 list J. Watson as her owner, per MNLs of 1893 thru 1896, James Watson of Newcastle. With J. Donkin & then J. Young her captains. 99.0 ft. long, 101.6 ft. from 1886/87, signal letters JSRG but NSPK while named Marie Brandt. Lots of crew lists are available here. The register for the vessel was, I read, closed in 1896. Can you add anything additional? #2236 23   Wards 188, later 175, later 161 tons 14341 1846 A snow, brig or square. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1846/47 thru 1869/70 & (I think) from 1874/75 thru 1882/83. I say I think because I do not have access to all of the LR editions in that sequence. The vessel was first recorded, in 1846/47, as owned by 'Ward' of Newcastle then of Blyth, for service from Sunderland to the Baltic which became Sunderland to the Mediterranean. The vessel was launched at Southwick, on May 30, 1846, for Gilbert and Benjamin Ward, as per this newspaper cutting. In 1847/48, W. Ward of Blyth was the LR listed owner with 'Ward & Co.' thereafter from 1848/49 thru 1860/61. The North of England Maritime Directory of Jul. 1848 lists the vessel as registered at Newcastle & owned by Ward & Sidney, of Blyth. Turnbull's Register of 1856 lists the Newcastle registered vessel as owned by G. Ward of Blyth & J. F. Sidney of Cowpen-hall. While Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 lists the Shields registered vessel as owned by Gilbert Ward of Blyth. During the period of 'Ward' ownership, the vessel served for many years ex Blyth, Shields or the Clyde to the Mediterranean, to Archangel, Russia (in 1859/60) & to the Baltic (in 1860/61). The vessel became of 175 tons in 1860/61. From 1861/62 thru 1869/70 the vessel is LR recorded with no owner name stated, always for service from Blyth to the Baltic. The vessel was offered for sale, by public auction, on Mar. 5, 1862, as per this newspaper cutting. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1867 & 1870 both record the vessel as then registered at West Hartlepool & owned by John Bedlington of Whitby, Yorkshire. In late 1867, Wards, at anchor in Yarmouth Roads while en route from Hartlepool to Dieppe, France, with a cargo of coal, was run into by Karen Anne Sophia, a Danish galliot. Both vessels suffered minor damages - both were towed into Lowestoft. LR, from 1874/75 likely thru 1882/83 (not all editions are available) lists R. Bedlington as the vessel's captain. MNLs of 1880 & 1882 both list the brig, now of 161 tons, as registered at Whitby & owned by John Bedlington of South Stockton, Yorkshire. 86.0 ft. long, later 86.8 ft. (from 1874/75), signal letters LMSB. LR of 1882/83 notes that the vessel had been 'LOST'. Thanks to a the kindness of a site visitor, I can now advise you that in late Oct. 1882, Wards left West Hartlepool for London with a cargo of coal & was not heard from again. The vessel went missing, on or about Oct. 20, 1882, with the loss of the entire crew of 6, including Robert Bedlington, her long-term captain. As per these advices, 1 & 2. Can you add anything? #1977 24   Sea Nymph 246 later 224 later 222 tons 24226 1847 A snow or brig. The vessel, which was launched in May 1847, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1848/49 thru 1869/70 (incorrectly for much of that period), then an LR silence of 4 years, & again from 1874/75 thru 1879/80. It was initially owned, per LR, thru 1850/51 by Austin & Co., correctly Austin, Mills & Co. its builder, of Sunderland, as is confirmed by the North of England Maritime Directory of  Apl. 1848. For service from Sunderland to the Baltic - with 'Walker' serving as the vessel's captain. From 1851/52 thru 1854/55, LR lists J. Peake of Prince Edward Island ('PEI'), Canada, as the vessel's owner for service from Liverpool to the Danube, with 'Gr'undwatr' presumably Groundwater her captain. It seems to the webmaster to be important to access as many data sources as possible to try to establish an accurate vessel history. I say that because Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory, of Mar. 1854, lists the vessel not as still PEI registered but rather as registered at Liverpool, owned by Henry Whatley Wood of Liverpool, with Jas. W. Tracy her then captain. Such names are not referenced in LR. From 1855/56 thru 1869/70, LR lists the vessel as Liverpool registered & owned by 'Schillizzi' thru 1859/60 & 'Schilizzi' (one 'l') thereafter. With 'Albeury' her captain thru 1857/58, W. Harris in 1858/59, J. Daniel in 1859/60 & 1860/61 & G. Chaplin from 1861/62 thru 1869/70. I trust that 'Schillizzi' or Schilizzi' did own the vessel for a while. But... so far as I can see, much of the above LR data must be incorrect. I say that because the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') records the vessel as Liverpool registered thru 1860 only & thereafter list her as registered at Hartlepool or West Hartlepool. In 1861 of 223 tons per MNL. MNL of 1865 lists Isaac Walton of Hartlepool as the vessel's then presumably managing owner, & from 1866 thru 1872 (1870) lists John Stonehouse, of Micaleby, Yorkshire, as her owner. The webmaster's practice is to find what he can find from ship registers etc. & only once that is done does he widen his data search. In that regard, 'Hartlepool History Then and Now', available here, adds additional owner names after 'Schillizzi', all from Hartlepool - by 1860 William Gray & Henry Taylor, in Dec. 1861 William Gray, Henry Taylor & Grace Yeaman, & in 1862 William Gray, Grace Yeaman & Jens Christian Nielsen. And adds more captain names also - James Webster & H. McBeath, both in 1864. And adds some operational history. LRs of 1874/75 through 1879/80 list the 224 soon 228 ton vessel as registered at West Hartlepool & owned by T. & then I. Bedlington. Which data is essentially confirmed by MNLs of 1874 thru 1880, all of which list Isaac Bedlington of West Hartlepool as the vessel's then owner. Turnbull's Register of 1874 relates. It reports that that the vessel was then owned by I. Bedlington, F. Anderson and J. (presumably John) Stonehouse with, respectively, 32, 16 & 6 shares (which likely should be 32, 16 & 16 shares). 88.5 ft. long, from 1874/75 89.4 ft., signal letters NVWB. The vessel was not listed in LR of 1880/81 nor in MNL of 1882 (but MNL of 1881 is not available). Lots of crew lists are available thru 1880. It is always a pleasure to find good data about vessels built at Sunderland. 'Hartlepool History Then and Now', available here, tells us that Sea Nymph left West Hartlepool on the morning of Feb. 21, 1880 for Rotterdam with a cargo of coal & a crew of nine all told. Further that on Feb. 24, 1880, the vessel was wrecked at Debol Sands, Zedrickzsa. So far the webmaster has not established exactly where either place-name is. But he now reads that the vessel was lost on Zeehound Flat, west of Sconen, (i.e. Zee Hond Plaat, W. of Island of Schouwen, Zeeland, between the approaches to Antwerp & Rotterdam) on Feb. 28, 1880. As per a summary of the Inquiry into the vessel's loss published in 'Nautical Magazine', Vol. #49 re 1880, available here. A part of her cargo as saved - no lives were lost. At the time of the vessel's loss, the vessel was under the control of Stainthorpe, the vessel's Mate, Lewis Smith, the vessel's Master then being asleep. The mate’s certificate was suspended for three months, in part for not using the lead. It would be good to be able to read & provide, through these pages, the full report of the Court of Inquiry. Can you add to or correct the data recorded above. Y  #2226 25   Branch 177 later 167 tons 2707 1848 A snow-rigged vessel. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1848/49 thru 1864/65 & not thereafter. It was, per LR, owned thru 1855/56 by Austin & Co. of Sunderland. For service from Sunderland to the Baltic. In 1856/57, Gray & Co., also of Sunderland, became the vessel's owner for continued service from Sunderland to the Baltic, at least thru 1858/59. The LR data re 1859/60 thru 1864/65 is limited but does continue to list Gray & Co. as the vessel's owner. Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1856 lists J. Gray & C. G. Gilby, both of Sunderland, as her then owners, while Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 references only John Gray. TR of 1874 lists the vessel at 167 tons only & owned by John Gray & John N. Wilson, both of Sunderland, with 48 & 16 shares respectively. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1867, 1870 & 1875 all advise that the vessel, still Sunderland registered, was then owned by John Gray. The vessel is not listed in MNL of 1876. 82.5 ft. long, signal letters HQGL. Can anybody tell us what happened to the vessel, in or about 1875, or otherwise add anything? Crew lists of many years are available via here. #1989 26   Mariner 292 tons 26273 1848 A snow-rigged vessel, which was launched or completed on Jul. 17, 1848. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1848/49 thru 1856/57 & not thereafter. It was, per LR, owned thru 1853/54 by 'Thompson' of Sunderland, with 'Christie' serving as the vessel's captain. For service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean. In 1854/55, Humble, also of Sunderland, became the vessel's owner for continued service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean. With 'Kirton' serving as the vessel's captain. Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of Mar. 1854 lists Thos. Humble as the vessel's then owner with Chater Kirton her captain. Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1856 lists the vessel at 274 tons & owned by T. Humble. The vessel is not listed in LR of 1857/58. I suspect it was lost at about that time but have not yet spotted exactly what happened to the vessel nor when. Can anybody tell us about it? No crew lists seem to be available. #1998 27 Saint Abbs 505/592 tons 1848 Initially a barque, at least per Lloyd's Register ('LR') of 1848/49, but in subsequent years LR listed as a ship. Launched or completed in Jan. 1848, the vessel is LR listed from 1848/49 thru 1855/56 & not thereafter. It was owned throughout its short life by J. Willis of London, for consistent service to India - from Sunderland to India in 1848/49 & 1849/50, ex London thereafter to Bombay (now Mumbai) from 1850/51 thru 1853/54, to Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1854/66 & to an unstated Indian port in 1855/56. With 'Willis' serving as the vessel's captain thru 1854/55 & then 'Rouse' (Geo. Rouse I read). While LR advises that the vessel was always London registered it would seem that was not so. It was rather registered at Sunderland - see below re references to the vessel in many NE shipping registers. A modest puzzle is that the vessel would seem not to have been issued an Official Number on Jan. 1, 1855. Can anybody explain why that seems to be so?  In most cases, when I try to research & list early vessels such as this, I have difficulty in WWW finding any data about the vessel & generally find nothing about what finally happened to her. This case is different. Others have researched the vessel for their purposes & made kindly their findings available. From the above text, 'Willis' sounds like a one man operation, owning & captaining his own ship. That would seem to be far from the case. Wikipedia tells us that John (Jock) Willis (1791/1862), of modest roots & born in Eyemouth, Berwickshire, Scotland, founded 'Jock Willis & Sons' of London, also known as 'Jock Willis Lines'. And was followed into the business by his son John 'White Hat' Willis (1817/1899) & other family members. The firm owned many vessels in its time, many of them named after Berwick place-names. 'Wiki' & Bruzelius list 28 such vessels including the famous Cutty Sark. It was, apparently, upon the sale of Cutty Sark in 1899 that the company's life came to an end. The company served India, China & Australia primarily. What happened to Saint Abbs? That question is addressed by this 'shipstamps.co.uk' philatelic page which tells us that in 1855 the vessel was en route from London to Bombay under charter to the Hon. East India Company, & carrying stores for the Indian Navy & two steam engines for ships a-building in Bombay. With 28 aboard, I understand. On the night of Jun. 14, 1855 the vessel was wrecked on coral reefs adjoining the island of San Juan de Nueva, SE of Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. 'Bill', rather than Rouse, was in command & Bill with 4 others survived the disaster & were rescued by Uranie, a Seychelles schooner. Uranie later returned to the scene, recovered some tons of copper, other artifacts (including 100 casks of beer) & found the bodies of 3 crew members. The wreck is still there - its remains were relocated in 1991. Not until Oct. 29, 1855 did Lloyd's List report the wreck & advise that the survivors had arrived at Seychelles in Jul. 1855. Rumours later suggested that other Saint Abbs survivors had been taken captive & held far to the west in Somalia. The subject is discussed at length at the link above. It is also covered in French in this volume, (Le Tour du Mondre, published in 1866) which I think tells us, (my French is limited), that the vessel left London on Mar. 18, 1855, her captain was Bell rather than Bill & that 22 persons were drowned on that fatal night. The local name for the outer Seychelles islands is today Zil Elwannyen Sesel (Zil') & in 1991 Zil issued a postage stamp re the wreck of Saint Abbs with an incorrect wreck date upon it of 1860. It depicts the vessel as a barque. See left. We thank 'shipstamps.co.uk' & its contributors for their info. The vessel's loss is covered in French here also (about 80% down the page). We do have a further puzzle. The vessel is listed in Marwood's North of England Shipping Register of Mar. 1854, in Turnbull's Shipping Registers of 1855 & 1856 & in Christie's Shipping Register of 1858, in all cases as a 592 ton barque registered at Sunderland & owned by John Willis & John Willis jun., both of London. I wonder why it was so 1858 listed? After it had been lost. Can anybody tell us anything more? #2003 28   Elizabeth 213 later 190 tons 2060 1849 A snow or brig. The vessel, which was completed in Oct. 1849, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1850/51 thru 1861/62 only. It was registered at Blyth & initially owned, per LR, by W. Turner for service from Sunderland to London in 1850/51, from Shields to the Mediterranean from 1851/52 thru 1853/54, & from Newry, Northern Ireland, to the Mediterranean from 1854/55 thru 1856/57. W. Turner seems to have resided at Newcastle. E. Turner per LR served as her initial captain (thru 1853/54) & J. Johnst'n (J. Johnson per Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1855, then registered at Shields) thereafter thru 1856/57. In 1857/58, LR lists Dodds & Co. of Blyth, from 1858/59 of Shields, as the new owners of the now 190 ton vessel for service from Blyth to the Baltic (in 1857/58), from Shields to France (in 1858/59), & from Shields to the Baltic thereafter thru 1861/62. TR of 1856 lists P. Dodds, W. & G. Smith & W. Reavely as the then owners of the Shields registered vessel. Which owner names are clarified by Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 (Shields) to mean Philip Dodds, Wm. W. Smith, G. Smith & W. Reaveley, all of Blyth. Under 'Dodds' ownership, LR lists P. Dodds (in 1857/58), G. Taylor (in 1859/60), R. Dodds (in 1860/61) & T. Shotton (in 1861/62) as her captains. Signal letters HMPG. This page (scroll to 2060) indicates, as I read the text, that a certificate re the vessel's loss was issued on Mar. 6, 1861. I cannot yet tell you what happened to the vessel, nor exactly when or where she was lost. Can you provide that information or otherwise add anything? #1991 29   Hastings 425 later 392 tons 26635 1849 A barque, which was completed on Sep. 1, 1849. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1850/51 thru 1867/68, a gap of 4 years, then, likely, from 1872/73 thru 1885/86. I say likely because LRs re 3 of those years are not available to the webmaster. The vessel was initially owned by J. C. Munro, of London, thru about 1867/68, for service to India i) ex Sunderland in 1850/51 & ii) ex London from 1857/58 thru 1859/60, to Mauritius i) ex Sunderland in 1862/63 & 1863/64 & ii) ex Swansea, Wales, from 1864/65 thru 1867/68 & generally ex London in other years. Such 'Munro' family ownership is confirmed by the Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865 thru 1868 which list G. L. Munro. With a number of captains, per LR, i.e. R. (Robert) Watson thru 1854/55, J. Robson thereafter thru 1860/61, 'Thomps'n' from 1861/62 thru 1864/65 & W. Hinckley (or Hinckly) thru 1867/68. MNLs of 1870 thru 1872 list John S. Thompson, of Sunderland, (her previous captain maybe?) as her then owner thru 1872/73 when the vessel became registered at North Shields & owned by J. Eskdale, for service ex Sunderland thru 1873/74. Note, however, that LR of 1872/73 lists the vessel, now of 392 tons, as owned by 'Austin & S' & replaced by 'Eskdale'. Under 'Eskdale' ownership, the vessel, per LR, had 3 captains, i.e. G. Young from 1872/73 thru 1876/77, G. Wallace later in 1876/77, & J. Arthur from 1878/79 thru 1885/86. The 'Eskdale' ownership (John Eskdale) is confirmed by MNLs of 1874 thru 1885 (MNL of 1880 is here should you wish to see it). J. Eskdale was clearly the managing owner. Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1874 lists J. Eskdale as owning 16 shares only, with 6 others owning 8 shares each (R. M. Tate, C. Morton, G. Young, W. Bengall, J. Bengall & W. Johnson). From 1878 MNL lists the vessel at 377 (net) tons only. It would seem that in 1885/86, per LR, S. N. Castle, maybe of North Shields, became the vessel's owner. Many crew lists are available via this page. 109.0 ft. long, signal letters PLWN. I have not so far spotted what happened to the vessel, then a very old vessel, in or about 1885. Is it possible that you can tell us what happened to her? If so, do consider being in touch. #1993 30   Lydia 541, possibly later 501 tons 4579 1849 A ship. The vessel, which was completed on Jun. 21, 1949, is listed in Lloyd's Register ('LR') from 1850/51 thru 1869/70 & may well be listed in LR of 1870/71 also (page missing). It was owned, per LR thru 1862/63 by Sharp & Co. of Newcastle for service from Sunderland to Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, thru 1852/53, from London to Sydney, Australia, in 1853/54 & 1854/55, to India ex Liverpool (in 1855/56 & 1856/57) & ex London (in 1857/58 & 1858/59). In 1861/62, LR records service from London to Mauritius. Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of 1854 lists John Sharp of Gateshead & Robt. Sharp of Sunderland as the vessel's then owners with J. Robb serving as her captain. Turnbull's Register of 1856 also lists J. Sharp of Gateshead & R. Sharp of Sunderland as the vessel's then owners, which owner names are again clarified by Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 (listed strangely as a brig) to mean Jno. Sharp & Robert Sharp. Under 'Sharp' ownership, LR reports her captains as being 'Spratt' (thru 1852/53), 'Macdonld' (thru 1854/55), T. Lloyd (from 1855/56 thru 1861/62) & J. Strong in 1862/63 & 1863/64. LR of 1862/63 records Henderson & Co. ('Henderson') of Glasgow as her new owner for service ex the Clyde including to Quebec, Canada, in 1862/63. Ownership changed again in 1864/65 when 'Albion S. Co' became the vessel's owner, i.e. The Albion Shipping Company ('Albion'), of Glasgow per the Mercantile Navy Lists of 1865 thru 1868 (listed at 501 tons only). 'Milne' is listed as the vessel's captain under the ownership of both Henderson & Albion. 120.9 ft. long, signal letters JDCH. An 1863 crew list is available here. What happened to the vessel & when? This page (scroll to 4579) does refer to the vessel's loss but interpreting the handwritten text is difficult - lost in 1868 or early 1869 it would seem. Can you tell us more? #1994 31   Ocean Queen 189 tons 26607 1849 A snow-rigged vessel. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1848/49 thru 1859/60, & so far as I can see, not thereafter. Was owned thru 1857/58 by Haley & Co. of Wisbech for service ex Sunderland, & from 1855/56 for service from Liverpool to the Mediterranean. In 1858/59, J. Buckley, also of Wisbech, is listed as the vessel's owner for service to the Mediterranean ex Sunderland. The vessel's call letters are listed as PLTR in the 1864 edition of the Merchant Navy List - at the third item. So it would seem likely to have survived until that year at least. Can you tell us what happened to her? #1978 32   Theron 321 later 295 tons 23723 1849 A barque, which was launched or completed on Apl. 24, 1849. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1850/51 thru 1869/70 and, per LR, had three owners over that period, all of Sunderland, i.e. Lumsdon thru 1858/59, Burdes & Co. thru 1861/62 & Williamson & Co. from & after 1861/62. It would seem that the ownership may, in fact, have remained within the hands of a small group of Sunderland partners for the vessel's entire lifetime. Why do I say that? Marwood's North of England Directory of 1854 lists the vessel's then owners as being John Burdes & Rodger Lumsdon with Matthias Jobling her then captain. Turnbull's Register ('TR') of 1855 adds a name. It lists Robert Bordes, Thomas Walker & R. Lumsdon as her owners with B. Leeds serving as her captain. TR of 1856 substantially confirms such last owner names (R. Burdes, J. rather than R. Lumsdon & T. Walker). While Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 lists Robert Burdes, Thomas Walker & Thomas Williamson. LR advises that 'Burdes' was the vessel's captain thru 1855/56, 'R. Leeds' from 1856/57 thru 1861/62 & 'Theodorean' from 1861/62 thru 1869/70. The vessel is LR stated to have served Madeira ex Sunderland thru 1855/56, served the Mediterranean ex Sunderland from 1856/57 thru 1858/59, served South America ex Liverpool in 1859/60 & 1860/61, & served the Black Sea ex Sunderland thereafter. 98.5 ft. long. First LR recorded at 295 tons in 1859/60. While LR lists the vessel thru 1869/70, the Mercantile Navy List listed the vessel in 1863 but not later. Correctly it would seem. This newspaper article advises us that at an unstated date in late Mar. 1863, a sudden hurricane hit Beirut (Beyrut), then Ottoman controlled now the capital of Lebanon. Theron, moored at Beirut, was one of the vessels impacted. She dragged her anchors, was driven ashore & was wrecked. The weather conditions were such that nobody could get near to the vessel until the next morning when the storm abated. No Theron crew lives were, however, lost in the disaster. Is there anything you can add? #2005 33   Jason 243 tons 25604 1851 A snow-rigged vessel, which was completed in Apl. 1851. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1851/52 thru 1856/57 only, and, so far as I can see, not thereafter. It was owned throughout its brief lifetime, per LR, by 'Graydon' of Sunderland, for consistent service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean, with W. Milburn serving throughout as the vessel's captain. Two shipping registers clarify such ownership. Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of 1854 lists Wm. Milburn, Martin W. Graydon & Robt. Gilley, all of Sunderland, as the vessel's then owners, with Wm. Wilson (not LR referenced) serving as the vessel's then captain. While Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1856 lists W. Milburn & M. W. Graydon, both of Sunderland, as the vessel's then owners. This page (25604) notes that a certificate dated Jan. 23, 1858 advised that the vessel had been lost, presumably lost either in late 1857 or very early 1858. How it was lost, exactly when, & the circumstances are presently unknown to the webmaster. Do you have any info on such matters that you would wish to share? Or can otherwise add anything? #1995 34   Judith 238 later 216 tons 15423 1851 A snow or brig, launched or completed on Dec. 4, 1850. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1851/52 thru 1869/70, always listed as Judith. I mention that because two master lists of Sunderland built vessels, rather record the vessel as Judith Gregg. Anyway Judith was owned thru 1864/65 by Greig & Co., per LR of Stonehaven, Scotland, but it would seem that the vessel was registered at Aberdeen, Scotland, throughout its lifetime (though LR always lists Stonehaven). Turnbull's Register of 1856 lists D. Greig as the owner of the Aberdeen registered vessel with Lees her captain. For service to the Mediterranean, initially from Sunderland (1851/52), from Liverpool (1852/53 thru 1855/56) & later from Leith (1856/57 thru 1860/61). And from 1861/62 ex London. LR indicates that J. Lees was the vessel's captain thru 1860/61 & then C. Lees thru 1864/65 when the vessel was sold. The vessel was first LR recorded at 216 tons in 1856/57. In 1864/65, per LR, Connon & Co., of Stonehaven, became the vessel's owner for service from Aberdeen, Scotland, to Archangel, Russia. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865 & 1867 list Richard Cormor & Co. of Aberdeen as the vessel's then owner. A typo it would seem. MNLs of 1868 & 1870 record the Aberdeen registered vessel as then owned by Richard Connon & Co. of Aberdeen. Per LR, C. Crawford served as the vessel's captain during the entire period of 'Connon' ownership. 93.5 ft. long, signal letters LSGD. On Sep. 2, 1870, per line 342 here, the 216 ton snow stranded at Karavaldi (near Cronstadt) while en route from St. David's (South Wales) to Cronstadt (St. Petersburg, Russia) with a cargo of coal. Crew of 11 - none lost. Vessel then stated to be owned by Richard Connon. Do you have any additional info to add? #1996 35   Ulrica 312/315, later 291, later 288/297, later 264/291 8586 1852 A snow, later a lighter. The vessel, launched or completed in Feb. 1851, had a very long life indeed. Of over 60 years, the vessel being removed from registry only in 1912. Its final years were likely served as a lighter. Ulrica is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1851/52 thru 1899/1900 & surely thereafter also including LRs of 1908/09 & 1910/11, access to both of which is available to the webmaster. It was initially owned, thru 1858/59, by Austin & Co. of Sunderland. With, per LR, 'Laycklck' serving as her captain from 1856/57 thru 1858/59. Turnbull's Register ('TR') of 1855 clarifies the captain's name as meaning Wm. Laycklock. Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of 1854 lists Saml. P. Austin of Sunderland and Henry Stone of South Sea (Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, I presume) as her then owners with Henry Stone serving as the vessel's captain. Which data is confirmed by TR of 1856. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 lists the owner names in reverse order, i.e. Henry Stone of Poole & Samuel P. Austin of Sunderland. For service from Sunderland to Mauritius thru 1855/56 & thereafter from the Clyde to India. From 1859/60 thru 1861/62, per LR, the vessel, now of 291 tons, was registered at Poole, Dorset - as the Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1859 thru 1862 so confirm. Owned & captained, per LR, by Henry Stone, for service from London to Singapore. Strangely, the vessel from 1859/60 thru 1873/74 was LR listed as being rather built at Peterhead, Scotland. From 1861/62 thru 1875/76 the vessel was, per LR, registered at Blyth & from 1876/77 thru 1885/86 was registered at North Shields, owned thru such total period by Manners & Co. (J. Manners from 1876/77) of Blyth & North Shields respectively. With, per LR, J. Manners her captain thru 1863/64, J. Bell from 1863/64 thru 1865/66, W. Davidson from 1865/66 thru 1872/73, J. Ford from 1872/73 thru 1879/80, & J. Harnez from 1879/80 thru 1883/84 at least. Such data seems likely to be incomplete. I say that because the MNL of 1865 lists the vessel as then registered at Shields & owned by Edmund H. Watts of Blyth. 'John Manners', of Blyth, is MNL recorded from 1866 thru 1880 as the owner of the Shields registered vessel, then 'James Manners' of Blyth from 1882 thru 1885 at least. During the period of 'Manners' (both) ownership, per LR, the vessel served the Baltic i) ex Blyth (in 1861/62 & 1862/63, 1865/66 & 1866/67, & from 1871/72 thru 1873/74, ii) ex Newcastle (in 1863/64 & 1864/65). The vessel also served France ex Blyth in 1867/68 & 1868/69, & from Newcastle to Lisbon, Portugal, in 1869/70 & 1870/71. In 1885/86, & per LR thru 1891/92, the vessel became owned by G. Marshall - per MNLs of 1887 thru 1891 (1890) George Marshall of Newport, Middlesborough, Yorkshire. With P. Winpenny her captain thru 1886/87 & 'Bell' from 1887/88 thru 1892/93. In 1890/91 the vessel became registered at Newcastle & owned by J. Watson - James Watson per MNLs of 1892 thru 1907 (1900). With E. Walsh her captain in 1893/94, W. Ingledew incl. from 1896/97 thru 1897/98, & J. Young in 1898/99 & 1899/1900. The vessel, from 1892/93 is LR described as 'Wood Jury' & MNLs from 1892 also lists the vessel as 'Jury'. It seems to the webmaster to be likely that the vessel was no longer a snow or brig & had become a jury essentially unrigged lighter. I note, in passing, that Sailor, a snow built in 1846 by Austin & Mills, became a towing lighter late in its life & that in 1894/95 J. Young was the captain of such lighter then owned by James Watson of Newcastle. One more change of ownership. MNLs of 1907 thru 1911 (1910) list Kenneth McKenzie of Stornaway, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, as the owner of Ulrica, still Newcastle registered. With J. R. Doull her captain in 1908/09 & D. Mackenzie in 1910/11. 99.0 ft. long, signal letters KCSJ. An amazing number of crew lists are available here. The register for the vessel was closed in 1912. Can you add to and/or correct the above text? #2237 36   Albion 349/381 tons 24752 1852 A barque. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1852/53 thru 1861/62 & not thereafter. Owned for that entire period by W. Stevens of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, for service thru 1854/55 of Sunderland to Aden, from 1855/56 thru 1858/59 for service from London to Australia, & later ex London. The webmaster made a quick search at Trove, Australia, for references to voyages to Australia. He believes he spotted two such voyages, as follows - i) On Dec. 4, 1855 the vessel arrived at Hobart Town, Tasmania & in Feb. 1856 left on its return voyage for London ii) On Nov. 13, 1856 the vessel arrived at Adelaide, South Australia, having left London on Jul. 25. 1856. It went on to Portland, Victoria, & departed on Dec. 6, 1856 for Guam. There may well be additional voyages. On May 4, 1861, per line 1212 here, the 349 ton barque was wrecked at Narsipore (now Narsapor, Andhra Pradesh, India) while en route from Madras (now Chennai), India, to Ganjam (Odisha, India). Crew of 13 - none lost. Vessel then stated to be owned by William Stevens. Can you tell us about the circumstances of her loss or otherwise add anything? #1979 37   Portena 354/361, later 330 tons 5857 1852 A barque. Portena? Porteña is the term by which a female resident of Buenos Aires, Argentina, is known. The vessel, which was launched on May 22, 1852, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1853/54 thru 1881/82 - and so far as I can see, not thereafter. A puzzle, perhaps, is that the vessel would seem to have been first Liverpool registered only on Aug. 23, 1852. It was initially owned, thru 1872/73, by Darbyshire of Liverpool. Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of Mar. 1854 clarifies such owner name to mean Ben. Darbyshire & Luke Bruce, both of Liverpool, with John Shadrack her then captain. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865 thru 1872 (1870) all list B. Darbyshire of Liverpool as the vessel's presumably managing owner. Now John Shadrack is not LR referenced as the vessel's captain during the period of 'Darbyshire' ownership. LR does reference L. Bruce thru 1857/58, McGowan from 1858/59 thru 1864/65, M. Millar from 1864/65 thru 1871/72 & P. Trachy from 1871/72 thru 1873/74. Her 'Darbyshire' service? Always ex Liverpool i) to Bahia, Brazil, from 1853/54 thru 1857/58, ii) to the Sandwich Islands, i.e. the Hawaiian Islands, from 1858/59 thru 1860/61, iii) to Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1865/66 & iv) to unstated destinations in S. America in many other years. LR first listed the vessel at 330 tons in 1869/70 but it was so listed by MNL from 1861. In 1873/74, the vessel, per LR, became Dundee, Scotland, registered, owned by W. Crighton, with J. Ferguson becoming her captain (thru 1880/81 per LR). MNLs of 1874 thru 1879 all list Wm. Crighton, of Dundee as her owner. C. Wells became the vessel's owner, per LR, in 1879/80, i.e. Charles Wells, of Hull, Yorkshire, per MNL of 1880. LRs of 1880/81 & 1881/82 list no owner name but do state that the vessel had become Norway registered. MNL indicates that the vessel was sold to Norway on Dec. 29, 1879. I can really tell you very little about her history when Norwegian owned. The vessel is listed in the 'Record of American & Foreign Shipping' thru 1885 but the main listings there are not particularly helpful - they still list 'Crighton' of Dundee as the vessel's owner. But, in that same edition, in the section re international call signals, a 317 ton vessel of the name is recorded with signal letters HPQV, registered at 'Pg' which means Porsgrund or Porsgrunn, Norway. 116.0 ft. long, signal letters JLKM. More data is needed re the period when the vessel was Norwegian owned, including what finally happened to the vessel. Can you add anything additional? Or correct the above? #2223 38   Expedient 168 later 148 tons 14984 1853 A snow-rigged vessel. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1853/54 thru 1873/74. LRs of 1854/55 thru 1858/59 advises that the vessel was owned by 'D. Morice' of Aberdeen, Scotland, with 'J. Drysd'le' serving as the vessel's captain, for service from Sunderland to the Baltic. Such owner & captain names are clarified by both Turnbull's Register of 1856 & Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 to mean respectively D. Morrice & Drysdale. In 1859/60, LR lists the vessel, now of 148 tons only, as owned by Gosman & Co. of London for service from London to Lisbon. Gosman would seem to have owned the vessel for just a couple of years. In 1861/62, the vessel, per LR, became owned by G. & W. Gutch, of Poole, Dorset, who owned the vessel for the rest of its life. Under 'Gutch' ownership, the vessel was captained by 'Wilson' thru 1861/62, then 'S. Bacon' thru 1864/65 or 1865/66 & from those years 'Lane'. For consistent service, per LR, from Poole to the Mediterranean. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865, 1867 & 1868 all record George H. Gutch, of Fish Street, Poole, as the vessel's then owner. The vessel is not listed in MNL of 1870. 88.0 ft. long, signal letters LQJV. Line 23 on this page, tells us that on Dec. 18, 1868, the vessel, stated to be a 15 year old 148 ton brig, stranded near Cette, France, while en route from London to Cette with a cargo of pitch. The vessel is stated to have had a crew of 6, 1 of whom lost his life in the disaster. Cette, since 1926 Sète, is on the Mediterranean coast of France, SW of Montpellier. Hopefully in due course, detail will emerge as to the circumstances of the vessel's loss. The vessel, described as a brigantine, is depicted in a painting held in the collection of the Poole Museum - entering the Moli of Naples, Italy, on Jun. 4, 1867. An image of the painting is here. Go here for available crew lists. Is there anything you can add? #1980 39   Nimrod 772/893 later 890 tons 26307 1853 A ship. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1853/54 thru 1865/66 & not thereafter (so far as I can see thru 1885/86). This newspaper launch announcement advises that the vessel was launched on Mar. 24, 1853 for John Allan, a London merchant, who intended to use the vessel in the East India trade. Owned thru 1865/66, per LR, by J. Allan & Co. of London for service from London to Port Philip (Melbourne), Australia, thru 1855/56, ex London from 1856/57 thru 1860/61 & from London to India from 1861/62 thru 1865/66. Some details on the vessel's voyages to Australia - but tell me if I have the detail wrong. i) On Sep. 14, 1853, the vessel arrived at Melbourne ex London (left Jun. 9, 1853) via Plymouth. With 73 passengers mainly (67) in steerage & a general cargo. The vessel left for Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, on Oct. 16, 1853. ii) On Jun. 17, 1854, the vessel arrived at Sydney ex London (left Feb. 25, 1854). On Jun. 10, 1854 it left for Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). iii) On Oct. 18, 1855, the vessel arrived at Sydney from Gravesend, London. It later (Jan. 16, 1856) left Sydney for London. iv) On Feb. 20, 1856 the vessel arrived at Melbourne ex London (left Nov. 18, 1855). On Apl. 9, 1856 the vessel left for Madras (now Chennai), India. A vessel named Nimrod, just maybe this Nimrod, was en route from London to Karachi, now Pakistan, in early 1857. It landed at Cape Town, South Africa, the crew & passengers of Joseph Somes, a ship which, bound from London to Melbourne, had burnt at sea off Trista da Cunha in the S. Atlantic. LR of 1865/66 notes that 'our' Nimrod had been 'Condemned'. I expected that to be the end of the vessel's life. But no! The Mercantile Navy List of 1870 lists the vessel, now of 890 tons, as then registered at Calcutta, India, & owned by H. V. Jonas of Calcutta. While the 1880 equivalent lists George S. Thompson of Calcutta as her then owner. 162.5 ft. long, signal letters WCMP. It would seem that the vessel was broken up in or about 1883. Anything you can add? #1981 40   Norman 283/283, later 254 tons 23017 1853 A barque. The vessel, which was completed on Feb. 7, 1853, & registered at London on Feb. 18, 1853, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1853/54 thru 1869/70. It was initially owned, thru 1856/57, by Langton & Co. of London, with G. Walsh serving as the vessel's captain. For consistent service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean. In 1857/58, per LR, the vessel, now of 254 tons, became owned by A. Wilson of London for service from Liverpool to South America, with Deans serving as her captain. From 1860/61 thru 1862/63, the vessel was owned by G. Trail of London for service ex London, with 'F. Orfeur' serving as the vessel's captain. F. Orfeur continued to be, per LR the vessel's captain thru 1869/70, the vessel being from 1862/63 owned by Cresswell & Co. of London. For service ex London. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865 & 1867 list Richard Cresswell, of London, as her then owner. While no longer LR listed, the vessel is recorded in MNLs of 1870 thru 1874, registered at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, & owned by Robert Bryce of Balmein near Sydney. 100.5 ft. long, signal letters NPVJ. A couple of crew lists are available here. Can you tell us more? #2001 41   Bankside 476/549 later 490 later 435 tons 6476 1854 A barque. It is not often the webmaster comes across a vessel which did not end up a wreck or abandoned somewhere in the world. This vessel made it safely through a life of over 30 years to its being broken up in 1885/86. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed then from 1855/56 thru 1885/86, owned thru 1860/61 by Pegg & Co., (maybe Peggs & Co.) of London. These cuttings (1 & 2) record her launch on Apl. 13, 1854. For initial service, per LR, from London to California, U.S.A., then (in 1856/57 & 1857/58) for service from Dundee to India & (in the period of 1858/59 thru 1860/61) for service from Sunderland to China. In 1861/62, S. & J. Pegg became the vessel's owner, for service which included London to Australia in the 1862/64 period, & from Sunderland to the Mediterranean during the period of 1864/67. On Feb. 9, 1863, the vessel, under the command of captain Woodruff, left the Downs for Sydney, New South Wales ('NSW'), Australia, arriving there on Jun. 1, 1863. It left on Jul. 25, 1863 for Shanghai, China. The Mercantile Navy List of 1867 (page 38, image soon) lists Joseph Pegg of Sunderland as the then owner of the 490 ton vessel, still registered at London. In 1868/69, per LR, Addison of London became the vessel's owner, later G. P. Addison & Co., thru 1881/82, for service from Stockton to Australia (1868/71), & from Leith to the West Indies (1871/74). On Feb. 1, 1869, the vessel left Middlesboro' for Adelaide, South Australia, under the command of Charles Davey. It arrived there on Jul. 31, 1869, went on the Sydney (arrived Sep. 22, 1869) & left Newcastle, NSW, for San Francisco on Nov. 4, 1869 with 700 tons of coal. The Mercantile Navy Lists of 1870 & 1880 both record the vessel as registered at London, & owned by G. P. Addison of London. The equivalent lists of 1882 & 1885 both list Michael Hayhurst, of Sunderland, as her then owner. Hence LR of 1882/83 which lists M. Hayhurst as the then owner of the London registered vessel, thru 1885/86, in which year LR notes that the vessel had been 'Broken up'. 129.5 ft. long, signal letters JNWQ. Anything you can add? #1982 42 York 865/940, later 895 tons 4578 Vilhelm Birkedal 1854 A ship, later a barque. Per 1 (data in Norwegian & image, Vilhelm Birkedal), 2 (sepia image, Vilhelm Birkedal). The vessel, which was launched or completed on Aug. 8, 1854 was Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed, as York, from 1855/56 thru 1885/86, owned throughout that long period by Allan of London, i.e. per LR J. Allan thru 1864/65, J. Allen from 1865/66 thru 1868/69, & J. Allan & Son from 1869/70. For continued service from London to India. With likely just 4 captains in that total period:- H. Redpath thru 1863/64, Brearey or Breary thru 1870/71, T. Abernethy from 1870/71 thru 1875/76 or 1876/77 & W. Brown from 1875/76 or 1876/77 to 1883/84 at least (LR of 1884/85 is not available to the webmaster). The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL'), which records the vessel at 895 tons from 1867, clarify such ownership. MNLs of 1865 thru 1882 (1880 is here) record John Harrison Allan of London as her owner. While the 1883 edition lists Henry H. Allan also of London. Per LR, 172.0 ft. long, became 167.9 ft.  in 1875 (other dimensions changed also), later 172.4 ft., signal letters JDCG later (renamed) HCKV. Strangely LR for a few years from 1876/77 lists the vessel as a schooner. In 1885/86, per LR, the vessel, now a barque 172.4 ft. long & renamed Vilhelm Birkedal, became owned by E. (Edw.) Stangebye, of Frederickstad, Norway (S. of Oslo). And captained, I read, by J. Stangebye thru 1895 & by Edw. Stangebye thereafter thru 1898. The vessel is recorded in a number of LRs, the last I have found being re 1894/95. I read that the vessel was lost, in the N. Atlantic, on Nov. 9, 1898, while en route from New York to Copenhagen, Denmark, with a cargo of oil in barrels. The vessel is said to have become leaky & had to be abandoned. I read some translated Norwegian words that suggested that it may have caught fire. Did it? At present, very little detail as to the circumstances of the vessel's loss to hand. This contemporary newspaper cutting tells us that the vessel was abandoned leaky & that her crew was landed at Hull, but does not refer to a fire. Vilhelm Birkedal (1809/1892)? A famous Danish priest noted for his eloquence & for his extensive involvement in political matters of his day. Can you tell us more? #2009 43   Bittern 423 tons 23696 1855 A barque. The vessel, which was completed in Jul. 1855, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed in 1856/57, then owned by 'Snowball' of Sunderland. Which, per Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1856 & Christie's Shipping Register of 1858, means William Snowball of Sunderland & John Murch of Brixham, Devon. J. Murch served as the vessel's captain. It would seem (scroll to 23696) that the vessel was lost in the fall of 1863. Likely with J. Taylorson her then captain. No detail as to the circumstances of the vessel's loss are yet to hand. 129.0 ft. long, signal letters NSQP. Can you tell us more? #1987 44   Ceres 271 tons 23750 1855 A barque, later a schooner. The ship was launched on Sep. 27, 1855, per this newspaper cutting, for M. Sharp of Sunderland. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1856/57 thru 1887/88. It was owned, thru 1874/75 per LR, by Sharp & Co. - of London thru 1864/65 & of Sunderland thereafter. It would seem, however, that in 1856, per Turnbull's Register, the vessel was registered at Sunderland & owned by J. Sharp of Gateshead & R. Sharp & R. W. Weatherley, both of Sunderland., which owner names Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 clarifies as meaning John Sharp, Robert Sharp & Robert Weatherley. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1867 lists R. Sharp of Sunderland as the vessel's then owner. While the equivalent list of 1870 rather advises that Robert Weatherley of Sunderland then owned the vessel. Under 'Sharp' ownership the vessel served from Sunderland to the West Indies thru 1858/59, ex Sunderland in 1859/60 & 1860/61, from Liverpool to the Black Sea from 1861/62 thru 1865/66. From 1865/66 thru 1869/70, the vessel again served the West Indies ex Sunderland & served the Mediterranean ex Sunderland from 1869/70 thru 1874/75. In 1874/75, per LR, now a schooner, the vessel became, owned by Weatherley & Cropton of Sunderland, which became E. J. Weatherley in 1876/77 thru 1879/80. As noted above, Robert Weatherley of Sunderland, per the MNL, owned the vessel earlier, in 1870. Later editions of the MNL, re 1875, 1876 & 1879, record Edwd. John Weatherley of Sunderland as the then owner of the vessel, listed as a schooner from 1876. In 1880/81, per LR, the vessel became owned by A. J. Blink of Groningen, The Netherlands. From 1885/86, M. Kuipers of Delfzyl, (maybe Delfzijl, the Netherlands) became the vessel's owner, which owner name became M. E. Kuipers from 1886/87. 112.5 ft. long, later (from 1874/75) 113.2 ft, later (from 1886/87) 113.5 ft. long, 3 masts, signal letters NSWG. Is it possible that you can tell us what finally happened to the vessel & when? #1983 45   Birch Grove 518 later 543 tons later (hulked) 243 & 219 tons Birchgrove, maybe 13789 1856 A wooden barque. A cargo ship. Which had a very long life, indeed. Per 1 (converted into a lighter in 1888), 2 (Sir John Grice, 'John Grice & Co.'), 3 (towed out to sea in 1932). 136.5 ft. long, signal letters LJMF. The vessel is Lloyd's Register listed from 1856/57 thru 1886/87 (as far as I have checked) and probably is listed after that edition. Built for S. & J. Pegg, of London, initially for service ex Sunderland, soon London to China, & Liverpool to Singapore. For a number of years was on the London to Australia route. Also to India ex Cardiff. LR of 1868/69 advises that Grice & Co. were her new owners for service to Australia ex London & Liverpool. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1870 records J.T. & T. S. Grice of Sunderland as the owner of the 543 ton vessel. Repairs in both 1868 & 1870. I previously noted one voyage reference to Australia but there probably are many. In 1872, owned by Grice & Co. ('Grice'), & registered at London. A Melbourne, Australia, ship from 1871 it would seem but LR of 1876/77 first mentions the registry at Melbourne of the vessel now (LR') of 543 tons. The MNL of 1880 records Richd. Grice of Melbourne as her then owner - thru, per LR, 1883/84. In LR of 1885/86, J. Benn of Melbourne is listed as her new owner. (An 1876 Register of Australian & New Zealand ships lists (on page 23) R. Grice, T. J. Sumner & J. Benn as the vessel's then owners). In 1888, the vessel was hulked (which is this case means converted to a lighter), at Melbourne, & became 243 tons only. De-registered then. Name changed to Birchgrove - earlier than 1910, but was it truly so? The MNL of 1920 records Walter W. Nicholas, of Ballarat (near Melbourne), as the then owner of the 219 ton Birch Grove. Re-registered in 1919 as a lighter by 'Victorian Lighterage Pty. Lim.' of Melbourne who were, per the MNL of 1930, (in the sail section) still the owner of Birch Grove. On Feb. 12, 1932, the vessel was towed outside of Port Phillip (near to & S. of Melbourne) & set on fire. The vessel did not sink, rather it went ashore at Nobbies, Phillip Island, & broke up. Can you provide more data? M. Negative 46   Moldavian 385 later 362 tons 12686 1857 A barque. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1857/58 thru 1873/74, owned for that entire period by G. Ward of Blyth, Northumberland. For service initially from Sunderland to Suez, later Blyth to Aden. For many years, beginning in 1862/63, the vessel's service is listed as London to China & later from Leith to the Black Sea & from Newport to the Mediterranean. For most years thru 1868/69, W. Ward was her captain - A. Ward was her captain for a short period also. Was registered at Shields or North Shields throughout its lifetime. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 records Gilbert Ward, of Blyth as her then owner. 121.0 ft. long, signal letters LCTQ. The Mercantile Navy List of 1870 records Gilbert Ward, of Waterloo, Blyth, as the then owner of the 362 ton vessel. Despite the vessel being LR listed thru 1873/74, on Jun. 19, 1871, per line 1398 here, the 362 ton barque was burnt near Taganrog (Rostov Oblast, Russia, Sea of Azov, Black Sea), while en route, ex Taganrog, with a cargo of linseed. Crew of 11 - none lost. Then owned by Gilbert Ward. Is there anything you can add? #1984 47   Spring Flower 277 later 278 tons 18685 1857 A snow or brig. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed, it would seem, from 1857/58 thru 1882/83. It was, per LR, owned thru 1867/68 by Potts & Co. of Sunderland with A. Dunn serving as the vessel's initial captain. From 1861/62 thru 1865/66 J. Murray would seem to have been her captain, & from 1865/66  thru 1867/68, J. Morgan. For service from Sunderland to Quebec, Canada, thru 1860/61, from Sunderland to North America in 1861/62 & 1862/63, ex the Clyde in 1863/64 & 1864/65 & ex Sunderland thereafter. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 (1 & 2) tells us that the vessel's initial owners were James and Thomas Potts & John Clark, all of Sunderland. Though LR lists 'Potts' as the vessel's owners thru 1867/68, the Mercantile Navy Lists of 1865 thru 1868 rather list John Clark as her then owner, likely he was the vessel's managing owner. From 1867/68 thru 1882/83, LR lists the vessel as owned by the Watson family of Sunderland, initially 'Watson & Co.' & from 1876/77 'G. Watson'. The Mercantile Navy Lists of 1870 & 1872 both list John Hunter Watson of Sunderland as the vessel's then owner & the equivalent lists of 1875 thru 1883 list George Watson. MNL of 1880 is here should you wish to see it. During the period of 'Watson' ownership, Waterman, J. Jarvis & D. Sharp served as her captains. For service ex Sunderland except in 1872/73 & 1873/74 when the vessel would seem to have traded ex Hartlepool. There was at least one voyage to Cronstadt (St. Petersburg, Russia), in 1870 & the vessel may well have traded with both Hamburg, Germany & with Calais, France. 102.0 ft. long, signal letters MNTP. LR of 1882/83 notes that the vessel had gone 'Missing'. So far the webmaster has not been able to determine the circumstances of her loss. Can you help in that regard or otherwise add anything? #1985 48   Zeno 306 tons 19797 1857 A barque, which was launched or completed in Aug. 1857. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1858/59 thru 1880/81, & throughout that period would seem to have had two owners only. T. Humble of Sunderland (Thomas Humble per Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 & Thos. Humble of Bishopwearmouth per the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1865) thru 1875/76 & W. B. Tully & Co., also of Sunderland, from & after 1876/77. MNLs of 1878 thru 1880 list John Tully of Sunderland as the vessel's then owner. In reality, it would seem that Humble & Tully may well have always been partners in the ownership of the vessel. Turnbull's Register of 1874 lists T. Humble as owning 8 shares in the vessel & J. Tully, jun. the other 56 shares. Always for voyages from Sunderland to the Mediterranean. With four, possibly only three, captains per LR. i.e. Kirton thru 1862/63, Walker from 1862/63 thru 1866/67, B. Wood from 1867/68 thru 1872/73 & Woods thereafter thru 1880/81. LR is not good at recording captain's names. Could it be that B. Wood & Woods are the same person? 108.0 ft. long, signal letters MTKR. LR of 1880/81 notes that the vessel had 'Stranded'. Data about the standing are not yet to hand. Can you tell us about the circumstances of the vessel's stranding or otherwise add anything? I note that the vessel was off the Lizard on Jul. 13, 1880. So its loss would be later than then. #2007 49   Staindrop 230 tons 21371 1858 A snow or brig completed in Jun. 1858. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1859/60 thru 1862/63 only, owned throughout that period, per LR, by Wilson & Co. of Sunderland. For service from Sunderland to Hamburg, Germany. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 states that the then owners of the 230 ton snow were Joshua, Henry, Charles, & Caleb S. Wilson, Thomas Blain, Matthew H. Heslop & Hugh Adamson, all of Sunderland. LR of 1862/63 notes that the vessel had been 'LOST'. On Dec. 1, 1862, per line 2542 here, the vessel was lost off Ushant (a small rocky island in the English Channel off the coast of Brittany, near Brest, France) while en route from Bordeaux, France, to Sunderland, in ballast. Crew of 9 - none lost. Then stated to be owned by Joshua Wilson. Can you tell us about the circumstances of the vessel's loss or otherwise add anything? #1986 50 Thomas Wood 520 tons 27503 1859 A wooden barque. The vessel is not listed at Miramar. Now the webmaster had a number of Lloyd's Registers ('LR') available to him (when image at left was created) for what would appear to be most of Thomas Wood's life. Built for 'Ritson & Co.', of Sunderland - Francis Ritson per the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1865. Later MNLs list 'Ritson Bros.' (1867 thru 1875 incl. 1870) & Francis Ritson again from 1876 thru 1880. 'F. & W. Ritson' per LR of 1876/77. Under 'Ritson' ownership, the vessel had a number of captains i.e. A. Millar, Gadd, Gibson & S. Ingham. The vessel would seem to have traded initially to India & later to Japan. 125.0 ft. long, signal letters PRMK. In the 1880/81 edition of LR, 'V. Nilsen', apparently of Sweden, had become the vessel's owner. The vessel is not recorded in the 1882/83 edition, at least not as Thomas Wood. It may well have been renamed & registered in Sweden. At this point, I am unable to tell you what finally happened to her. But we can tell you that the ship's bell has survived, & a composite image of it is at left, thanks to a kindly site visitor. Some crew lists are here. Anything to add or correct? An image of the ship? E. BAILEY (1850-1857) This shipbuilder (possibly Edward Bailey) would appear to have built 18 vessels during the period of 1850 thru 1857. Just one of those vessels is, so far, listed below. 1   Star Beam 391 tons, later 378/392 tons 15789 1857 A barque, which was first registered, at Aberdeen, Scotland, on Mar. 13, 1857 (scroll to #15789). There would seem to have been confusion as to the vessel's exact name. Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed the vessel from 1857/58 thru 1873/74 as Starbeam, & after that date, thru 1883/84, listed the vessel as Star Beam, which I believe is the vessel's correct name. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865 thru 1880 (at least), always list Star Beam. The vessel's initial owner thru 1876/77 at least was, per LR, Elmsie & Co. (in 1876/77 G. Elmsie & Son), of Aberdeen. MNL, however, has the ownership differently - from 1865 thru 1870, it reports J. Lindsay of Newhills, Aberdeen, to be her owner & from 1871 thru 1876 James Elsmie (note the spelling), also of Aberdeen. For some varied service. Thru 1860/61 for service from Sunderland to Callao, Peru, in 1861/62 from Aberdeen to South America, in the period of 1862/63 thru 1866/67 from London to Australia, in 1867/68 & 1868/69 from the Clyde to North America & from Hull to the Mediterranean thereafter thru 1873/74. With, per LR, D. Reid her captain thru 1867/68, A. Middleton thru 1873/74 & W. Morison thru 1866/77 at least. MNL of 1878 (thru 1880) & LR of 1878/79 both list the vessel's new owner to be A. (Alex) Robertson of Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. With, per LR, J. Hendry now the vessel's captain. Some operational data. i) On Dec. 14, 1861, the vessel left London, Reid in command, for Adelaide, South Australia, with a general cargo, arriving on Apl. 18, 1862. On May 29, 1862, the vessel left port (at her 2nd departure attempt) for Colombo (Ceylon now Sri Lanka) with 5 passengers & a cargo mainly of copper cakes & ingots. ii) The vessel left London, Gravesend, on Apl. 26, 1863 for Adelaide, again with a general cargo, arriving on or about Aug. 08, 1863. Duncan Reid, the vessel's captain, was on Aug. 13, 1863 charged with assaulting W. J. Moore, a steward. I did not spot her next destination. iii) On Apl. 05, 1864, the vessel was noted to be in a leaky condition, en route from Callao to Mauritius. iv) On Oct. 27, 1868, the vessel left Cardiff, Wales, for Alexandria, Egypt, with a cargo of 574 tons of coal. v) In late Jan. 1879, Star Beam, under the command of John Darg, was bound from Liverpool to Cardiff in ballast. On Jan. 30, 1879, when off Caldey Island (near Tenby, Pembrokeshire), Star Beam drove right into New Zealand, a 117/134 ton brigantine (ON 42654), & cut her down almost to the water's edge. New Zealand was, since 1875/76, owned by H. McGuire of Wexford, Ireland. The New Zealand crew, 5 in number, were taken aboard Star Beam & landed at Cardiff. While the brigantine was abandoned in a sinking condition, it was picked up by a crew from Ilfracombe & towed into Bideford Bay, North Devon, by Prince Consort, a steam tug. Star Beam was significantly damaged. The collision was likely the subject of a later Board of Trade Inquiry (newspaper articles A & B). vi) On Oct. 06, 1879, Star Beam was cleared for departure from Cardiff to Rio de Janeiro, Argentina, with 575 tons of coal. I read that there were major storms along the South African coast in late 1880. Star Beam was driven ashore on Nov. 05, 1880 (in blue) at East London, South Africa, with no loss of life, due to 'stress of weather and from the vessel's chains parting'. The vessel had left Newport, Wales, with a cargo of coal, under the command of Captain Webster (newspaper articles C & D). 122.0 ft. long, signal letters LTRM. Crew lists are available here. Can you add anything additional? #2171 JAS. BALL So far as the webmaster can see, this shipbuilder built just a single vessel, Eleanor of 1830, now listed below. 1   Eleanor 234/230 later 239 tons 1830 Eleanor, a snow or brig, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1832/33 thru 1847/48 only, often with most limited detail. It would seem to have been the only vessel built by Jas. Ball. In 1832/33, LR lists the 234 ton Eleanor as 4 years old, owned by T. Glaholm, for service from Hull to Newcastle with J. Farrage serving as the vessel's captain. LRs of 1833/34 & 1835/36 have limited data only - 234 tons, registered at Newcastle with J. Farrage still her captain - & no additional data whatsoever. I note that on May 11, 1830, the vessel, 'Farrage' in command, was at Elsinore, Denmark, en route to St. Petersburg, Russia, with a cargo of coal. There were other voyages to St. Peterburg. On May 14, 1831, the vessel was again at Elsinore en route to Copenhagen, Denmark, with coal. In 1836/37, per LR, Eleanor, now of 234/240 tons, became owned by Dickens & Co., of Newcastle becoming of London, with 'Davidson' her new captain (thru 1837/38) for service from Newcastle to London. 'Davidson' clearly was her captain much earlier than 1836/37. It would seem that the vessel did not only serve London. In Oct. 1833 the vessel, 'Davidson' in command, left Liverpool for New York. And on May 02, 1834 the vessel arrived at Liverpool from Savannah, Georgia, U.S.A. with a cargo of cotton. On Aug. 20, 1834 it again arrived at Liverpool, ex St. John's, New Brunswick, Canada, with a cargo of timber. There were many voyages (Davidson) from St. John's carrying timber. The webmaster has not researched the operational history of Eleanor. But he did spot a couple of events that merit reference, both with 'Davidson' in command. i) Lloyd's List of Jun. 24, 1836 advised that on May 26, 1836, Eleanor had arrived at New York ex Liverpool. It went on to New Orleans, Louisiana, to load a cargo of cotton & on its return voyage to Liverpool, on May 30, 1836, grounded on the Tortugas (a group of islands in the Gulf of Mexico, 68 miles W. of Key West, Florida). Such dates (May 26, 1836 & May 30, 1836) look to be suspect, I think it likely that the grounding was rather on Jun. 30, 1836. Need help, probably from an American newspaper source, to know the true date of the grounding. 658 bales of cotton were unloaded by wreckers to lighten the vessel & get her off. Eleanor apparently suffered minimal damage. Per this contemporary new report. ii) On Oct. 02, 1838, en route from Kirkaldy (E. coast of Scotland) to Riga, Latvia, the vessel grounded on Domesness reef (near Cape Kolka, at the entrance to the Gulf of Riga) & fiiled with water. The crew were all saved. Per this contemporary report. I have not read what damage the vessel suffered in such grounding but she clearly must have been repaired & returned to service. 'Davidson' would seem to have been Eleanor's captain thru 1840 - on Apl. 21, 1840 the vessel left Falmouth for Quebec, Canada, with 'Davidson' stated to have been in command. But on Jan. 15, 1840 the vessel arrived at Shields ex London with 'Bowman' in command. I spotted no references to 'Pethey' being her captain. 'Dickens', per LR, owned Eleanor thru 1844/45, for continued service from Newcastle to London thru 1839/40 & ex London thereafter, with S. Pethey her captain (1838/39 thru 1839/40), & J. Bowman (1839/40 thru 1844/45). In 1845/46, now of 239 tons, Eleanor was, per LR, owned by R. Darling of Stockton, thru 1847/48, for service from Stockton to London with 'Barker' serving as the vessel's captain. LR of 1847/48 has limited detail which suggests that the vessel may then have been out of commision or in process of sale. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9 lists Eleanor, in May 1848 data, as registered at Hartlepool & owned by Thomas Sanderson of Hartlepool & Ralph Hudson of Stockton. Many voyages to Hamburg, Germany. What finally happened to Eleanor? I learn that on Sep. 29, 1848, while en route from Hartlepool to London with 'Hudson' in command, the Hartlepool registered vessel ran aground & was wrecked on the Gunfleet (sands located 7 km. SE of Clacton-on-Sea, Essex). The vessel's crew & most of her stores were saved. The vessel's captain was not the Ralph Hudson referred to above, rather George Hudson. Can you add anything additional? #2893 GEORGE BARKER (1843-1870) For a very long time, in this spot, I indicated that George Barker had a shipbuilding yard, in the Wreath Quay area from 1843 to 1870. It would now seem that those dates are rather the total period during which George Barker built ships - initially, from 1843, at North Dock, then (certainly in 1853) at Wreath Bank/Ravenswheel, & from 1863 at Wreath (or Wreaths) Quay. We thank 'Local Studies' for that interesting data. It would appear that he built wooden sailing ships only & stopped building ships in about 1870 when building ships of iron became the norm. 'Local Studies' also advises us that George Barker was long involved in the local political scene, as a Councillor during the period of 1855-1869 & thereafter, until his death in 1880, as an Alderman. Now this section is largely prepared from data kindly provided by Andrew Barker - George Barker was Andrew's GGG Grandfather. Andrew tells us that George was 'quite ill' for a number of years prior to his death in 1880. The 'Local Studies' data is available via an on site 'George Barker' build list or directly from here. Andrew advises us that the Barkers' came originally from Staffordshire. William Barker, George Barker's grandfather, was a potter at Southwick near to Wreath Quay. William & his wife Sarah (nee Hinton) had many children - 8 maybe though a number of those died at birth or when very young. The move into shipbuilding came later. While Andrew is not certain, it would seem that George Barker may have been an illegitimate child, the mother maybe being Ann Barker (Hannah Barker perhaps) (b.1796), who would have been 19 years old when she had George. George would seem to have had two uncles, James, just 10 years older than George, a Master Smith, Blacksmith & ship smith who lived at 58 Hendon Street & worked in Union Lane. And another uncle also named George. George married & had three children, it would appear. There were many Barkers' & the historical record, even census & local directory data, is quite confused particularly re the names of Barkes & Barker. If you can provide additional data, do please consider doing so. Names of just a few of the vessels constructed by 'Barker' of Sunderland - added as I happen to spot references to them. In a table in registered date sequence. Just five vessels so far. 1   Agenoria 300/324 tons 13934 1850 A wooden barque. Agenoria, which was launched in May 1850, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1851/52 thru 1862/63. It was, per LR, owned thru 1858/59 by G. Gray of Newcastle. With, again per LR, L. Mather as her initial captain, R. Kirby from 1851/52 thru 1852/53, G. Stanton from 1853/54 thru 1855/56 & A. Jackson from 1856/57 thru 1859/60. David Watts advises that Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5, in Apl. 1854 data, lists Geo. Gray of Newcastle, as the vessel's then owner. With G. Stanton the vessel's then captain. Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1856 confirms the 'Gray' ownership, while TR of 1855 also references A. Jackson as her then captain. Agenoria's service per LR? LR of 1851/52 records service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean becoming service ex the Clyde. From 1853/54 to 1854/55 service from the Clyde to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is noted. Ex London in 1855/56 & from 1856/57 thru 1859/60 for service from Newcastle to the Mediterranean. Now LRs from 1859/60 thru 1862/63 all record G. Grey (with an 'e'), of Newcastle, to be the vessel's then owner. Which data is surely clarified/corrected by Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 which lists Jane Gray, of Newcastle, as the vessel's then owner. It seems likely that George Gray must have died. Wikipedia tells us (thanks!) that at an unknown date in Dec. 1858, Agenoria, en route from Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, to Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire), Dublin, Ireland, was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean. Yes & No! It is clear, from contemporary newspaper reports that Agenoria, with 'Wilson' in command, was lost rather at an unknown to the webmaster date in Nov. 1858. I say that because on Nov. 30, 1858, W. B. Dean (a barque built in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1851), of Glasgow, which had rescued the Agenoria crew from their waterlogged & sinking vessel, landed them at Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Prince Albert took them onwards to New York & Canada brought them from New York to Liverpool. As per these news reports (1, 2 & 3). None of this tells us, alas, exactly what happened to Agenoria, which may well (my guess) have been carrying a cargo of timber. Perhaps it succumbed to a major storm in the North Atlantic. Additional data is needed to confirm the specific circumstances of the vessel's loss & exactly when it happened. No Agenoria crew lists seem to be available. Is there anything you can add? #2648 2   Ashmore 430/512, later 474 tons 26658 1851 A wooden barque. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1851/52 thru 1869/70. It was, per LR, owned thru 1855/56 by Alcock & Co. of Sunderland, with W. Martin serving as the vessel's captain. Such owner name is clarified by the North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/55 to mean Saml., John T., & Chas. Alcock, all of Sunderland, with Walter H. Martin the vessel's captain. For service from Sunderland to Bombay (now Mumbai), India, thru 1852/53, ex Liverpool in 1853/54 & ex London in 1854/55 & 1855/56. In 1856/57, per LR, the vessel became owned by Fox & Co. of London with 'Ginder', per LR, serving as her captain. For service from London to China in 1856/57 & 1857/58 & ex London thereafter thru 1860/61. In 1861/62, per LR, 'Avery' of Bristol became the vessel's owner for consistent service from Liverpool to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, with J. Jenkins consistently stated to be her captain. The vessel is so LR recorded thru 1869/70. I read, however, that the vessel traded between Nagasaki, Japan, & Shanghae (Shanghai), China, from May to Sep. 1863 at least. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1865 lists William Avery, of Bristol, to be the then owner or managing owner of the 474 ton vessel. The vessel being LR listed thru 1869/70 is clearly in error. MNL does not list the vessel after 1865 & this page (scroll to #26658) indicates that the vessel was lost with a date of Jun. 28, 1865 (likely just the date of the report). When was she lost? 'Wiki' notes that a vessel of the name was lost at an unknown date in Dec. 1864. 'The ship was wrecked near "Hakedado". Her crew were rescued'. The data source was 'The Standard' of London on Feb. 17, 1865 - 'Mercantile Ship News', a source not available to the webmaster. Was it 'our' Ashmore? I need more data to be able to answer that question. But it does seem likely that it was. 'Hakedado' may mean Hakodate, a city on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. But could it be that Hakedado was the name used in 1865 for what today is the Island of Hokkaido? 118.0 ft. long, signal letters PMCF. An 1864 crew list is available. I should note that I have also read that the vessel was rather built by G. Bainbridge. But I think that 'George Barker' is correct. Is there anything you can add? #2282 3   Excelsior 389 later 480 tons 12374 1856 1 (a Google translation into English of this Danish web page. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1856/57 thru 1866/67, & I had thought not thereafter - clearly not so. Owned thru 1866/67 by T. White of South Shields, initially for service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean. A puzzle perhaps is that the vessel appears not to be listed at Shields in Christie's Shipping Register of 1858. In LR editions of 1859/60 & 1860/61, service ex Shields to India is noted, later to the Mediterranean ex both Sunderland & Shields. From 1865/66 the vessel served out of the Clyde. 125.0 ft. long, built of oak, signal letters LBNV. The Mercantile Navy List of 1867, lists Thomas White, of South Shields, as the vessel's then owner. LR of 1866/67 states 'Stranded'. No detail as to what happened to her at that time has yet come to hand. It would seem, however, that Excelsior must have survived the 1866/67 stranding, been rebuilt (certainly made longer), & sold out of U.K. registration to Danish owners. But we do have more! Thanks to Niels Hald-Andersen I can advise you that in or about 1868 the vessel was acquired by J. S. Pontoppidan, of Helsingør (Elsinore), Denmark. It continued to be owned at Helsingør for the rest of its life. It was sold (at a date not known) to V. D. Møller, and sold three further times, in 1886 to Chr. Rohmann, in 1892 to W. Bille, & in 1894 to N. Clausen. All of Helsingør. LR of 1892/93 lists Excelsior, a 479 ton wooden barque, 137.1 ft. long, signal letters now NQDB, built by George Barker of Sunderland. I cannot understand what is recorded re the year of build. It looks to be 18 56/76. Then owned by Actieselskab (Chr. Rohmann), & registered at Elsinore. At the top of this listing are links to a Danish site with details, in Danish, of a vessel named Excelsior, a wooden barque stated to have been built at Sunderland in 1856. Google translated the text for me into (modest) English. LR of 1896/97 references her loss by collision. Excelsior, of Elsinore, Denmark, was hit & sunk on Oct. 13, 1896 by Orsino, a 2048 ton steamer built by R. Thompson & Co. of Sunderland in 1880. Excelsior had been en route, in ballast, from Copenhagen, Denmark, to Hernösand, in the N. of Sweden (Gulf of Bothnia). The collision took place, it would seem SW of Ystad, S. coast of Sweden. Of interest, there were three vessels named Excelsior built at Sunderland in 1856. This one, built by George Barker, another built by R. Y. Watson (here) & a third 21 ton vessel (here). Any further thoughts? #1921 4   Beatrice 417 later 418 tons 20747 1858 A barque. Beatrice, which was first registered at Newcastle on Mar. 18, 1858, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1858/59 thru 1885/86. Beatrice was initially owned, per LR, by Burnett & Co. of Newcastle, from 1862/63 of London, for service, in the period of 1858/59 thru 1859/60, from Sunderland to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), in the period of 1860/61 thru 1861/62 for service from Plymouth to China, later from either London or Sunderland to China. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 advises that the vessel was then owned by Thomas, Hen., John, Jonathan & Jacob Burnett, all of Newcastle, presumably all members of the Burnett family. The vessel's captains while 'Burnett' owned? 'Patterson' thru 1859/60, J. Shields from 1860/61 thru 1862/63, J. Taylor briefly, & 'Martin', G. Martin it would seem, from 1863/64 thru 1866/67. A 'snippet' of data. On May 28, 1865, the vessel, en route from Shanghai, China, to London with 'Martin' in command, put into St. Helena (a remote island in the S. Atlantic Ocean) 'leaky'. It was at St. Helena until approx. the middle of Oct. 1865. In 1866/67, per LR, Arnold & Co., of London, became Beatrice's owner thru 1869/70 at least. (No owner name is stated in LR editions from 1870/71 thru 1875/76). The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1867 thru 1870 all record G. E. Arnold of London as her then owner. With, per LR, 'Worthington' her captain - indeed thru to 1880/81. From 1871 thru 1876 (1875), MNL records Peter Sheen of Holloway, North London, as Beatrice's owner. With, per LR, 'Worthington' still her captain. LR of 1876/77 records J. Turner, of London, as the vessel's new owner. With 'Worthington' still in command. MNLs of 1877 thru 1880 clarify such name to mean James Turner of Limehouse Dry Dock, Poplar, East London. Beatrice is not listed in MNL of 1881, clearly because the vessel was no longer British owned. Rather, per LR in 1881/82, C. Paulsen of Elsfleth, Germany, was the vessel's new owner. With J. Zindare, per LR, her captain. 'Paulsen', it would appear, was her owner for a short time only. In 1882/83, L. M. Altin of 'Sndswll' (Sundsvall), Sweden, became the vessel's likely final owner. With 'Bengtsson' now serving as the vessel's captain. 130.5 ft. long, signal letters NCLD later NFTB. Of 418 tons from MNL of 1865 & LR of 1875/76. Some crew lists are available via here. Can you add anything? Particularly can you tell us what finally happened to the vessel, likely in or about 1886 or 1887? #2647 5 Devon 355 tons 47736 Maria Dolores J.R. 1864 A barque. 119.3 ft. long, signal letters VPTH. Vessel not listed at Miramar. Built for 'Ln'gridge', of Sunderland, for the Mediterranean & Black Sea trade. Note however, that the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1870 states George H. Loveridge to be the vessel's then owner. The webmaster has a number of editions of Lloyd's Register ('LR') available - see left. In 1874/75, J. Tully & Co.), also of Sunderland, became the vessel's owners (in 1880, per the MNL, George Tully). And so it stayed, a barque, owned by Tully, thru 1889/90, the last edition of LR that I have available. The eBay listing which stimulated this listing referred to the vessel later becoming a barquentine named Maria Dolores, & that in 1916 'she was sold to Las Palmas'. Absent later editions of LR, I cannot determine when the vessel became Maria Dolores, nor when she became a barquentine. What finally happened to her, I wonder? Bob Todd, Specialist Curator of Historic Photographs at the National Maritime Museum ('NMM') in Greenwich, has kindly been in touch (thanks so much Bob!) to add to the history. As far as Bob can tell the vessel never was, in fact, a barquentine. LR of 1890/91 first records her as Maria Dolores, a barque, indeed Spanish owned. And the LRs of 1896/97 thru 1921/22 record the vessel, renamed J.R., as still a barque. The vessel is not listed in the 1922/23 edition. A 1914 image in the NMM collection shows her at Lowestoft Harbour, still a barque. Can you add anything additional? JAMES BARKES (1834-1842) JOHN BARKES (1838-1869) G. BARKES (1850-1850) BARKES & CLARK (1852-1852) For a long time indeed, this section was little more than a name & a couple of dates. 'Barkes' had, I understood, a shipbuilding yard in the Wreath Quay area from 1838 to 1869. Thanks to Stan Mapstone at a site which seems to be now long gone. Now, in late Oct. 2009, thanks to data sources provided by Diana Stewart, we can modestly expand this listing re 'Barkes'. The data would seem to originate from two main sources, from an article of unknown date by 'Blue Peter', writer/contributor to the 'Sunderland Echo' I do believe, really J. W. (Bill) Smith, of Gateshead, one of the authors of 'Where Ships Are Born' & from Stan Mapstone referred to above. Specifically from two more sites which seem to have gone AWOL. I did not retain images of the data, alas, but the info. lower on this page originated at those long-gone sites. This text, provided by Diana in a late 2009 e-mail message, are a part at least of such long-gone information, it would seem the transcribed text of the 'Blue Peter' article. The 'Barkes' story seems to commence with John Barkes, (1781/1862), cartwright & carpenter of Low Road, Bishopswearmouth. The family name is sometimes referred to as 'Barkas' or 'Barkus'. Now John had (at least) three sons, named James (1807/1890) and John (1812/1885), James being the older of the two. And also Robert (1816/1895) who is Diana Stewart's ancestor & also worked at the shipyard. 1834 found James building ships, at Wreath Quay, but, it would seem, for a short time only, i.e. through 1842/3 when the depression known as the 'Hungry Forties' put him & many others out of business. The business reopened in 1844 under John Barkes, who had by then shipbuilding in his blood - he apparently trained as a shipwright & draughtsman under James Laing, & may have built ships at both Milford Haven & at South Hylton before going into business at Wreath Quay. He married Isabella, daughter of Deptford shipbuilder John Robinson. I wonder whether James & Robert were involved in the business in its later years? Shipbuilding continued at Wreath Quay through until 1869, with a total of some 60 ships built over that period. Does anybody have a listing of the vessels produced by the Barkes yard? And ship repairing was an important component of the business also, a 'grid iron', an early version of the Austin 'pontoon' perhaps, being provided at riverside. Ships were floated onto it at high water & were repaired while the tide was out. Do please note that the above data does not perfectly match the names & dates at the head of this section, which data originated, I read, in J. F. Clarke's 'Building Ships on the North East Coast'. Of particular interest to the webmaster is J. F. Clarke's reference to 'Barkes & Clark' in 1852. More re that association or partnership a little further below. Please note also that the webmaster is not 100% clear as to where exactly Wreath Quay was located. There is a Wreath's Quay on the north bank of the river, rather to the west of the bridges & shown on this 1895 map. But it would seem that the term was applied also to what later became known as 'Bridge Dock', on the north bank & immediately to the west of the railway bridge. Can you clarify that matter? The consensus seems to be that the 'Barkes' Wreath Quay is the one shown in that 1895 map. Ships at that time were of modest size, mainly brigs & barques up to a few hundred tons. 'Blue Peter' mentions a few of the ships that they built. Eleanor the very first 'Barkes' ship of all, Harbinger & Tiberias, both barques used in cargo-passenger trade to Australia, & Ancient Mariner, a fully rigged ship & the largest ship ever produced by the yard at 619 tons. The entire build list must be quite extensive. And we must especially note Loftus. Loftus (Ship #25906) has the distinction of being the very first iron ship to be built on the River Wear. Of just 77 tons, a schooner, the ship was built for George Foster, of Sunderland, to transport iron ore from Cleveland Hills in the Tees river area to Sunderland. Or, per a link below, to carry iron from England to France. I see, in passing, that a village of 'Loftus' is marked on my map of the Tees area, presumably the source of the ship's name? But the ship does have more questions related to it than it has answers, some of which questions were well asked in 'Where Ships Are Born' & are repeated here:- Iron shipbuilding was introduced to the Wear in a strange manner, and very little indeed is known of the circumstances connected with it, for the first iron ship was built by George Clark, who became famous as a marine engine builder, and whose name is still in Sunderland engineering to-day. Her name was Loftus, and she was built by George Clark in conjunction with John Barkes who was a shipbuilder. She was very small, of 77 tons, was schooner rigged and classed A.1 at Lloyds. The owner was G. Foster, the vessel described as a Sunderland coaster belonging to the port of Sunderland. There is no proof that she was fitted with a screw, nor is there any support for this theory in Lloyd's Register of Shipping. One wonders, however, why George Clark, an engineer, was connected with the building of a ship, and why this launch, which took place on February 27, 1852, was the only one with which he was associated. There is only one reference available on the subsequent career of the Loftus. This states that she was engaged by the Consett Iron Company in the carrying of iron ore from the Cleveland district to the Wear. The 'partnership' of Barkes & George Clark would seem to have been of a short duration - just 1852. From my perspective, it seems to me that Loftus should be credited to 'Barkes & Clark' rather than only to Clark or even to 'Clark & Barkes'. Barkes would seem to have been the shipbuilder & the lion's share of the ship's building must surely have been conducted at a shipyard. And whatever George Clark (1815/1883 or maybe 1885) contributed to the partnership, which contribution you would think would relate to engines or to the use of metals generally, would be secondary to the carpentry/shipbuilding skills necessary for its then building - absent any record that the Loftus was steam engine powered. George is noted, of course for his marine engines constructed at the G. Clark Ltd. Engine Works, immediately to the east of the Queen Alexandra Bridge. George's facility was in 1852 described as being a 'boiler works' at Deptford. His very first marine engine was installed, I read, in James Laing's Alfred, two years later in 1854. I suspect that Clark may have been involved only with the iron used in the hull construction. It is interesting to note, however, the words of J. A. Marr recorded here. He indicates that the first screw propelled steamship built at Sunderland was Experiment, & that Loftus was the second. Now Experiment may not properly count because she was built as a sailing ship & only later, when altered by Robert Thompson, became a steamer. But his words re Loftus are intriguing indeed. He indicates that Loftus was built by Barkus but engined by George Clark. Loftus is listed, I see, in Lloyd's Register of 1856/7 at least, but I cannot spot the name in the editions of 1862/3 & 1865/6. So it may very well have had a change of name in the interval. During the later years of his shipbuilding, so 'Blue Peter' advises us, John Barkes went into ship owning but this venture proved disastrous & probably accounted for the closure of the yard in 1869. 'Perhaps the builder would have fared better had he concentrated his efforts on shipbuilding alone. Before he left Wreath Quay the local shipowner-politician E. T. Gourley would seem to have proposed a partnership in iron shipbuilding but for some reason Barkes turned-down the suggestion.' Can you add anything to this whole most interesting subject? Such as ...Who was G. Barkes? Not, I am advised, another son of John Barkes, (1781/1862). More data re Loftus? A build list? Or, could it be possible, any related images? If so, your contribution would be most welcome. Names of just a few of the vessels constructed by 'Barkes' of Sunderland - added as I happen to spot references to them. In a table in build date sequence. Built by JAMES or JOHN BARKES 1   Auckland 175/155, maybe later 145 tons 6201 1838 A schooner. The vessel, which was launched in Aug. 1838, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1839/40 thru 1857/58 with the exception of 1851/52. Per LR, for that entire period, the vessel was registered at Stockton-on-Tees & owned by the 'Stockton & London Shipping Company'. It seems possible that the vessel was initially registered elsewhere, likely at Sunderland. I say that because this page (top line) notes that the vessel was first registered at Stockton only on Mar. 07, 1840. J. Burdon is always LR recorded as her captain. The ownership as stated above is confirmed, in May 1848, by the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/49. And in 1854 by the equivalent (Marwood's) directory of 1854/55 which confirms John Burdon to be her captain. Such ownership is also confirmed by Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1856 (1855 data) which lists the vessel at 145 tons only. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858, however, advises that the vessel, again of 155 tons, was then owned by William Pawson of Berwick, Northumberland, a name not LR referenced. The vessel's service per LR was, both initially & from 1840/41 thru 1844/45, from Sunderland to London. From 1845/46 thru 1850/51 & in 1855/56, the vessel is noted to have traded from Stockton to London. In 1852/53 & 1853/54, service as a London coaster is indicated. What finally happened to the vessel? This page (top line) notes that a certificate re the vessel's loss was dated Nov. 06, 1858 - so she was lost presumably in that year. The webmaster has not yet spotted any references to what actually happened to her & when. No crew lists are available. Is there anything you can add? #2353 2   Harrisons 251/257 later 285 & 236 tons 2758 1839 A snow or brig. There would seem to be some confusion as to the correct name of this vessel, which was launched in Sep. 1839 - Harrisons or Harrison. Despite the many references to Harrison, some of which are referred to below, the webmaster believes that Harrisons is correct. Two Sunderland build lists available to the webmaster record the vessel as Harrisons. Lloyd's Register ('LR') lists the vessel from 1839/40 thru 1848/49 only, always as Harrisons, & owned thru such entire period by Harrison of Sunderland. With 'Welch' always her captain - for consistent service from Sunderland to London. The name Harrisons is confirmed by no less than five North of England shipping lists. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848, in Apl. 1848 data, records Harrison & Mallaburn, of Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, as the vessel's then owners. The equivalent directory of 1854/5, in Mar. 1854 data, lists Wm. Mallaburn & John Harrison, both of Sunderland, as the vessel's then owners with Wm. Sinclair her then captain. Turnbull's Shipping Registers ('TR') of both 1855 & 1856 & Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 essentially confirm such ownership data. I note that TR of 1855 records W. Sinclair as the vessel's then captain. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') records Harrisons (scroll to #2758), as 'Lost' per an advice dated Jan. 25, 1868. MNLs from 1857 thru 1864, however, record Harrison (with no 's') - but from 1865 thru 1867 record Harrisons (with the 's') owned by Thomas Barnard of Whitby, Yorkshire. A Whitby shipping history book tells us, here, that Harrisons had become Whitby, Yorkshire, registered in 1864 & was owned by Thomas Barnard & James Granger, both of Robin Hood's Bay, Yorkshire. It also notes that the vessel was totally wrecked at Danzic (Gdańsk, northern Poland, on the Baltic), in Nov. 1867. An operational matter that I happened to spot. On Jan. 10, 1857, Harrisons (Harrison in one article), arrived at Falmouth, 'Amiss' in command, ex Sunderland bound for Malaga, Spain. There was, I read, a violent gale at Falmouth on Jan. 11, 1857 & during such gale 3 vessels fouled each other & grounded on St. Mawes Bank - Harrisons of Sunderland, & E.D.T. & Robert Hay, both of Shields. Harrisons lost its rudder & suffered stern & other damage as a result. Signal letters HQLT, a few crew lists are available here. What did finally happen to Harrisons? It seems to be clear that in late 1867 at least, the vessel was trading, (ex Hartlepool I think), into the Baltic, likely with cargoes of coal outbound & returning with timber. With Ketteringham (or Kettringham or Kiettringham) serving as her captain. On Sep. 11, 1867, the vessel, with 'Ketteringham' in command, arrived at Copenhagen, Denmark, ex Hartlepool, presumably headed east. Her destination on such voyage is unknown to the webmaster. We do know, however, that major gales hit Danzig in early Nov. 1867. At least 13 vessels, including Harrisons, were at Danzig on Nov. 10 or 11, 1867 when major gales in the area caused them all to strand. Fortunately without loss of life since all of the crew were, I read, saved. Harrisons is stated to have stranded on Nov. 10, 1867, when carrying timber. It was later reported that her cargo was being discharged so the vessel could be then surveyed to determine the extent of her damage. Indeed all of the vessels that had stranded similarly had to dischange their cargoes. On Nov. 20, 1867 word came from Danzig that Harrisons had been condemned & that her cargo would be sold at auction on Dec. 03, 1867. Apparently only 2/3 of her cargo could be discharged - the rest had become 'sanded in' in situ. And the cargo that was discharged was in a generally poor condition having been broken, split & chafed, & damaged by sea water. Two of her crew members were landed at Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, on Dec. 02, 1867 by Niobe, a steamship. Niobe had arrived from Danzig & had also been significantly damaged. Some contemporary news reports - 1, 2 & 3. Is there anything you can add? Or correct? #2856 3   Sarah Scott 328/382, later 383 tons 1839 A barque. Sarah Scott is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1839/40 thru 1853/54, & not thereafter, always LR listed as having been built in 1839. The webmaster particularly mentions that because the two Sunderland build lists available to the webmaster both list the vessel as 1840 (-12) built & one of them notes that it was launched in Jan. 1840. The vessel was owned thru 1844/45, per LR, by Scott & Co. of Sunderland. For service ex Sunderland to Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, with 'Davison' always LR noted to be her captain. In 1844/45, Dunbar & Co. of London became Sarah Scott's owner, thru 1852/53 per LR, for service from London to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, but from 1845/46 her service is simply listed as ex London. With 'Black' her captain briefly, then A. Butcher from part way thru 1845/46 thru 1852/53. Some operational history. On Dec. 14, 1844, Sarah Scott arrived at Sydney with general cargo & 8 passengers, having left the Downs on Aug. 02, 1844. She left Sydney on Jan. 17, 1845 for Port Phillip (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) to load a cargo of wool for London. En route to Port Phillip however, the barque, Captain Bain command, on Jan. 24, 1845, ran onto a sandbank at Corner Inlet, 200 km SE of Melbourne. Her chief officer & 4 crew members left by boat to seek assistance at Melbourne where they arrived on Feb. 01, 1845. It would seem that assistance was denied at Melbourne due to an insurance issue & help had to be obtained from Sydney. Her cargo was, in due course off-loaded onto Agenoria, a brigantine, & the vessel, undamaged as a result of her grounding, was towed to Sydney by Vesta, a steamer. Sarah Scott then proceeded not to Melbourne but rather to Hobart Town, Tasmania, Australia, to load cargo. She must have returned to Sydney because she left that port for London on May 18, 1845, now under the command of Captain A. Butcher, with Captain Bain one of her 18 passengers. In 1853/54, per LR, H. Cross of Sunderland became the vessel's owner for service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean. Such change of ownership must have been rather earlier in view of the data which follows. Despite the vessel being listed as late as 1853/54, the vessel in fact was lost in late 1852 or early 1853. On Nov. 23, 1852, per line 2244 here, the 383 ton barque left Sunderland for Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) with a cargo of coal. It went missing while en route. Crew of 15 - all lost. Vessel then stated to be owned by Henry Cross. The vessel's loss is very briefly mentioned here, also, it being noted that no word of her was heard thru May 1853. Can you add to or correct the above text? #2473 4   Dorothy Ann 157 tons 1845 A brigantine, later a schooner. The vessel, which was launched in Jan. 1845, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1845/46 thru 1851/52 only. Dorothy Ann's initial owner, thru 1847/48 per LR, was W. Spencer of Sunderland, with 'Mackie' LR noted to have been the vessel's captain. For service as a Sunderland coaster. In 1848/49, per LR, Dorothy Ann became both owned & captained by 'Jewitt' of Sunderland. For continued service as a Sunderland coaster. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, in Apl. 1848 data, lists M. Jewitt as the owner of the Sunderland registered vessel, there noted to have been a schooner. There are many newspaper references to the operational history of Dorothy Ann. The webmaster has not researched such history but notes that the vessel did not spend its life sailing up and down the U.K. east coast as LR above suggests. There are numerous references to the vessel sailing into the Baltic, to St. Petersburg, Russia, & to Riga, Latvia. And many voyages also to French ports. Etc. Etc. It traded widely. 'Jewitt' (Robert Jewitt, clearly) would seem to have become the vessel's master from late Feb. 1846, but I note that other captains are referenced also maybe for single voyages - 'Moore' in Apl. 1846, 'Irvine' in Sep. 1846, 'Shell' in Jan. 1850. Even 'Mackie' (the same one?) in 1850 but that reference is doubtful. Some specific events in the vessel's history. i) On Sep. 13, 1849, while en route from Riga to Sunderland, the vessel got onto a reef at Burgs (I think it means Burs, island of Gottland, Sweden) was assisted off & proceeded. ii) On Mar. 26, 1850, the vessel left Sunderland for Swinemunde (today Świnoujście in NW Poland), Jewitt in command. On Apl. 11, 1850, Dorothy Ann arrived at Stromness (Orkney Islands), 'Mackie' stated (surely in error) to be in command, the vessel having been totally dismasted off the Naze of Norway (southern Norway, to the W. of Kristiansand) on Apl. 02, 1850 on her voyage ex Sunderland. One crew member had been lost - washed overboard. The necessary replacement masts etc. were not available at Stromness, I read, so the vessel left that port on Apl. 27, 1850, under tow by HM steamer Black Eagle for Shields for needed repairs. These articles relate (1 (in red), 2 & 3). What finally happened to Dorothy Ann? Wikipedia tells us (thanks!) that on Feb. 28, 1851, the vessel, en route from Sunderland to Dantzic (Gdańsk, northern Poland, on the Baltic), was driven ashore on the Skagen (northern tip of Denmark). The vessel had left Sunderland for Dantzig on Feb. 22, 1851. There were many reports of the vessel's loss, all with the identical text. Which was per this 'Lloyd's List' news report from Hjørring, Denmark, on Mar. 03, 1851 - 'Jewitt' was the vessel's then captain. Can you tell us anything additional? Or correct this listing in any way? #2723 5   Light and Sign 179 later 162 & 152 tons 2989 1845 A snow or brig. Light and Sign is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1845/46 thru 1869/70, then a gap of 4 years, & again from 1874/75 thru 1882/83. It is thanks to the Lloyd's Register Foundation, that I can tell you who built the vessel. Such Foundation makes available an Oct. 1845 Lloyd's Survey document, conducted while the vessel was in course of construction. Which survey tells us that J. Henderson was then her captain & that the vessel, which was built by John Barkes, was owned by Light and Sign of Southampton, Hampshire. 'Light and Sign' were, I learn, New Forest timber merchants. LR records the vessel, from 1845/46 thru 1860/61 as owned by Light & Co. of Southampton. For service i) thru 1852/53 from Sunderland to Southampton, ii) from Sunderland to the Baltic in 1853/54 & iii) service thereafter as a Sunderland coaster. With 'Hendrson' (i.e. J. Henderson), her captain thru 1853/54 & A. Haddon from 1854/55 thru 1860/61. The webmaster has not researched the operational history of the vessel. But ... a tiny 1848 court case. The 'Hampshire Advertiser', on Mar. 25, 1848, published a lengthy account of a court case brought by 'Tamlyn' against 'Henderson' & the Light and Sign. Which vessel was in Southampton Water & aground, attached to a kedge by a line or warp set by a local pilot the day before. The Friend's Goodwill, a small vessel commanded by John Lewis & owned by 'Tamlyn', saw the warp & requested that Light and Sign slacken the line. The Friend's Goodwill fouled the taught warp & sank. 'Tamlyn' claimed £20 in damages & won the case. It would seem that Light and Sign's captain, A. Haddon, then bought the vessel. LRs from 1861/62 thru 1869/70 all record A. Haddon of Southampton as the vessel's owner with W. Allen serving as the vessel's captain. For consistent service as a Sunderland coaster. A Light and Sign operational matter that the webmaster happened to spot. On Dec. 06, 1864, Delaware (a barque built at Sunderland in 1857) left Shields for Barcelona, Spain, with a cargo of coal & 'Bergen' in command. When close to the Newarp Lightship (located off the coast of Norfolk near Yarmouth) Delaware & Light and Sign were in collision. I believe on Dec. 13, 1864. Light and Sign, then of Whitby, was at the time en route from Shields to London, with Robinson in command. Both vessels put into Yarmouth on Dec. 14, 1864, Light and Sign with bow damage & Delaware with damage to her hull, rigging etc. Temporary repairs to Delaware were undertaken in Yarmouth Roads & the vessel then continued its voyage, putting into Falmouth, Cornwall, on Jan. 19, 1864. Light and Sign was towed by a tug from Yarmouth to Shields to effect repairs. A couple of contemporary news reports - 1 & 2. It seems clear that Light and Sign was not Southampton registered thru 1869/70 as recorded by LR. This Whitby history book page tells us that the vessel, in fact, had become Whitby registered in 1863, owned by Isaac Seymour of Kettleness (NW of Whitby), Yorkshire. When LR coverage of the vessel recommenced, in 1874/75, I. Seymour of Whitby was LR stated to be the vessel's owner, thru 1880/81, in which year J. Hovington per LR became her owner. LR names no captain during such entire period. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') lists Light and Sign from 1857 thru 1882, for that entire period registered at Whitby. In 1865 MNL lists Matthew Robinson, of Kettleness, as her owner. MNLs of 1866 thru 1880 all record Isaac Seymour as her owner, of Kettleness thru 1875 & of Runswick (near Whitby) thereafter. MNLs of 1881 & 1882 rather report John Hovington of Whitby as her owner. 79.0 ft. long, 80.8 ft. from LR of 1874/75, signal letters HRLF, crew lists from 1867 thru 1882 are available via this page, as also are crew lists from 1895 thru 1912. I cannot explain how crew lists for those years can possibly exist. What finally happened to Light and Sign? The Whitby history book (link above) tells us that the vessel was wrecked on Palling Beach in Oct. 1882, with her crew being drowned - while LR of 1882/83 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. I learn that on Oct. 16, 1882 the vessel was cleared out of Sunderland for Rochester, Kent, with 260 tons of coal. Not apparently with 'Hovington', her owner & normal master, in command since he was in ill at the time. Rather with William Mellet (one report stated Mullet), an Ipswich resident, in command, and a crew of six all told. The contemporary newspapers report that massive gales at the time hit the U.K., not only on the east coast but particularly there. The articles refer, as an example, to 16 vessels wrecked at Lowestoft. Anyway Light and Sign, proceeding southbound, was hit by those gales & ended up stranded at Eccles-on-sea, near Palling Beach at 2.40 p.m. on Oct. 28, 1882 - Eccles & Palling Beach are at or near Sea Palling, on the Norfolk coast to the N. of Yarmouth. The local coastguard (A. Wheeler chief officer) sprang into action to try to rescue the crew members by rocket apparatus but their efforts failed - due to the winds & the fact that the vessel was stranded too far from the shore for the rockets to be able to reach her. A lifeboat was sent to the scene but arrived too late. 40 minutes after she stranded, so I read, the vessel broke to pieces, surely pounded by the raging surf. The crew? They, alas, were drowned, every last one of them. Some contemporary news reports - 1, 2 & 3. Can you tell us anything additional? #2861 6   Activity 197/163 tons 1846 A snow or brig. A vessel which had a very short life indeed. I have read that Activity was launched in Feb. 1846, however, on Aug. 06, 1846, a Lloyd's Survey was completed while the vessel was still under construction. Activity is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed in 1846/47 & 1847/48 only, in both years owned by 'Surtees' of Sunderland, for service from Sunderland to the Baltic - with 'Surtees' LR noted to have been her captain. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, in Apl. 1848 data, lists the vessel as Sunderland registered & owned by Robert Surtees of Monkwearmouth, Sunderland. The vessel would seem to have made only two complete voyages, both with 'Surtees' in command. i) On Aug. 07, 1846, Activity left Sunderland for Pillau (now Baltiysk, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, E. of Gdańsk, Poland), likely with a cargo of coal, arriving there on Aug. 24, 1846 & leaving on Sep. 24, 1846 - for London. It arrived back at Gravesend, London, on Oct. 15, 1846. ii) On Dec. 02, 1846, the vessel arrived at Calais, France, ex Sunderland with a cargo of 259 tons of coal. It left Calais on Dec. 19, 1846 to return to Newcastle. 81.6 ft. long. What finally happened to Activity & when? On the night of Jan. 02, 1847, with George Surtees in command, the vessel was at Pakefield, Suffolk, en route from Sunderland to Portsmouth, Hampshire, with a cargo of coal. In leaving Pakefield Gat, the vessel struck ground. The vessel took on so much water that the crew had to take to a ship's boat, landing safely at Pakefield through heavy surf. Activity soon sank in deep water. As per these contemporary news reports - 1, 2 & 3. Can you add anything additional? #2851 7   George Hudson 233 tons 1847 A snow or brig. It seems likely that the vessel was named after George Hudson (1800/1871), prominent in the history of Sunderland indeed of the country, known as the 'Railway King'. Read about him here. George Hudson was launched in Mar. 1847 & is Lloyd's Register listed from 1848/49 thru 1854/55, always noted to be owned & captained by S. Morton of Sunderland. For service always ex Sunderland, from 1851/52 for service to the Mediterranean. It is quite possible that 'Morton' was not the vessel's initial owner. It is certain that he did not own the vessel for its entire lifetime. I make that first comment because on Oct. 09 thru 16, 1847 the vessel was offered for sale by private contract. As per this advertisement, which refers to the vessel having already made one voyage to Montreal, Canada. Re such voyage, this site (search for 'Hudson') tells us that on Jun. 14, 1847 the vessel arrived at Quebec, Canada, having left Sunderland on Apl. 09, 1847, 'Rickaby' in command, with a cargo of coal. A few days later, on Jun. 17, 1847, the vessel left Quebec for Montreal, towed up river by North America, a steamer. In Apl. 1848, per the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, S. G. Morton was noted to be her then owner. Had he bought the vessel? Was he indeed her second owner? A little operational history. On Nov. 16, 1850 the vessel, Morton in command, left Newcastle for Naples, Italy with a cargo of coal. On Nov. 28, 1850 the vessel ran aground on Scroby Sands, Norfolk (they run from Caister to Great Yarmouth, 4 miles off the Norfolk coast), while en route from Newcastle to Naples, Italy. A modest event. The vessel was re-floated & anchored off Great Yarmouth, Norfolk & suffered no damage. This page (ex Accounts and Papers Vol. 52 - 1851) would seem to refer to the same matter but indicates that the vessel was 'on shore' & 'assisted off'. The vessel was clearly later sold. Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5 records George Hudson as registered in 1854 at South Shields & owned by Thos. D. and Mary Usher, both of South Shields, with Matthew Newton her then captain. 83 ft. 9 in. long. The vessel was, it is clear, acquired by 'Usher' in Mar. 1854. On Mar. 07, 1854 the vessel arrived at Texel (an island 3 km. off the coast of North Holland, for Amsterdam), ex Sunderland with 'Hudson' said to be in command. A week or so later, the vessel, now with 'Newton' in command, left Newcastle for Niewe Diep (Amsterdam) with a cargo of coal. When it arrived back at the Tyne, 8 lb. of smuggled cigars were found aboard the vessel & 'Newton' was, on May 08, 1854, fined £30 10s for the infraction. What finally happened to George Hudson? I first note that the vessel was not granted an Official Number which means that the vessel was not in existence on Jan. 01, 1855 or in the short period thereafter. I now have learned that George Hudson left Newcastle on May 19, 1854 for Alexandria, Egypt, likely with a cargo of coal. It left Alexandria on Sep. 29, 1854, stopped in at Malta & was reported to have left Malta on Oct. 23, 1854 for Queenstown, Ireland. Word later came that on Nov. 17, 1854, off Oporto, Portugal, the vessel was abandoned by her crew, with 8 ft. of water in her holds. Noted to have been en route to Plymouth rather than to Queenstown. The crew were all landed safely at Oporto in some way. I further read that the pilot boats boarded the derelict George Hudson, but before a steamer could come to her assistance, she foundered, visible from the coast, on Nov. 20, 1854. The webmaster has not read what caused the vessel to become so leaky. Likely a major storm. Some contemporary news reports 1 & 2. Can you add anything additional? Or correct this listing in any way? #2321 8   Katharine Sharer 440/512 tons 1850 The vessel, which, I read, was completed on Oct. 07, 1850, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1851/52 thru 1855/56 & not thereafter. I note that the vessel's name was often mispelled. The Lloyd's Register Foundation makes available an 1852 survey document for the vessel, in which the vessel is named Katherine Sharer.  Katharine Sharer (which the webmaster believes is the correct name) was, per LR, owned for that entire period by Sharer & Co. of Sunderland for service from Sunderland to Valparaiso, Chile, & from 1853/54, for service from London to China. With T. Taylor, per LR, always her captain. Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5, in Mar. 1854 data, lists Thos. Sharer of Sunderland as the vessel's then owner with, however, Thos. Mann her then captain. The vessel is not listed (as Sunderland registered) in Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1855. It would seem, however, that by early 1855, the vessel was owned by 'Wilson' of Wapping, London. 120.0 ft. long. The vessel would seem not to have been issued an Official Number on Jan. 01, 1855, for reasons unknown. On Feb. 14, 1855 (have also read Feb. 23, 1855), Katharine Sharer left Gravesend, Kent, for Hobart Town, Tasmania, Captain Thorn in command, with 27 passengers & a general cargo which included 10 (maybe 9) tons of powder i.e. gunpowder. And, I have read, 40 tons of lucifer matches. On the afternoon of Jun. 06, 1855, the vessel anchored in the bay at the approaches to Hobart river. At 11 p.m. that evening, the vessel was found to be on fire. Which fire rapidly got stronger despite efforts to contain it. It quickly became clear that the vessel was doomed. All aboard left the ship in three boats & were at a safe distance away, when there was a giant explosion as the gunpowder blew - at 4 in the morning on Jun. 07, 1855. I read that what must have been a giant piece of the mast, 200 cwt in weight (22,400 pounds) was blown a distance of about a mile & landed deep in the bush. News of the catastrophe, amazingly, did not reach Hobart Town for many days - until Jun. 11, 1855. Annie, a schooner, took the passengers to Hobart while Mimosa, a paddle steamer, took the crew & some salvage. It was suspected that the fire had been deliberately set. Thomas Mortimer, a seaman, was suspected of having started the fire. But investigations into the matter were not successful & no charges were laid. Contemporary news articles are here - 1 & 2. Both misspell the vessel's name - a common occurrence with this vessel, it would appear. Adiitional, extensive data 1 (click 'continue reading') & 2 (scroll to Katharine Sharer). We thank both sources. The vessel's wreck, such as it was, was sold to F. A. Downing for £300. The wreck was essentially rediscovered in 1929. Can you tell us anything additional? Or correct the above text in any way? #2890 9   Sappho 250/416 tons 7333 1850 Sappho is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1850/51 thru 1858/59, with the exception of 1852/53. For such entire period, the vessel was, per LR, owned by Watson & Co., of Sunderland, with 'McDonald' always her captain. LR records that the vessel's service was always ex Sunderland, & specifically to the Mediterranean from 1850/51 thru 1855/56. Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of Mar. 1854, lists Wm. H. Watson, Geo. Watson, Wm. Denton & Jenneson Taylor, all of Sunderland, as the vessel's then owners - with Edwd. McDonald her then captain. Turnbull's Shipping Registers ('TR') of 1855 & 1856 both list the same owners, with TR of 1855 confirming 'McDonald' as the vessel's captain. Ditto (re her owners) per Christie's Shipping Register of 1858. Some 'best-efforts' Sappho operational details - by captain - i) 'McDonald', thru probably Jun. 1857 - a) On Feb. 18, 1850, the vessel was at Deal en route to Cathagena, Spain. Which it departed on Apl. 20, 1850 for Quebec, Canada (arr. Jun. 10, 1850. b) In Oct. 1850 the vessel carried coke to Leghorn (Livorno, Italy). c) On Mar. 24, 1851, the vessel arrived at Falmouth ex Alexandria, Egypt, & soon left for Glasgow, Scotland. d) On May 19, 1851, the vessel left Greenock for Quebec, arriving there on Jun. 30, 1851 or maybe Jul. 02, 1851. On Aug. 20, 1851, Sappho left Quebec for Sunderland. e) On Dec. 20, 1851, en route to Alexandria, the vessel capsized in a squall off Cape St. Vincent (southern Portugal) - 2 crewmen died as a result. f) On Oct. 20, 1852, the vessel arrived at Queenstown, Ireland, ex Odessa, (Black Sea, Ukraine) & went on to Dublin, Ireland. g) On Nov. 05, 1853, the vessel arrived at Quebec after a rough passage, having left Liverpool on Aug. 09, 1853 for Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It stayed at Quebec over the winter & in Jul. 1851 arrived at Newcastle with a cargo of timber. h) On Oct. 15, 1855, the vessel arrived at Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) ex Balaklava (Crimean peninsular, Sevastopol). There is much more to the story. On Sep. 11, 1855, Sappho, arrived from Scutari (Shkodër, Albania) with government stores & Salacia (an 841 or 844 ton ship, built at New Brunswick, Canada, in 1848), arrived from Constantinople, were both at anchor at Balaklava. At about 2 or 3 a.m. that day, during a heavy gale, Sappho broke from its anchorage & came into contact with Salacia. The two vessels became, I read, locked together, which it would seem prevented the much damaged Sappho from sinking. In due course Sappho was towed into Balaklava by a steamer & presumably was there repaired. Court cases resulted - cases in which Sappho was held to be at fault & was held responsible for Salacia's salvage efforts. i) On Apl. 10, 1857, the vessel left Cardiff, Wales for Quebec. ii) 'Strachan' - j) On Jul. 20, 1857 Sappho was cleared out of Quebec for the Clyde arriving there on Aug. 26, 1857. k) On Sep. 13, 1857, Sappho arrived at Troon (River Clyde) ex Greenock & 10 days later left for Syria. l) On Mar. 02, 1858, the vessel left Alexandria for Liverpool arriving there in mid May 1858. What finally happened to Sappho? On Jun. 28, 1858, the vessel, 'Potts' (her new captain) in command, left Liverpool for Trieste (then Hapsburg Monarchy now Italy). On Sep. 15, 1858 it was cleared out of Trieste for Odessa, in ballast, &, en route to the Black Sea, arrived at Constantinople on Oct. 30, 1858. The vessel would seem to have rather been en route to Galatz (i.e. Galați, on the Danube, Eastern Romania, Black Sea), to the W. of Odessa. Details as to what then happened are limited. It clearly encountered a gale in the Black Sea & on the night of Nov. 09, 1858 was wrecked on the Asiatic Black Sea coast about 6 hours from the mouth of the Bosphorus. I read that the crew reached Constantinople on Nov. 12, 1858. The webmaster has not spotted any details about the vessel's loss or how the crew reached Constantinople. Some contemporary news reports - 1 (in blue), 2. Can you tell us more? #2908 10   Tiberias 485/529 later 476 tons 10325 1854 Tiberias, a barque which was launched on Aug. 14, 1854, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1855/56 thru 1862/63, owned for that entire period by E. Gourley of Sunderland. With, per LR, J. (John) Todd serving as the vessel's captain from 1855/56 thru 1858/59 & A. Hill from 1859/60 thru 1862/63. For service per LR initially ex London, in 1858/59 for service from Sunderland to India, in the period of 1859/61 for service from Cardiff, Wales, to South America, & from 1861/62 for service ex Sunderland. I note that Lloyd's Register Foundation kindly makes available three Survey documents re Tiberias incl. this Survey conducted while the vessel was under construction. 126 ft. 0 in. long. The Mercantile Navy List records the vessel from 1857 thru 1863, always registered at Sunderland. Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1855 lists Edward T. Gourley, Wm. Gourley, & John Y. Gourley, all of Sunderland, as the then owners of Tiberias with R. Todd her then captain. TR of 1856 lists just E. T. & J. Y. Gourley, both of Sunderland, as her then owners, while Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 lists her then owners as being Edward T., William, & John Y. Gourley, all of Sunderland. What finally happened to Tiberias? LR of 1862/63 note that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. On Feb. 08, 1862, per line 2973 here, the 476 ton barque went missing while en route from New York to Queenstown, Ireland, with a cargo of grain. Crew of 14 - all lost. Then stated to be owned by Edward Temperley Gourley. I learn that on Sep. 14, 1861 Tiberias, 'Hill' in command, arrived at Gravesend, London, ex Colombo (Ceylon now Sri Lanka). It was announced for a further departure to Colombo, but on Sep. 30, 1861 arrived at Sunderland, now with 'Newman', a captain name not LR referenced, in command. To leave Sunderland for New York, via Longhope in the Orkney Islands, on Oct, 17, 1861. On Dec. 18, 1861, the vessel (Newman) arrived at New York, ex Sunderland. On Feb. 08, 1862, Tiberias either left New York, or was cleared out of New York (reports vary) for Queenstown or Falmouth, again with 'Newman' in command. The vessel was never heard from again. Brief reports about the vessel being missing were published in many newspapers on May 21, 1862. I did not spot any other reports except for one published in the N. of Scotland, ex the 'Newcastle Express', which tells us that Tiberias had left New York on Feb. 14, 1862 under the command of Robert Thompson Newman, of Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland. It would seem that many vessels had encountered bad weather in the North Atlantic at about that time. Two contemporary reports - 1 & 2. Can you tell us more? #2931 11   Ancient Mariner 619 tons 26192 1859 A ship which had a very short life. It is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1859/60 thru 1861/62 only, owned for that brief period, per LR, by E. Gourley of Sunderland, for service from Sunderland to the West Indies. LR of 1861/62 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. On Oct. 24, 1861, per line 1407 here, the 619 ton ship foundered off Cape Rosier (Gaspé, Quebec, Canada), while en route from Montreal, Canada, to the U.K. with a cargo of flour, grain, etc. Crew of 18 - 15 lost. Then stated to be owned by Ed. T. Gourley. I read that Ancient Mariner, en route to London under the command of Captain J. Johnson, 'encountered a strong westerly gale, which went on increasing. A heavy sea struck the ship, and she went down head foremost; the shock first threw her over on her broadside, and then righted her. A rush was made by the men to save themselves, by clinging to spars and floating fragments as the ship settled down. Three of the men succeeded in getting into a boat which was being towed astern, and they had just time to cast adrift, when the ill-fated ship disappeared. Captain Johnson and 14 of his crew went down with the vessel and perished. After being buffeted about during the night, the men in the boat were picked up and landed at Cape Rosier'. I cannot remember where I read the above text but here it is, a part of a larger article, thanks to Welsh Newspapers Online. This page rather tells us that the vessel foundered off Fox River (Gaspé coast, Quebec), on Nov. 24, 1861, while en route from Montreal, Canada, to Liverpool. Can you add anything? #2187 12   Dorothy 346 tons 28774 1860 A wooden barque, which was launched on Jul. 16, 1860 & first registered on Jul. 25, 1860 (scroll to #28774). Note that for 25 years, Lloyd's Register ('LR') referred to the builder as Barkess, later as Harkess. The vessel is LR listed from 1861/62 thru 1894/95, owned for most of its life, per LR, by the Tully family of Sunderland, certainly registered there. Initially by Tully & Co., in 1876/77 by W. B. Tully & Co., & in 1885/86 by J. Tully. Note however that the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1865 lists W. B. Sully (with an 'S'), of North Quay, Sunderland as her then owner, clearly in error. While MNLs of 1867 thru 1872 (MNL of 1870 is here) rather list Thomas Humble, of Foyle Street, Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, as her owner. MNL of 1874 lists William B. Tully, of Sunderland, as her then owner, data essentially confirmed by Turnbull's Register of 1874 which lists her then shareholders as being Wm. B. Tully (42 shares) and Chas. Tully (22 shares). The 1878 thru 1884 (MNL of 1880) editions of MNL record Wm. B. Tully, now of Newcastle-on-Tyne, as her then owner, becoming John Tully, of Sunderland, from 1885 thru 1888. For initial service from Sunderland to the Black Sea, from 1863/64 for service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean & from 1872/73, thru 1873/74 at least, for service from Plymouth to the Mediterranean. The vessel became of 347 tons in 1886/87. The vessel is not recorded in MNL of 1889. In 1889/90, LR records T. Flensburg of Malmö, Sweden, as the vessel's new owner. In 1892/93, maybe from an earlier date (LR editions not available), C. O. Malmquiet, also of Malmö, is listed as the vessel's owner. In LRs of both 1893/94 & 1894/95, the vessel is noted to have been 'stranded and condemned 9.93'. In 1893/94, LR still recorded the vessel as owned by C. O. Malmquiet - in 1894/95 by J. A. Zebala. 115.0 ft. long, later, certainly from 1892/93, 116.0 ft., signal letters QBVG, later, when Swedish owned it would appear, HTLC. This Sep. 1893 newspaper article tells us that the vessel, en route from Mobile (Alabama, U.S.A.), for Hull, went ashore at Matanzas (N. coast of Cuba). 'Will probably be a wreck'. Can anybody clarify the circumstances of her stranding or otherwise add anything? Crew lists thru 1888 are available here. #2110 13   Generosity 505 tons 28434 1860 A wooden barque, which I cannot spot was ever listed in Lloyd's Register, presumably because the ship's life was so very short. The vessel was launched on Feb. 07, 1860 & first registered, at Sunderland, on Mar. 05, 1860 (scroll to #28434). Which date is a real puzzle! Because earlier, on Feb. 10, 1860 per line 973 here, the 505 ton barque is stated to have gone missing while en route from Sunderland to Gefle (Gävle, Sweden) with a cargo of coals. The entire crew of 14 were lost. The vessel is stated to have then been owned by John Barkes. No crew lists seem to be available. Can anybody clarify the dates above, or otherwise add anything? #2114 14   John Hunter 274 tons 44490 1862 The vessel, a wooden barque, was launched on Aug. 11, 1862 & first registered, at Sunderland, on Aug. 20, 1862 (scroll to #44490). It is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1862/63 thru 1869/70. Owned throughout that entire period, per LR, by Watson & Co. of Sunderland, for service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean. Per LR, F. Denton served as the vessel's captain thru 1866/67 or 1867/68 then followed by 'Stevens'. The Mercantile Navy Lists of 1865, 1867 & 1868 all list William Hunter Watson, of Nile Street, Sunderland, as the vessel's then owner. On Sep. 22, 1866, the vessel, Stevens in command, left Cardiff, Wales, for Alexandria, Egypt, with 505 tons of coal. 103.0 ft. long, signal letters TVHW. LR of 1869/70 notes that the vessel had gone 'Missing'. On an unstated date in Jan. 1869, per line 5 here, the vessel, stated to be a 7 year old 275 ton barque, went missing while en route from Newport, Wales, to Trieste, Italy, with an unknown cargo. The vessel is stated to have had a crew of 10 - all lost of course. The listing does not indicate where or even approximately where the vessel went missing, simply stating that it went missing 'On Voyage'. Hopefully in due course, more detail will emerge as to the circumstances of the vessel's loss. Is there anything you can add? #2195 15   Accidental Star 248 tons 47666 1863 The webmaster has not researched this vessel & likely will never do so in view of Bill Swift's extensive 2017 research paper. Which he has kindly made available to all - here. The vessel, a snow or brig, was launched in Oct. 1863, & initially owned by J. Barkes of Sunderland, i.e. by its builder. But soon, in 1864/65 per Lloyd's Register, it became owned by Dent & Co. of Blyth, Northumberland. Members of the 'Dent' family owned it thereafter. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1870 lists John Dent of Blyth, as her then owner. Later MNL editions list John Dent junr. of Blyth (1872), Roger Dent of Newcastle (1874 & 1875), & John Dent of Blyth in 1876. As I move this data to this page in 2020, I note that Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1874 lists the North Shields registered vessel as then owned by Roger Dent of Newcastle, John Dent & John Dent, jun., both of Blyth, & Thomas Aikenhead of Gateshead. With, respectively, 28, 16, 12 & 8 shares in the vessel. 98.0 ft. long, signal letters VPMQ. The vessel was lost on May 16, 1876 as per this (in blue) reference & per item 546 on this U.K. Government list of shipwrecks, there noted to be owned by J. Dent junr. Lost in the N. Atlantic Ocean roughly due W. of the NW tip of Spain, while en route from Lisbon, Portugal to Schiedam (Rotterdam), with a cargo of salt & cork. The 9 man crew was rescued by Ocean King, a barque built at Sunderland, by Laing, in 1859. An Inquiry into the vessel's loss was held, & the report of such Inquiry can be read here. Many crew lists are available. In this modest space, I cannot cover all that is known about the vessel. In that regard, do read Bill Swift's 8 page Accidental Star research study, which contains extensive detail about the circumstances of her loss & her many voyages.  Is there anything you can add? #2212 16   Leading Star 249 tons 58124 1868 Leading Star, which was launched in Apl. 1868 & first registered, at Sunderland, on Apl. 03, 1868 (scroll to #58124), is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1868/69 thru 1880/81 only. Leading Star was owned, thru 1873/74 per LR, by J. Barkes of Sunderland, i.e. by its builder. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL'), however, records John Barkes, of Sunderland, as the vessel's owner only in 1869. It seems clear that 'Barkes' did not own the vessel thru 1873/74 as LR indicated. MNL of 1870 records William Todd Thirkell, of Sunderland, as the vessel's owner - a name not LR referenced. MNLs of 1871 thru 1875 record Geo. Dodds Rowell, of Monkwearmouth, Sunderland, as the vessel's new owner - while LRs record G. D. Rowell as her owner from 1873/74 thru 1875/76. I note that Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1874 lists a vessel named Leading Star (noted, surely in error, to be a 349 ton barque built at Sunderland in 1867), as owned by Leopold Anton Rudolphi & George Dodds Rowell with, respectively, 16 & 48 shares. In 1875/76, per LR, Leading Star became owned by T. Grenfell & registered at Falmouth, Cornwall. MNLs of 1876 thru 1881 all record Thomas Grenfell of St. Ives, Cornwall, as the vessel's owner. The vessel's captains per LR? J. Putland from 1868/69 thru 1871/72, 'Pearson',  from 1871/72 thru 1876/77 (J. J. Pearson in 1876/77), 'Grenfell' from 1876/77 thru 1880/81 (T. Grenfell in 1879/80 & 1880/81). 101.5 ft. long, signal letters HVRB, many crew lists are available via this page. The webmaster has not researched the operational history of Leading Star. But some 'best-efforts' items he happened to spot. By captain. 'Putland' (thru Mar. 1871). i) On Nov. 13, 1869, en route from Berdianski (Berdyansk, Sea of Azov, SE Ukraine) to Falmouth, the vessel stranded off the Dardanelles. It floated off without assistance 30 hours later & proceeded on Nov. 17, 1869. ii) On Mar. 13, 1871, bound to Palermo, Sicily, Italy, with a cargo of coal, Leading Star got onto the Shipwash Sands (off the Suffolk coast). Was assisted off making a little water. 'Pearson' (to summer of 1875). iii) On Jan. 22, 1872, en route from St. Jean d'Acre (Acre, northern Israel, today) with a cargo of wheat, the vessel was thrown on her broadside during a squall. The vessel put into Malta on Jan. 31, 1872 & proceeded on Feb. 06, 1872. iv) The vessel made at least one voyage to Australia. On Sep. 25, 1872 Leading Star arrived at Buenos Ayres, Argentina, ex Pernambuco, NE Brazil. It went on to Mauritius (arr. Nov. 16, 1872) & on Dec. 18, 1872 left Mauritius for Melbourne, Australia, arriving there on Feb. 07, 1873. The vessel left Melbourne for Adelaide & then on to Launceston, Tasmania, which it left on Mar. 26, 1873 for London (arr. Aug. 20, 1873. v) On Oct. 17, 1873, the vessel passed Dungeness, Kent, en route to Mauritius (arr. Feb. 24, 1874 & departed Apl. 24, 1874). Back at London on Sep. 01, 1874. vi) In late Sep. 1874, Leading Star left Swansea, Wales, for Alexandria, Egypt. It went on to St. Jean d'Acre, returned to Falmouth & on Apl. 03, 1875 left Falmouth for Granton (Edinburgh, Scotland, presumably to land its cargo. 'Grenfell', from summer of 1875. vii) On Oct. 08, 1875, the vessel left Sunderland for Santos (São Paulo, Brazil). It went on to Barbados & then St. Lucia, which it left on May 02, 1876 for Queenstown, Ireland, & then to London. viii) On Feb. 02, 1877, Leading Star left East London, South Africa, in ballast for Guam. But it arrived on Feb. 22, 1877 at Mauritius having experienced a cyclone en route (at 31.15S/57E). The vessel suffered loss of maintopmast etc. On Jun. 06, 1877 it was back at Falmouth with a cargo of sugar. ix) On Aug. 06, 1877, the vessel left Glasgow, Scotland, for Natal (Durban, South Africa) which it left on Jan. 17, 1878 for Guam. Are there other places of the name? On Feb. 25, 1878 the vessel was at Pernambuco. It arrived back at Falmouth ex Maceio (Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil) with a cargo of sugar. x) On Jul. 18, 1878, the vessel left Cardiff, Wales, for Pernambuco, then left for New York. It went on to Fortress Monroe (Hampton, Virginia, U.S.A.) & then Bahia, Brazil. It arrived back at Falmouth on Jul. 05, 1879 with a cargo of sugar, one crewman having died on the voyage. xi) On Sep. 10, 1879 Leading Star left Deal, Kent, for Buenos Ayres on a voyage which it would seem originated in Antwerp, Belgium. On Jan. 20, 1880, the vessel left Buenos Ayres for Rosario. The rest of the voyage is covered lower in this listing. What finally happened to Leading Star? On Dec. 08, 1880, after 8.30 p.m., the vessel stranded & was lost on the South African coast near the 'Umzim Kulu River' (Umzimkhulu River, near to, SE of Durban). In thick (foggy) weather. With the loss of four lives including her captain. One of whom, the boatswain, when he attempted to reach the shore at about midnight that day. As per this 'pdf' report of the Official Inquiry into Leading Star's loss (held at Durban, South Africa) which tells us that at the end, the vessel was thrown broadside onto the rocks in heavy seas. While the master, officers & crew were determined not to be at fault, the Inquiry did have a 'dig' at them all - by noting that the barking of dogs on board had been ignored - barking 'which should have attracted the attention of men of ordinary intelligence'. The Natal Blue Book of 1880 (a 'Google' book), rather states that she was lost at the mouth of the Imbango river - which does not seem to essentially change the loss location stated above. The webmaster learns that on Jun. 20, 1880 Leading Star had left Tönning (North Sea coast of Germany) for Christiania (i.e. Oslo, Norway), having arrived at Tönning ex Rosario (near Buenos Ayres, Argentina). On Jul. 23, 1880, the vessel left Christiania for Africa, which became for Natal when it left Falmouth on Aug. 16, 1880. The vessel's captain, i.e. Thomas Grenfell, was the son of the vessel's owner. Sadly Thomas Grenfell left behind a wife & 5 small children. Per these contemporary news reports. Can you tell us anything additional? Or correct the above text in any way? #2915 W. BARKLAY & Co. (maybe BARCLAY) - (1860/1869) A builder that, so far as I can see, built 19 vessels in the years from 1860 thru 1869. 1   Eleanor Isabella 263 later 252 tons 44281 1862 A snow or a brig. The vessel, which was launched in Jan. 1862, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1861/62 thru 1874/75 at least. It was owned, thru 1873/74 by Dodds & Co. of North Shields. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1867 lists the Shields registered vessel as owned by Philip Dodds of North Shields. As does the 1870 equivalent, the vessel then being North Shields registered & of 252 tons. Under 'Dodds' ownership the vessel possibly initially served from Sunderland to Lisbon, Portugal. From 1862/63, the vessel, per LR, served ex Shields i) to the Mediterranean (in 1863/64 & from 1865/66 thru 1869/70) & ii) from Shields to Syra, Greece, in 1864/65. From 1870/71 the vessel served the Mediterranean ex Blyth. In 1873/74, per LR, the vessel became owned by W. Thompson of Blyth, Northumberland, for service from Blyth to Lisbon. Such ownership is confirmed by MNL of 1874. Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1874 lists the vessel's then owners as being Wm. Thompson of Blyth, Matthew Thompson of Warkworth, Wm. Fenwick & Robt. Hill, both of North Shields. With, respectively, 28, 10, 18 & 8 shares. 105.0 ft. long, signal letters TSLB. On Apl. 14, 1874, the vessel, stated to be a brig, foundered, while en route from North Shields to Malaga, Spain, with 434 tons of coal. The location of her loss is not stated. The vessel was struck by a heavy sea, the cargo shifted, the vessel fell on her beam ends & was abandoned, dismasted & leaky. Crew of 9 - none lost. Then owned by W. Thompson of Blyth. As per this page ex here. Is there anything you can add? #2186 2   Albert the Good 306 later 315 tons 47676 1863 Albert the Good, i.e. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha (1819/1861), was the husband of Queen Victoria (1819/1901). He died young at age 42. Victoria wore black for the rest of her life. A vessel which had a very long life. Albert the Good, a barque but later, from 1875, a brig, was first registered at Sunderland on Dec. 07, 1863, & is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1863/64 thru 1899/1900, with the exception of the editions of 1888/89 & 1889/90. LR of 1899/1900 tells us that the vessel was then a lighter. I have not searched re later data. Per LR, the vessel was owned, thru 1873/74, by R. Porrett of Sunderland. With no captain name stated thru 1865/66, then W. Frazer in 1866/67 & 1867/68, W. Fraser in 1868/69, 'Bolt' from 1869/70 thru 1871/72, & A. B. Bolt from 1871/72 thru 1873/74. While 'Porrett' owned, the vessel, per LR, served from Sunderland to i) the West Indies thru 1865/66, ii) India in 1866/67 & 1867/68, iii) the Mediterranean from 1868/69 thru 1870/71. No destination port is advised in LRs of 1871/72 & 1872/73. An 1872 operational event that the webmaster happened to spot. On Aug. 05, 1872, Albert the Good, with Archibald Barclay Bolt in command, left Montreal, Canada, for the U.K. with a cargo of indian corn. Early on Sep. 25, 1872, when off Spurn Point (N. side of the Humber River, Yorkshire), the vessel was in collision with Isabella Granger, a brigantine in ballast (built at Sunderland in 1841 - ON#8969). Albert the Good would seem to have suffered considerable damage & put into Lynn, i.e. King's Lynn, Norfolk, on Sep. 26, 1872 to learn, via a survey, the extent of the damage. Per this contemporary report. Lynn would seem to have been the vessel's destination port. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL'), with a few missing years, records the vessel as Sunderland registered thru 1872, London registered in 1875, & thereafter registered at Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. From 1865 thru 1872, it lists the vessel (a barque in 1872) as owned, or owned & managed, by R. B. Porrett, of Sunderland. 110.4 ft. long, signal letter VPNH, crew lists thru 1873/74 are available via this page. In 1873/74, per LR, Albert the Good became owned by De Wolf, Sons & Co., of Halifax, for service from Nova Scotia, Canada, to London. I presume therefore that the Halifax concerned is Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. With 'McLeod' now her captain. LR of 1874/75 records that the vessel had become owned by H. R. Reid & Co., of London, with A. Nunn, her new captain. While MNL of 1874 is not available, MNL of 1875 rather records James Deane, of Melbourne, Australia as her new (managing) owner. In 1876 & thereafter, registered at Melbourne. LRs of 1875/76 thru 1887/88 all record J. Deane, of Melbourne, as the owner of Albert the Good, now a brig. I see that 'Deane' was not the vessel's sole owner. Details are available via this page, but the handwriting is tiny & too small & faint for my old eyes. I see however that he initially owned 47 of the vessel's 64 shares, later 22 only. With J. Lowrie her captain in all of those years. LRs of 1888/89 & 1889/90 do not record the vessel. From 1890/91 thru 1894/95, however, LRs list Melbourne Coal Ship & Eng. Co. Ltd, as the vessel's owners. Which name is clarified by MNLs of 1889 thru 1896 to mean Melbourne Coal, Shipping & Engineering Co. Ltd., of Melbourne, who acquired the vessel on Jul. 09, 1888. Two further changes in Albert the Good's ownership, it would seem. MNLs of 1897 thru 1911 record Melbourne Steamship Co. Ltd., of Melbourne, as her owner. Somehow there was a liquidator involved. Bought on Apl. 22, 1896. LR of 1899/1900 notes that the vessel was now a lighter. The final ownership change? MNLs of 1913 & 1914 record William Knights, of Williamstown, a suburb of Melbourne, as her new owner. Bought on Jul. 22, 1912. MNL notes that the register for Albert the Good was closed in 1913 - on Sep. 16, 1913 I read. The vessel was broken up. Australian Archives kindly make available the Australian registry records for the vessel - accessible via links on this page. Anything you can add? #2880 TO END THE PAGE eBay vendors who provide quality listing images with no logos First the good news. A start on a list of eBay vendors whose maritime & Sunderland related listed items include quality images without intrusive logos. Just a few vendors with items regularly in my watch list. In alphabetic order. I will add to it as other sites come to mind. But ... suggestions for vendors to be added to the list would be most welcome. It would be my hope that the vendors listed below will be rewarded by eBayers, for the integrity of their listing practices. 1 cobwebpostcards 2 rji2002 3 searching01 A now short list. So many of the vendors earleir listed seem no longer to be active. I do hope that you will not find the following to be presumptuous. In building these pages, the webmaster has found lots of data relevant to the particular subject at hand via eBay 'university'. Often not by specifically searching for it, rather by finding it by accident. A reference to a book perhaps, maybe an early print or an interesting postcard. And last but not least images, most often of ships that were built at Sunderland. I should tell you clearly that I DO use such eBay images on site, lots of them in fact. But in doing so, I try, very hard indeed, to treat the eBay vendors with honour. I provide links to hundreds of such eBay images throughout the site - and I often even provide links to the eBay store of the vendor in question. Both in some small way to thank the vendor i) by effectively advertising the availability of his item & ii) for the use of his listing images. Only when a listing is long expired do I use, on site, the full size listing images that were provided. Now only a few of the eBay listing images I see are usable. They are so often too small, out of focus or otherwise unusable. Often they have 'logos' prominently written across them - to dissuade somebody like yours truly from using the image &, I presume, to protect the purchaser of the item. My own belief is that when a purchaser buys an item, a postcard perhaps, he or she buys that postcard, but does not buy the related listing image of that postcard. I have to think that an image displayed on eBay & available to the entire world is effectively in the public domain. I say that not as a lawyer. Rather as someone trying to develop an interesting website that informs & educates anybody interested enough to search the site - which site is non-profit, free of membership, free of access, has no fees, intrusive advertising, pop-ups etc. A rarity, these days! The use of such 'logos' seems to be steadily increasing. And so often the logos are placed across an image in a place that makes it quite impossible to remove by someone with my limited photo editing skills. One vendor in particular, a vendor who has provided modest listing images for many years with no logos, & to whose images there are still many links, has recently added a most intrusive logo across all of his listing images. I wrote to the vendor, but from his perspective he feels he is fully justified & does not propose to re-consider the matter. Gradually, as I find them again, I am removing all links to his sale items & will reference such items no more. May I suggest that you navigate the site via the index on page 001    PRIOR PAGE / NEXT PAGE To Thomas M. M. Hemy Data Page 41. All of the other Thomas Hemy pages, including image pages, are accessible though the index on Thomas Hemy page 05. [ ] £ ö To the Special Pages Index.

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