THE SUNDERLAND SITE - PAGE 095
SHIPBUILDERS - PAGE 36

May I suggest that you navigate the site via the index on page 001.PRIOR PAGE / NEXT PAGE Do you want to make a comment? A site guestbook is here. On this page ... John Watson, Wear Concrete, Wear Dockyard, Wheatley/Wreatley & Chilton/Sidgwick, M. Whitefield (or Whitfield), Moses Wilkinson, Richard Wilkinson, William Wilkinson, Wilson, Spence and Todd, T. H. Woods, Woods, Spence, George Worthy, W. Worthy, R. Young, Young & Pearson Copyright? (2 + 12 + 40 + 1 + 1 + 6 + 7 + 10 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 1 = 88) Test.   Miramar, Plimsoll, images, mariners-l.co.uk, MNL (thru #33 Solunto only), Corrections in any of the material which follows, however tiny, would be most welcome. And additions, of course! To search for specific text on this page, just press 'CTRL + F' & then enter your search term. A general site search facility is here. JOHN WATSON W. (WILLIAM) WATSON & C0. J. WATSON, P. MILLS & T. ROBSON My data about John Watson is virtually non-existent. All I have read is that he was a shipbuilder from Pallion. That snippet of data came from within a biographical article here. But we have a little more data, thanks to 'Where Ships are Born', from which I quote. Several Watsons have built ships on the Wear. There was a partnership between James and Peter, another yard run by Roger, but the two best-known were William, a wood shipbuilder, and John, of Pallion, who built the Ballochmyle and several other clipper ships in the eighteen seventies. His designs were not unlike those of William Pile. Does anybody have the knowledge to expand upon the above & provide names, dates and locations of each of the shipbuilders named Watson? In a page now long gone, Terry (Whalebone?) used to advise that the W. (William) Watson yard built 40 ships from 1865 to 1874. Thanks Terry! Additional info probably will not come from the WWW because data from that source seems to be most limited. Does the last name in the heading relate? I saw in that regard that Stan Mapstone, at a site now long gone, advised us that there were nine 'Robson' Shipyards on the Wear, as follows, placed in time sequence. One of them may relate to the Watson family. But maybe all of the names should be moved to a new 'Robson' section? The T. Robson may be 'Thomas Robson'. W. Robson 1797-1801 R. P. Robson 1800-1826 T. Robson 1802-1865 M. Robson 1816-1816 J. Robson & Mills 1817-1817 J. Robson, J. Watson & Mills 1817- ? M. Robson Jr. 1828-1828 J. H. Robson 1837-1850 C. Robson 1846-1846 Miramar list (highest hull number on page). It used to be that you could click on the link that follows & get to the relevant Miramar page. But no longer! The new procedure must be to go to Miramar (here) & log in (you must be registered to view any page). And once you are logged in, return to this page & the following link should work for you:- 429. (28) Names of vessels constructed by 'Watson'. As I find them. In a table in build date sequence. It would seem, for some reason, the first hull number was No. 400.  Maybe, in the fullness of time, it may be possible to split the list by specific 'Watson's'! A Miramar list of 'Watson' vessels is here, but that link will only work if you are registered as in the previous paragraph - 28 of them from Oct. 1869 to Aug. 1874. Was the yard perhaps taken over by a builder named 'Hardcastle'? A list of vessels built by William Watson is now on site, with 40 vessels listed. The webmaster believes that such list is now complete so it would seem that William Watson did, indeed, build 40 ships. Shipbuilders named J. Watson were building ships at Sunderland over many decades, from 1817 to 1870 it would seem. A build list available to the webmaster records that J. Watson, maybe many J. Watson's, is noted to have built a total of 126 vessels. Vessels built by J. Watson & P. Mills 1   Ann 175 later 176 tons 1818 A confusing listing as I think you will agree. With the published data from a number of sources in conflict with one-another. Read on! A snow or brig. Ann, which was launched in Jun. 1818, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed in the 'special' LR edition of 1820/21 & from 1823 thru 1841/42. I refer to LR of 1820/21 as being 'special' because it, uniquely for the period, lists a vessel's year of first registration. The page from such register (you can see it here), records R. Denton as the vessel's owner, with 'Cornforth' her then captain, for service as a Sunderland coaster. It would seem probable that Denton was of Sunderland. If you agree? A Sunderland build list, available to the webmaster, lists just a single vessel named Ann, built at Sunderland in 1818. Of 175 tons. An 1826 list of vessels registered at Sunderland records such a vessel, owned in 1826 by W. Potts with W. Dunn her then captain. LRs of 1823 thru 1841/42 all record R. Denton as the vessel's owner, with 'Lumsden' her captain. For service ex Lynn, Norfolk. In 1826/27, per LR, & thru to 1834, D. Hunter is recorded as the vessel's owner. For service ex London & in 1831/32 & 1832/33 for service from Hull to Elsinore, Denmark. With 'Burnikill' her captain from 1826/27 thru 1830/31 & D. Hunton or D. Hunter from 1830/31 all the way thru to 1841/42. LRs from 1834 all rather record Hunter & Co., of Whitby, Yorkshire, as the vessel's owner for service ex London initially & from 1836/37 for service from Milford, Wales, to London. I note that LRs from 1834 all record the vessel as being built in 1817 rather than in 1818. In 1908, a Whitby history book was published which summarised the histories of vessel's which had been registered at Whitby over the years. A book that in the webmaster's experience has proved to be unusually accurate. It tells us, re Ann built at Sunderland in 1818, that the vessel had become Whitby registered in 1827, owned by David Hunton of Skinningrove (N. Yorkshire, SE of Saltburn-by-the-Sea). And that in May 1836, the vessel had become registered at Scarborough, Yorkshire. What finally happened to Ann? The webmaster really does not know the answer to that question. He has, however read, that a brig named Ann, en route from Stettin (Szczecin, Poland, on the Baltic) to Hull with 'Wells' in command, capsized off Hebbles Sand float (N. side of the Humber River), near Hull, in a sudden squall, on May 7, 1842. It was later raised but about 3 weeks later got foul of mooring chains at Hull & sank again with her mastheads out of the water. Was it 'our' Ann? I just do not know for sure. Can any site visitor clarify or expand upon any of the above data. If so, do consider being in touch with the webmaster for inclusion of your data here. #2675 2   Streatlam Castle or Streatham Castle 235 later 236 tons 2119 1819 A snow or brig, built by J. Watson & Mills & launched in Mar. 1819. The webmaster's understanding is that a vessel of this time period, once named, could not later be given another name until after 1854. And this vessel's name would seem to have been a 'problem' throughout its lifetime. Two lists of vessels built at Sunderland, available to the webmaster, name the vessel Streatham Castle. Lloyd's Register ('LR'), in 1819, named the vessel Stritcham Castle, later editions, from 1820 thru 1836/37, name the vessel Streatham Castle, & from 1837/38 thru 1850/51 LRs refer to Streatlam Castle. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') list the vessel from 1857 thru 1866 as Streatham Castle. It is the webmaster's belief that Streatlam Castle may be correct. There was a Streatlam Castle, until 1959 at least, at Barnard Castle, in County Durham. But I may well prove to be quite wrong. Anyway, the vessel is LR listed from 1819 thru 1850/51 & not thereafter. It was initially owned by 'Scarfield' or 'Scurfield', of location unknown, for service i) ex London or ii) from Falmouth to Quebec, Canada, or iii) from Sunderland to London - the LR data is confusing! With R. Gibson her captain. In or about 1820 or 1821, the vessel became owned by Thompson & Co. For service iv) from Liverpool to Hamburg or Bremen, Germany, in 1821, v) from Liverpool to Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada, in 1822 & 1823, & vi) from Hull to St. Petersburg, Russia, from 1824 thru 1825/26. With J. Brown briefly her captain & G. Elliott so serving from 1821 thru 1825/26. In 1826/27, per LR, Brooks & Co. became the vessel's owner for service from London to Shields thru 1829/30 & from London to Elsinore, Denmark, from 1830/31 thru 1832/33. With, per LR, A. Brown serving as the vessel's captain. From 1834 thru 1839/40, per LR, the vessel was owned by 'Penny' of London, with J. Gales her captain. For service from London to Nova Scotia, Canada, thru 1837/38 & from Newcastle to Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1838/39. Laing & Co., of North Shields, per LR, owned the vessel from 1839/40 thru 1850/51. With W. Cockerill consistently serving as the vessel's captain thru such period. For service from Shields to London thru 1843/44, from London to Archangel, Russia, in 1844/45 & 1845/46, from Shields to the Baltic in 1846/47 & 1847/48, & after that date ex Hull. The North of England Maritime Directory of Jul. 1848 records Streatlam Castle as registered at Newcastle & owned by Jos. Laing of North Shields. MNL notes that the vessel was registered at Shields on May 22, 1850. But .... Turnbull's Shipping Registers ('TR') of both 1855 & 1856 advise that the vessel was then rather owned by W. Moore & W. Cockerill of North Shields. The 1855 edition of TR names W. Cockerill as the vessel's captain. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 lists William Moore & William Cockerill, both of North Shields, as the vessel's then owners. MNLs record the vessel (Streatham Castle) as registered at Shields from 1857 thru 1867. Owned in 1865 by William Moore of North Shields but owned in 1866 & 1867 by John Brown of North Shields. Signal letters HMTF, crew lists seem to be available thru 1864 & from 1893 thru 1901, via here. How can those later dates possibly be so? What finally happened to the vessel? This page (scroll to #2119) tells us that a certificate re the vessel's loss was dated Mar. 7, 1867. Wikipedia tells us (thanks!) that on Dec. 3, 1866 Streatham Castle collided with Karl, a Norwegian brig, & was abandoned by her crew, all of whom survived. Further that the vessel came ashore at Skagen (northernmost Danish town, Jutland, Denmark). And was refloated & taken into Kristiansand. These events are as confusing as has been the vessel's name, however. It would seem that in early Dec. 1866, Streatham Castle, with 'Beveridge' (maybe 'Reveridge') in command, was en route from Wyborg (Vyborg, NW of St. Petersburg), Russia, to Hull with a cargo of timber. On Dec. 3, 1866 the vessel was in collision, in the North Sea, with a brig named Karl (or maybe Carrol), of Laurig, Norway. Streatham Castle was badly damaged by the force of the collision & she rapidly filled with water. Her crew of 8 abandoned ship & were taken aboard the Norwegian vessel & landed at Mandal (S. Norway, W. of Kristiansand [Oslo]) - or maybe at Farsund (rather to the W. of Mandal). And later landed, or most of them, back at Hull via Swanland. The webmaster has not yet read that the vessel came ashore at Skagen. It was, as I read the available words, found, floating & derelict, & taken into New Hellesand (cannot locate the place but near Kristiansand) on Dec. 6, 1866. Her salvors (not named) claimed 50% of the value of the ship & her cargo. Some contemporary news reports (1, 2). It may well be that the vessel was later repaired & returned to service perhaps with another name. But probably that is not likely since she was very old. Can you add to or correct the above text? #2687 Vessels built by John Watson (John H. Watson perhaps) 1   Niagara 390 tons 1836 A schooner. The vessel, which was launched on Apl. 16, 1836, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1836/37 thru 1854/55 with the exception of 1851/52 & 1852/53. Her initial owner, thru 1846/47 per LR, was 'Greenwell' of Sunderland, with 'Hammond' serving as her captain thru 1840/41, & 'Champion' from 1840/41 thru 1845/46 or 1846/47. For service from Sunderland to Bombay (now Mumbai), India, thru 1839/40, from Sunderland to Calcutta (now Kalkata), India, in 1840/41, 1842/43 & 1843/44, from Shields to Calcutta in 1841/42, ex London in 1844/45, & from Liverpool to Quebec, Canada, in 1845/46 & 1846/47. In 1846/47, per LR, the vessel became owned by Clay & Co., also of Sunderland, for service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean thru 1847/48 & from Dublin, Ireland, to the Mediterranean in 1848/49 & 1849/50. With J. Tilley her captain thru 1848/49 & J. Hall from 1848/49 thru 1850/51 at least. The 'Clay' ownership is clarified by the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/49 to mean, in Apl. 1848, J. Clay, T. & R. Brown & H. Parker. LR of 1850/51 has minimal detail which suggests that the vessel may then have been sold. After an LR absence of 2 years, the vessel in 1853/54 was LR reported as owned by 'Thompson' of Sunderland, for service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean in 1853/54, with R. Parkin serving as the vessel's captain. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/55 tell us that in Mar. 1854, Wm. Peverley was the captain of the vessel, which was then owned by Wm. Peverley & Matt Thompson, both of Sunderland. On Oct. 18, 1854, the vessel was at Hendon Bay, near Sunderland, having returned from Quebec, Canada, with a cargo of timber - & a crew of 15. That night, the vessel was driven off her anchors by stress of weather & became a total wreck. No lives were lost. The losses re cargo & vessel are listed, here, as being £500 & £2000. Is there anything you can add, or correct? #2325 2   Olive Branch 320/358 tons 1837 A barque. The vessel, which was launched in Apl. 1837, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1836/37 thru 1852/53. Her initial owner, thru 1845/46 per LR, was 'Greenwell' of Sunderland, with J. Forbes serving as her captain thru 1841/42, 'Lindsey' from 1841/42 thru 1843/44, & 'Brown' from 1843/44 thru 1845/46, Her service, while 'Greenwell' owned, was from Sunderland to i) Quebec, Canada, thru 1837/38, ii) the Mediterranean from 1838/39 thru 1840/41. Also from Liverpool to Madras (now Chennai), India, in 1841/42 & 1842/43, & from Sunderland to India in 1843/44 & 1844/45. In 1845/46, per LR, Olive Branch became registered at Stockton-on-Tees & owned by 'Ingledew', which name is clarified, in May 1848 at least, by the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/49 to mean Silvester Ingledew, Wm. F. Marshall, James Johnson, J. Hudson & William Innes, all of Stockton. R. Fishwick served briefly as her captain from 1845/46 thru 1846/47, W. Hudson from 1845/46 thru 1851/52 & finally M. Jefferson in 1852/53. Her service? In 1845/46 the vessel served Algiers, Algeria, ex Hartlepool, then served London i) from Stockton in 1846/47 & ii) from Hartlepool in 1847/48. She served France ex Stockton in 1848/49 & 1849/50, & served Quebec from both Stockton in 1850/51 & Southampton in 1851/52. In 1852/53, per LR, the vessel served America ex Stockton. Wikipedia tells us (thanks!) that on Apl. 27, 1852 Olive Branch was sunk by ice in the St. Lawrence River, Canada, while en route from Stockton to Quebec City. Further that all aboard were rescued by Anthracite, a U.K. barque. I learn (ex a U.K. Government source), that the vessel was struck by an iceberg on the morning of Apl. 27, 1852 when about 20 miles from Cape Gaspé - and sank about 15 minutes after the collision. At the time she had a crew of 11, 25 immigrant passengers & carried a cargo of coal & earthenware. All aboard took to ship's boats to be soon rescued when Anthacit, (not Anthracite per LR) under the command of Captain A. Harris came on the scene. Anthacit, foreign built, of 264/302 tons, was, per LR, then owned by Keetley & Co. of Grimsby, Lincolnshire. It would be good to read more about exactly what happened. I do not recall before reading of an iceberg striking a ship - usually it is the other way around. And it would be good to know of Olive Branch's captain's name at the time of the loss. Is there anything you can add, and/or correct? #2347 3   Constant 229/230 tons 9724 1839 Constant, a snow or brig which was launched in Jul. 1839, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1839/40 thru 1844/45, not in 1845/46, from 1846/47 thru 1854/55, & not thereafter. The webmaster did not expect the vessel to be listed after 1844/45, having seen that LR of 1844/45 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. Lloyd's Register Foundation tells us that the vessel was built by J. Watson, Senior. During the first LR period, i.e. thru 1844/45, LR records Potts & Co., of Sunderland, as Constant's owner, for consistent service from Sunderland to London with 'Liddle' always her captain. I note that 'Liddle' would seem to have been the vessel's captain not for many years as LR indicates, but rather for only a short time, thru late Jan. 1840. To be followed by 'Harbottle' &, from Jun. 1841, by 'Coatsworth' - who made a number of voyages into the Mediterranean incl. to Genoa & Algiers. The reason why LR of 1844/45 noted that Constant had been wrecked, now seems clear. Reports (1 & 2) from Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island ('PEI'), now Canada), advised that Constant of Sunderland, 'Coatsworth' (or 'Coldsworth') in command, en route from London to Three Rivers (Trois Rivières, St. Lawrence River between Quebec & Montreal), had been driven onto Boughton Island on Jun. 29, 1844. And had been condemned. And would be sold. Boughton Island, I learn, is a (now deserted) island off the E. coast of PEI, & is not off Trois Rivières - hence the report from Charlottetown. Such news reports look strange to the webmaster. Who thinks that the term 'condemned' is usually reserved for aged vessels whose timbers are structurally weak. Or for vessels so badly damaged that repair is impossible. Constant was just 5 years sold & her timbers surely could not have been decayed. Now the webmaster has not spotted if the vessel was indeed sold & if so to whom. But it would seem that Constant must have been repaired & later returned (surprisingly) to Sunderland ownership. When LR coverage resumed in 1846/47, Constant's owner, per LR, was T. Clark of Sunderland, again for service from Sunderland to London, with T. Souter serving as the vessel's captain. Thru to 1848/49 - when T. Lee became the vessel's owner for service i) from Sunderland to Carthagena, Spain, in 1848/49 & 1849/50, ii) from Sunderland to the Baltic in 1850/51 & iii) in 1851/52 for service as a Jersey, Channel Islands, coaster. With, per LR, G. Simey the vessel's captain thru 1849/50, 'Reed' in 1850/51 & J. Emerson from 1851/52 thru 1854/55. LR records the vessel as Sunderland registered from 1839/40 thru 1851/52 - LR data after that date is limited, with no port of registration indicated. Some 'best-efforts' Constant operational history. i) On Apl. 28, 1847, the vessel, 'Hindmarsh' (or 'Hindhaugh') her master, got on shore at St. Malo, France. Vessel very little damaged. ii) On Jun. 07, 1847, the vessel left Sunderland for Hamburg, Germany, with 'Longridge' in command. It went on to Archangel, Russia, & on Oct. 06, 1847 arrived back at Gravesend, London. On its return voyage from Archangel, Constant had stood by Friendship of Dantzig, 'Bischoff' in command, & took on board such vessel's crew. Friendship sank on Sep. 26, 1847 at a point NE of the Shetland Islands. Constant landed such crew at Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on Oct. 02, 1847. iii) On May 28, 1848, the vessel, 'Emerson' in command (her captain from about Mar. thru Dec. 1848) arrived at Memel (then E. Prussia, now Klaipėda, Lithuania), ex Sunderland. It returned to Plymouth via London. It arrived at Plymouth on Sep. 16, 1848, noted to be ex St. Petersburg, Russia. iv) In very early Jan. 1849, Constant got onto the beach at Hasborough (near Cromer, Norfolk). On Jan. 09, 1849, it was still on the beach there having thrown overboard its cargo of coke. It was eventually got off on Jan. 28, 1849 & was towed into Yarmouth. It would seem that George Simey had been in her command. I say that because he filed a deposition (purpose not mentioned) at Yarmouth on Jan. 02, 1849. The vessel was taken to the yard of Yarmouth shipbuilder 'Branford' & in Apl. 1849 the vessel's hull, masts etc. was offered for sale. These news reports relate - 1 (in blue), 2 & 3. It seems likely that 'Lee' acquired the hull at about that time & then arranged to have the vessel repaired. I note that the vessel is not listed in the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9. It is however listed in the equivalent register of 1854/5, in Mar. 1854 data, then registered at Sunderland & owned by Thos. Lee of Jersey - with John Emerson stated to have then been the vessel's captain. It seems clear, however, that presumably later in 1854, Constant did become registered at Jersey. Per the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL'), which records the vessel as Jersey registered in 1854 (scroll to #9724) & also in 1857 & 1858. A little more operational data. i) On Jul. 14, 1849, Constant, 'Reed' in command, arrived at Memel ex Sunderland. On Jun. 30, 1849, the vessel went on shore at Memel with 'Dyk' rather that 'Reed' stated to be her captain. It later went on to Bristol via Jersey, with 'Reed' in command. ii) On Oct. 07, 1854, Constant, 'Emerson' in command, arriving at St. Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands, ex Seaham, struck on the Grand Four Rocks, near Noirmont Point (W. of St. Helier) & became leaky. The vessel was taken into St. Helier with much water in her holds. Per this report. What finally happened to Constant? MNL tells us (scroll to #9724) that a certificate re the vessel's loss was dated Nov. 28, 1858. Alas, so far at least, the webmaster has not spotted any contemporary news reports that tell us what happened to her & when. Nor spotted such data elsewhere. Can you tell us about the circumstances of the vessel's loss or otherwise add anything? #2920 4   Sultana 278/302 tons 1779 1844 A barque. Sultana, which was launched in Mar. 1844, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1843/44 thru 1855/56 & so far as I can see not thereafter. Thru 1845/46, the vessel served Montreal, Canada, ex Sunderland, owned by 'Scurfield' of Sunderland, with 'Lambton' serving as the vessel's captain. The vessel would seem to have been in process of being sold in 1845/46, with no owner name being LR recorded. From 1846/47 thru 1848/49, Sultana, per LR, was owned by 'Holland' of Liverpool, for service from Liverpool to Montevideo, Uruguay, with 'Longmuir' serving as the vessel's captain. From 1848/49 thru 1850/51, the vessel was, per LR, owned by 'McCullum' of Glasgow, for service from the Clyde to Valparaiso, Chile, with S. Edington reported to have been the vessel's then captain. G. White, of Liverpool, was, per LR, both the vessel's next owner & captain, for service ex Liverpool, from 1851/52 thru 1854/55. But ... on Sep. 08, 1853, Sultana, then lying at Liverpool, was offered for sale at a public auction. Stated to then have been owned by W. & J. Ravenscroft and Co., of Liverpool. LR does not reference J. Baines as an owner of the vessel. It would seem likely, however, that they acquired the vessel at that public auction. Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5, in Mar. 1854 data, lists the 302 ton Liverpool registered vessel as then owned by J. Baines and T. M. Mackay, with James Kiddie her captain. I understand ('Out at Sea' by P. B. Chadfield) that James Baines & Co., Gibbs, Bright & Co., both of Liverpool, & T. M. Mackay & Co., of London, together operated 'Black Ball and Eagle Line' ex Liverpool & that such line served Australia. I have read here that (in part) 'our' Sultana sailed to Australia in Dec. 1854 under Captain David Taylor and again in late 1856, after which she just disappears. But the webmaster is, so far at least, unable to substantiate the info. I did, however, note a report ('Adelaide Times' of Jan. 05, 1854) that on Sep. 13, 1853 Sultana was loading at Liverpool for Adelaide, South Australia, with 'Keddle' her captain. But so far as I can see, the vessel never made such proposed voyage & never made Adelaide, maybe (?) being rather sold & re-scheduled for Puerto Rico. There were, I note, many vessels named Sultana active in Australian waters around that time, but so far as I can see, this Sultana was not active there. I stand to be corrected! In 1855/56, the last year in which the vessel was LR listed, Sultana was owned by 'Longton' of Liverpool, for service from Liverpool to Puerto Rico (Caribbean). With 'M'Bride' (McBride) her then captain. Likely John Longton, a Liverpool ship-broker. 104 ft. long, signal letters HLKP. No crew lists seem to be available. The webmaster is not able to tell you what finally happened to the vessel, nor when. In that regard he notes some data that looks to be incorrect, i.e. that the vessel had been lost back in 1859 (as I read the handwriting) (scroll to #1779). But maybe the vessel was thought to have been lost & later was recovered? The vessel is Mercantile Navy List listed, always registered at Liverpool, from 1858 thru 1864. But not in 1865. Is there anything you can add? Or correct? I would welcome your input. #2738 5   Fairy Queen 319 tons 7037 1845 A barque. Fairy Queen was launched on Mar. 11, 1845 & is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1848/49 thru 1864/65. Fairy Queen was offered for sale on Jul. 15, 1845, then lying at Liverpool having just arrived from Montreal, Canada, with 'Brown' her captain, with a cargo, I read, of 'ashes, flour & deals'. It did not instantly sell. It was advertised again on Aug. 07, 1845 & again on Sep. 01, & Sep. 15, 1845. On Nov. 13, 1845, it was advertised for a departure from Liverpool to Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, with H. Richardson in command. It left Liverpool on such voyage, on or about Dec. 16, 1845. Fairy Queen presumably had been bought by Foxall & Co. of Dublin, Ireland. LRs from 1848/49 thru 1852/53, record Foxall & Co. of Dublin as the vessel's owners for service from Dublin to Calcutta, India. With 'Richardson' always her captain. In 1853/54, per LR, 'Macdonald' of Liverpool, became the vessel's owner for continued service from Dublin to Calcutta thru 1855/56 & for service from Liverpool to Australia in 1856/57 & 1857/58. With 'Richardson' her captain thru 1855/56 & then 'Woodward'. A puzzle, perhaps, is that Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5, in Mar. 1854 data, lists the Liverpool registered vessel's then owners as being 'Ed. Grey, W. Wilson, & others', with H. Richardson her then captain. I read that on Dec. 08, 1855, Fairy Queen left Liverpool for Adelaide, Australia, with a general cargo & Nugent Sims in command - in replacement as captain, it would seem, for 'Woodward'. It arrived at Adelaide on Mar. 11, 1856 & on Apl. 14, 1856 left Adelaide for Manilla in ballast & with no passengers. So far as the webmaster can see, that was the vessel's sole voyage to Australia. Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1855 lists Fairy Queen as registered at Liverpool with 'Macdonald' the vessel's owner & 'Richardson' her captain. In 1858/59, LR notes that 'McPherson', also of Liverpool, had become both the vessel's owner & her captain for service from Liverpool to the Mediterranean. The LR data of 1859/60 & the following years thru 1864/65 is most limited, with no port of registry or routing indicated. Which suggests that the vessel had probably been lost or sold. The vessel is listed in the Mercantile Navy List from 1857 thru 1860, registered at Liverpool & of 328 tons. I now note that 'Wikipedia' advises us (thanks!), here, that Fairy Queen, en route from Alexandria, Egypt, to Liverpool, foundered off Syracuse, Sicily, on Dec. 06, 1858. Her crew were rescued by a vessel named Due Fratelli. Detail as to the circumstances of the vessel's loss seems not to be available. We do know, however, that the vessel left Alexandria for Liverpool on Nov. 16, 1858, under the command of Captain H. Macpherson, with a cargo of grain, beans, cotton & bones. Her crew were landed at Malta on Dec. 09, 1858 by Due Fratelli, a brig from Naples, Italy. Later, on Dec. 24, 1858, 'Macpherson' & 11 Fairy Queen crew members were landed at Southampton by Malta, a Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company's steamship, I believe built at Greenock, Scotland, in 1848 & ON #22171. This newspaper report relates to Fairy Queen's loss. 103 ft. long, no crew lists seem to be available for the vessel. Can anyone add to or correct the above text? #2724 6   Mangosteen 421/383 tons 1847 Mangosteen? Three species of tree that grow in SE Asia - one of the species produces an edible fruit, rather like an orange but with a hard purple rind. Mangosteen is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1846/47 thru 1862/63, always, per LR, owned by 'Thompson' of London. For service from Sunderland to Aden from 1846/47 thru 1849/50, ex London from 1850/51 thru 1852/53, & from Liverpool to Bombay (now Mumbai), India, from 1853/54 thru 1858/59. The LR data in 1859/60 & after is quite cryptic. With good reason! The vessel was lost in 1855! The vessel's captains per LR? 'Pentreath' from 1846/47 thru 1852/53 & W. Horner from & after 1853/54. In fact, 'Horner' would seem to have been the vessel's captain from Oct. 1850 & maybe from a little earlier. Some random Mangosteen 'data snippets'. By captain. Pentreath - i) On Sep. 11, 1847, the vessel left Aden for Bombay, arriving there on Sep. 26, 1847. ii) On Apl. 24, 1848, Mangosteen left Liverpool for Bombay. It had been advertised re such voyage on Mar. 23, 1848 with Nicholas Pentreath noted to be in command. iii) On Sep. 28, 1848, the vessel left Bombay for China via Singapore. In late Jul. 1849 the vessel arrived at London ex Calcutta (now Kolkata), India. iv) The vessel was at Plymouth on Sep. 19, 1849 bound for Shanghai, China. On Sep. 19, 1850 the vessel arrived at Falmouth ex Whampoa (i.e. Huangpu, an outer port of Guangzhou, China). Horner - v) On Oct. 17, 1850, the vessel was cleared out of London for Hong Kong & Canton. It arrived at Hong Kong on Mar. 15, 1851. vi) the vessel took on board cotton from the wrecked Charles Forbes, for delivery to Penang. vii) On Oct. 13, 1852, the vessel left Helvoet (Hellevoetsluis, western Netherlands, near Rotterdam) for Liverpool. ix) On or about Jan. 15, 1853, the vessel left Liverpool for Bombay, had to return to get a new crew, left for a 2nd time & on May 15, 1853 reached Bombay. With a crew of 16 all told. Then on to Whampoa & Singapore (left Nov. 27, 1853), before arriving back at Liverpool on Apl. 01, 1854. A voyage which is notable for its many crew defections necessisating the engagement of new crews. Such voyage is the subject of the next paragraph. On Apl. 17, 1854, at a Liverpool police court, a charge was made against William Henderson Horner, Thomas Henry Chadderton (1st mate) & the 2nd mate also - that during the voyage just ended they had on Mar. 04, 1854 murdered Pedro, alias Angelo Paraiso (also reported as Emanuel Gonsalves), a seaman from Manila. And had murdered also two other Mangosteen Manila crewmen later in Mar. 1854. Extensive reports of the evidence were reported in the press over many days - such reports are so long it would be impractical to provide any portion of them here. I note that the evidence so presented is difficult reading. With the use of violence, frequent beatings & the use of the cat o' nine tails, compounded by the general lack of food & language difficulties. The end result was that 'Horner' & 'Chadderton' were committed for trial, which trial took place in Liverpool on Aug. 19, 1854. At such trial evidence was again presented. The webmaster can only present here what he has read but he was truly surprised to see that the jury, with just a few minutes of deliberation, returned the verdict of not guilty. A summary report can be read here. While such legal matters were proceeding, Mangosteen continued in service, of course, with 'Lyle' her new captain. The vessel left Liverpool on Jun. 06, 1854 & arrived at Bombay on Sep. 13, 1854 with 'Lyle' in  command. Fast forward! A news report from Boulogne, France, on Feb. 25, 1855, advised that Mangosteen had come ashore, during dense fog, at Le Portel, 3 miles SW of Boulogne, while returning to the U.K. ex Bombay. And that her crew were all saved. One of 4 British vessels that apparently came ashore there at about the same time in the fog. On the next day the vessel was stated to be in a satisfactory position & unloading its cargo was proceeding. The vessel soon, alas, became a wreck. However its cargo was unloaded with some extraordinary help from the French military, 300 members of whom apparently built a road over the rocks to permit carts to reach the wreck & take much of its cargo to safety ashore. 'Lyall' is Lloyd's Register noted to have been the vessel's captain at the time of the vessel's loss which likely should read 'Lyle'. A couple of contemporary news reports (1 & 2). A modest puzzle is that the vessel would seem not to have been granted an Official Number on Jan. 01, 1855, when it still was in existence. Can you tell us anything additional? #2764 7   Irene 472/447, later 398 tons 888 1853 A wooden barque, which was launched or completed on Jun. 21, 1853. Built by J. (John) Watson, of Pallion. Per 1 (1st listed of 2), The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1854/55 thru 1873/74. It was initially owned, thru 1858/59 per LR, by 'Mounsey' of Newcastle, with D. Bruce serving as the vessel's captain. Such names are both clarified to mean, in Apl. 1854 per Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory, Edward Mounsey of Newcastle, the vessel's then owner & David Bruce her then captain. As is confirmed by Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1855. TR of 1856, however, advises that the vessel was then owned by E. (Edward) Mounsey of Newcastle, J. Riley & P. Tindall, both of London, & D. Bruce, of Middlesex. While Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 lists just A. Riley & D. Bruce as her then owners. For consistent service, under 'Mounsey' ownership, from London to Australia. In 1859/60, per LR, the vessel became owned by J. Riley of London - John Riley per the Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865, 1867 & 1868. For continued service from London to Australia thru 1863/64, ex London in 1864/65 & 1865/66, & from London to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) from 1866/67. David Bruce was her Captain for many years until he assumed command of City of Adelaide. From part way thru 1864/65, A. Walsh (maybe A. J. Walsh) served as the vessel's captain. Some 'best efforts ' detail re the vessel's many voyages to Australia - much more detail is available at Trove. i) the vessel left London on Aug. 29, 1853 for Adelaide, South Australia, where she arrived on Dec. 6, 1853 with 26 plus passengers & a varied cargo. She left for London on or about Feb. 5, 1854 with about 42 passengers & a cargo that included 800 or so bales of wool, 150 tons of copper ore & 5,000 oz. of gold dust. ii) the vessel arrived at Adelaide on Oct. 29, 1854 (left London Jul. 20, 1854) with about 24 passengers. It was cleared for departure to London on Jan. 5, 1855, with a cargo that included 1000 bales of wool & 150 tons of copper ore. iii) the vessel arrived at Adelaide on Nov. 5, 1855 ex London (left Jul. 20, 1855) with 19 passengers. It was cleared for departure to London on Jan. 8, 1856 with 60 + passengers, likely via Cape Town (S. Africa). iv) She arrived again at Adelaide on Nov. 5, 1856 ex London (left Jul. 13, 1856) after a tedious voyage with poor winds all the way, carrying at least 24 passengers & a large cargo of gunpowder which had to be unloaded outside the harbour. The vessel left for London, via Cape Town, on Jan. 6, 1857, with 29 passengers & a cargo of wool & copper ore. Earlier, on Jan. 2, 1857, a ball, complete with a saxhorn band, was given onboard the vessel by Captain Bruce, for both passengers & invited guests, about 100 in all. The vessel was reported off Plymouth on May 13, 1857. v) The vessel arrived at Adelaide on Nov. 4, 1857 ex London (left Jul. 20, 1857). It left Adelaide on Dec, 29, 1857 for its return voyage to London. vi) On Nov. 6, 1858 the vessel arrived again at Adelaide ex London (left July 14, 1858) & Plymouth & on Jan. 20, 1859 left for London via Cape Town. vii) Its next voyage was most similar. It arrived at Adelaide on Nov. 6, 1859 & left for London via the Cape on Jan. 17, 1860, with 21 passengers & a general cargo. viii) The vessel arrived at Adelaide on Oct. 23, 1860 ex London (left Jul. 11, 1860) & sailed for London on Dec. 20, 1860. ix) On Oct. 21, 1861 the vessel arrived at Adelaide ex the Downs on Jul. 12, 1861. I did not spot when she departed to return to London. x)  On Oct. 26, 1862 the vessel arrived at Adelaide ex London (left Jul. 10, 1862). And sailed for London on Dec. 30, 1862. xi) Her final voyage to Adelaide under Captain Bruce was in 1863/64. The vessel arrived at Adelaide on Nov. 16, 1863 having left London on Aug. 9, 1863. She left Adelaide for London on Jan. 10, 1864 with 1429 bales of wool, copper ore & 29 passengers. xii) On May 6, 1865 Irene arrived at Hobart, Tasmania, ex London with A. J. Walsh in command. It went on to Sydney, New South Wales ('NSW') in ballast & on Jul. 14, 1865 left Sydney for Ningpo, (now Ningbo, S. of Shanghai, China). xiii) On Apl. 17, 1867 the vessel arrived at Launceston, Tasmania, ex London, Gravesend. It left for Newcastle, NSW, on May 16, 1867 & on Jun. 19, 1867 left Newcastle for San Francisco with 475 tons of coal. The vessel was first LR recorded at 398 tons in 1861/62. 143.0 ft. long, signal letters HFRD. Some crew lists thru 1868 are available here. Note that while the vessel was LR recorded thru 1873/74, LR listed no owner's name from 1868/69 while MNL of 1870 does not record the vessel at all. I presume that something happened to the vessel in or about 1869, but I cannot tell you what it was. Can you possibly provide more data? 8   Lady Hodgkinson 946/925 tons 23075 1853 A ship. The ship, an East Indiaman, was launched on Oct. 4, 1853 for Sir George E. Hodgkinson of London. Of an extreme length of 186 ft. 10 in., intended for the East India trade. I have read that the ship was considered to be of very great beauty. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1854/55 thru 1861/62 only, owned thru 1858/59, by Hodgkinson of London, initially, per LR, for service from Sunderland to London & from 1855/56 simply ex London. Though LR does not refer to Australia, it is clear that the vessel made a number of visits to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. In particular i) The vessel left the Downs on Feb. 13, 1854 for Sydney & arrived there on May 5, 1854 after a passage of 81 days. On Jun. 29, 1854 it left for Singapore (arrived Aug. 9, 1865). ii) It left the Downs again on Jul. 13, 1855 & arrived at Sydney on Oct. 19, 1855 with 30 or so passengers & a cargo which included a large quantity of ale. On Dec. 19, 1855 the vessel left for Shanghai, China, & there loaded tea for London. iii) On Dec. 26, 1856 the vessel left London for Sydney with Surprise, a yacht, on board & also a novel locomotive engine. It arrived  at Sydney on Mar. 30, 1857 & later left for Hong Kong (on Jun. 16, 1857) & arrived there on Jul. 31, 1857. In 1859/60, Teighe & Co., also of London, acquired the vessel for service from London to India. Signal letters NQDH. LR of 1861/62 notes that the vessel had been 'LOST'. Data as to what happened to the ship is not yet to hand. In that regard it is a puzzle that the ship was not only listed in the Mercantile Navy List of 1861, it was still listed in the equivalent list of 1864. Can you tell us what happened to her & when? #2045 9   Queen of the South 378/343 later 337/352 tons 2958 1855 The webmaster believes that this newspaper cutting (in green) reports the launch of the vessel on May 31, 1855 - for John Morton of Dumfries, Scotland. Queen of the South is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed, from 1856/57 thru 1878/79, always registered at Dumfries. Her initial owner was, per LR, Martin & Co. of Dumfries, thru 1875/76, for initial service from Sunderland to Liverpool (in 1856/57 & 1857/58), to South America ex London in 1858/59 & ex Liverpool in 1859/60, from Liverpool to 'Grtmala' (Guatemala?) in 1860/61 & from Liverpool to South America thru 1864/65. Per LR, the vessel served Valparaiso, Chile, ex London, in the period of 1865/66 thru 1868/69, served from Liverpool to S. America from 1869/70 thru 1871/72, & served S. America ex the Clyde in 1872/73. Finally, it served Callao, Peru, ex Liverpool, in 1873/74. As already noted, LR records 'Martin' as the vessel's owner thru 1875/76. The webmaster wonders whether Martin & Co. of Dumfries was in some way associated with J. H. Miners and Co., of Liverpool. I say that because the Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') record the vessel's ownership rather differently. From 1865 thru 1876 (1870), MNLs rather list 'Miners' as the vessel's owner - J. H. Miners and Co. thru 1875 & John Henry Miners in 1876.  The vessel's captains per LR? 'J. Dicksn' thru 1859/60, A. Blair from 1861/62 thru 1865/66, W. Crosby from 1865/66 thru 1869/70, J. Wynne from 1869/70 thru 1872/73, J. Rae for about a year, W. Duncan from late in 1873/74 thru 1876/77. Now LR of 1876/77 records the vessel then changing ownership - from J. H. Miners to D. & A. McLaren. MNLs of 1877 thru 1879 tell us that Alex. Duff McLaren was of Greenock, Scotland. Per LR, M. Fleming was Queen of the South's captain from later in 1876/77 thru 1877/78 & J. Anderson was her final captain, from later in 1877/78. 117.0 ft. long, signal letters HRJD, many crew lists are available here. What finally happened to the vessel is known, thanks to this 6-page 'pdf' Report of a Court of Inquiry held into her loss (summarised here). On Apl. 17 or 18, 1878, the vessel sailed for Trinidad with a general cargo & returned to Greenock, Scotland, with a cargo of sugar. On Oct. 15, 1878, under the command of John Anderson, she left for St. Thomas (Virgin Islands, Caribbean) with a cargo of coal & having discharged her cargo was instructed to proceed to Frontera, located 12 miles up-river from the mouth of the Tabasco River (now the Grijalva River), Bay of Campeche, Mexico, for orders. Arriving at the river-mouth on Jan. 3, 1879, the captain went ashore to clear his vessel, leaving instructions for Malcolm Mathieson, the vessel's mate, should it 'come on a blow'. It did. On Jan. 6, 1879, the mate dropped an additional anchor but it & the existing anchor both parted & the vessel had to put to sea for safety. It returned to the mouth of the Tabasco River 6 days later on Jan. 12, 1879, but was again forced back to sea by the weather & eventually, driven by the winds, was able to anchor inside the bar at Chiltepec, some 24 miles to the west. In the meantime, the master had received orders to load timber at Chiltepec, so he rejoined the vessel there, took aboard a part of its cargo & awaited the arrival of the best anchor he could find to replace those that had been lost - an anchor ex Frederik, a wrecked Swedish or Norwegian vessel. Queen of the South went aground attempting to cross the bar at the mouth of the river but it was freed & eventually did cross the bar & anchored outside, there loading more cargo. To cut a long story short, the weather turned adverse & the vessel parted her anchors on Feb. 26, 1879. Unable to get out to sea, she had, on Feb. 27, 1879, to be beached. The seas broke over her, her main & mizzen masts had to be cut away, she became full of water & soon went to pieces. The crew, ex the captain who was ashore reporting the casualty, safely made it to shore via a ship's boat. Eventually, the crew, with the help of the British consul, made their way via Atlas or City of Richmond to Liverpool. The Report advises that at the time of her loss, the vessel was owned by Alexander Duff Maclaren and Donald Maclaren, both of Greenock, who had acquired her in late 1876 or early 1877 for the sum of £1,300 to £1,400. The vessel was mortgaged in favour of the Commercial Bank of Scotland. The Court determined that the loss was due to the insufficiency of her anchors, & found no fault with the collective actions of both the captain & the mate. The Report is long (6 pages) & there is more to the story but my available space is limited. Is there anything you can add? #2402 10   Annie Comrie 339 later 355 later 339/355 tons 43599 1861 A barque, which was launched on Nov. 4, 1861 & first registered, at Newcastle, on Nov. 28, 1861 (scroll to #43599). It is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1861/62 thru 1873/74, owned thru 1865/66 by J. Gray of Newcastle for service from Sunderland to the Black Sea, later Shields to Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865 & 1866 both tell us that J. Gray meant Mrs. Jane Gray. Under 'Gray' ownership, T. Hurst served as the vessel's captain thru 1864/65 & D. Hall followed, serving not only until the vessel was sold but thru until 1870/71. In 1865/66 Barrass & Co., soon J. C. Barrass, also of Newcastle, became the vessel's owner for service ex Plymouth & from 1869/70 for service from Shields to the Mediterranean. With, per LR, Abney serving as the vessel's captain from 1870/71. I read that the vessel was entered outwards from Cardiff, Wales, on Mar. 14, 1870, bound for Ancona, Italy, presumably with a cargo of coal. With 'Aubone' or maybe 'Anbuc' being reported as the vessel's then captain. MNLs of 1867 thru 1871 (1870 is here) record the vessel's owner as being J. C. Barrass of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The vessel is not listed in MNL of 1872. 114.0 ft. long, signal letters TPNL. Even though LR lists the vessel thru 1873/74, the vessel was in fact lost in 1871. On Feb. 8, 1871, per line 1218 here, the 356 ton barque foundered at sea while en route from Newcastle to Alexandria, Egypt, with a cargo of coal. Crew of 12 - all lost. Then owned, per such report, by James Curry Barrass. Is there anything you can add? The circumstances of the vessel's loss, perhaps? #2142 11   Wild Huntress 238 or 239 tons 29857 1861 A snow or brig which was launched in May 1861 & first registered, at Sunderland, on May 15, 1861 (scroll to #29857). The vessel which is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed only from 1861/62 thru 1866/67, was initially owned by G. Watson of Sunderland for service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean, with 'Moffatt' or "Moffat' serving as the captain of the Sunderland registered brig. LR of 1864/65 advises that the brig had become registered at Blyth, Northumberland, & owned by Arkless & Co. of Blyth, for continued service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean - with J. Waddell serving as her captain. The Mercantile Navy Lists from 1865 thru 1870 all clarify the 2nd owner's name to mean Edward Arkless of Blyth, but rather registered at Shields. 103.2 ft. long, signal letters QHKL. LR of 1866/67 notes that the brig had gone 'Missing'. Line 21 on this page advises that at an unstated date in 1866 the 239 ton snow went missing while en route from Archangel, Russia, to London, with a crew of 9 & an unknown cargo. So 9 lives would seem to have been lost. Line 21 simply states lost 'On voyage' with no indication as to where she was when she went missing. Her departure date from Archangel is not known to the webmaster. This page, ex here, confirms her 1866 loss & suggests that such loss may well have been in Nov. 1866. Crew lists for the vessel are available via this site, however a crew list for the vessel's voyage from May 10, 1866 to Sep. 13, 1867 would seem to be on file at Tyne & Wear Archives. Can anybody add anything? #2167 12   Scotia's Queen 357 tons 44472 1862 Two lists of vessels built at Sunderland, available to the webmaster, both refer to Scotia Queen rather than to Scotia's Queen. The wooden barque was launched on May 14, 1862 & first registered, as Scotia's Queen, on or prior to May 22, 1862 (scroll to #44472). The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1862/63 thru 1870/71, always owned by G. Watson of Sunderland with R. Bain always her captain. For service initially from Sunderland to the Black Sea (thru 1866/67), thereafter ex the Clyde. The Mercantile Navy Lists of 1865 thru 1870 all list the vessel as registered at Sunderland & owned by George Watson of Sunderland. 117.7 ft. long, signal letters TVGQ. LR of 1870/71 states 'Foundered'. On Jul. 19, 1870, per line 281 here, the 357 ton barque stranded at Stag Rocks while en route from Odessa, Ukraine, to Falmouth, Cornwall, with a cargo of wheat. There would seem to be quite a few 'Stag Rocks' - it seems likely that the rocks in question are those located at Lizard Point in Cornwall. Crew of 12 - none lost. Vessel then stated to be owned by Geo. Watson. Crew lists are available here. #2203 Vessels built by William Watson 1 Alvington 313 tons, later 314/314 (N/G) tons & 296/314 (N/G) tons 47274 Saint Jean 1865 A wooden barque which, I read, was launched on Feb. 9, 1865 & was first registered, at Salcombe, Devon, on Mar. 7, 1865 (scroll to #47274). Per 1 (an image of Alvington), 2 (1871 yellow fever). The vessel would seem to have been Lloyd's Registers ('LR') listed from 1864/65 thru 1889/90. For service to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) from Sunderland (in 1865/66 & 1866/67) & from Dartmouth, Devon (in 1867/68 & 1868/69). Then, thru 1873 ex London to Penang, Malaysia (thru 1871/72) & to China (in 1872/73 & 1873/74). For a great many years, from 1864/65 thru 1886/87, LR lists the vessel's owners as being 'Balkwll & Co.', of Salcombe. Who I read were involved in the fruit trade. With J. Harnden serving as the vessel's initial captain, thru 1867/68, then J. Adams thru 1875/76 & W. Harding (possibly J. W. Harding), thereafter thru 1887/88. The available data at Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') records both the vessel's ownership & her captains, differently. First her ownership. MNLs of 1867, 1868 & 1870 lists W. R. Ilbert of West Alvington, Devon, as her then owner. The equivalent list of 1871 lists her then owner as being Edward Jarvis of Kingsbridge, Devon, while MNLs of 1872 thru 1875 list George Balkwill of South Huish, Devon. MNL of 1876 lists Benj. Balkwill of Kingsbridge. The available MNLs of 1878 thru 1885 all list Robert C. Balkwill of West Alvington, while the 1887 & 1888 editions revert to Benjamin Balkwill of Kingsbridge. It may well be that such many owners were in partnership. Re her captains, I read that John Harnden, the vessel's initial captain, died of cholera at Chittagong (India, now Bangladesh) on Nov. 12, 1865. This 'Sea Breezes' article may relate to the matter. James Lawrence would then seem to have taken over her command maybe for the balance of the voyage. A few operational details. On Jun. 13, 1866, a vessel named Alvington arrived at Adelaide, South Australia, ex London. I suspect it was a different Alvington. In Jul. 1867, the vessel left Cardiff, Wales, for Singapore with a cargo of coal. In mid Jun. 1871, the vessel arrived at Plymouth Sound ex Bahia, Brazil (left May 4, 1871). En route 5 of her crew had died from yellow fever. On Jun. 17, 1872 the vessel, Adams in command, arrived at London ex Colombo, Ceylon. It soon commenced loading for Penang. On Jun. 12, 1873, the vessel, J. D. (John Dawe) Adams in command, arrived at Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, ex Port Louis, Mauritius, with a cargo of sugar & some gunny bags. The vessel went on to Newcastle, New South Wales, & loaded coal there for Batavia, now Jakarta, Indonesia (arr. Aug. 25, 1873). On Feb. 22, 1876, the vessel left Newport, Wales, for the 'Barbadoes', presumably with coal. On or about Aug. 10, 1876 the vessel left Cardiff, Harding in command, for Rio de Janeiro ('Rio'), arriving there in Nov. 1876. On or about Jun. 6, 1878, & on Aug. 26, 1884 also, the vessel left Cardiff for Rio. MNL advises that in Nov. 1887 the vessel was sold to French owners. The vessel became owned by 'Beust & fils', soon 'Beust père & fils' of Granville, Normandy, France. Who renamed the vessel Saint Jean. It seem likely that the vessel traded into Cardiff with pit props ex Roche-Bernard, Brittany, with 'Lalande' serving as her captain. Returning with coal. A little before Dec. 17, 1890, a vessel named St. Jean arrived at Fecamp, Normandy, with the crew of Water Lily, a schooner, which had sunk after a collision. The correct St. Jean? I do not know. There was a 2nd Saint Jean, built by J. Scott at Inverkeithing, Scotland, in 1864. LR of 1889/90 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. 123.6 ft. long, signal letters HQJC. I cannot yet tell you where & when the vessel was wrecked. Many crew lists are available here, plus see the transcripts here. Can you add to or correct the above? #2073 2   Elizabeth Mary 262 tons, later 262/262 (N/G) tons & 250/260 (N/G) tons 54686 1866 A wooden barque which, I read, was launched on Apl. 14, 1866 & was first registered, at London, on May 19, 1866 (scroll to #54686). Per 1 ('wrecksite.eu'). The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1866/67 thru 1888/89.  It was owned, thru 1880/81 per LR, by Duncan & Co. of London, with J. Liddell serving as the vessel's captain throughout that entire period. Its service thru 1873/74 would seem to be mainly to the West Indies, ex Sunderland initially & then ex London, in 1871/72 & 1872/73 specifically to Grenada. The available Mercantile Navy Lists of 1867 thru 1876 list Thomas Duncan, of London, as her owner (MNL of 1870). However, MNLs of 1878, 1879 & 1880, rather list John Wm. Liddell (presumably the vessel's captain) as her then (maybe managing?) owner. In 1881/82, per LR, the vessel, still registered at London, is stated to be owned by 'Morrison & Gough', which became 'S. Gough & Co.' in 1883/84, with W. Lilley stated to be her captain (thru to 1886/87 at least per LR). Of 250/260 (N/G) tons in 1883/84. In 1886/87 LR listed C. Lilley to be her owner. MNLs of 1882, 1883 & 1884 list Samuel Gough, of Belfast, Northern Ireland, as the vessel's owner, with the equivalent editions of 1885 & 1887 listing Charles Lilley, also of Belfast. In 1887/88, per LR, the vessel became registered at Sydney, New South Wales ('NSW'), Australia, & owned by E. T. Miles. MNL of 1888 clarifies such owner name to mean Edward T. Miles, of Hobart, Tasmania. Per LRs, R. C. Coe became the vessel's captain under 'Miles' ownership. 129.0 ft. long, signal letters HLWV. LRs of both 1887/88 & 1888/89 note that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. Some Australian & New Zealand (NZ) operational details & other data of interest. On Aug. 24, 1886, the vessel arrived at Bluff (southern tip of South Island, NZ) with 380 tons of coal ex Newcastle, NSW. On Sep. 7, 1886 the vessel left Bluff for Sydney, William  Lilley in command, with a cargo of oats & barley.  Australian newspaper articles from Oct. 19, 1866 noted that the vessel was 'for sale'. The vessel went on to Newcastle & on Nov. 3, 1886, left for Bluff - with a cargo of coal & a single passenger, the captain's wife, Mrs. Lilley. On Feb. 6, 1887 the vessel arrived back at Sydney ex Bluff & on Feb. 25, 1877 it was reported that the vessel had been sold by C. Lilley, W. Lilley & H. Gault to Edward Miles for £900. The vessel went again to Newcastle to load coal for Nelson, NZ, (arr. Mar. 27, 1887) & went on to Mongonui, NZ, (E. coast of N. Island) to load sawn timber for Sydney. It arrived at Sydney on May 23, 1887 having encountered bad weather en route. T. Chaplin, it would seem, was the vessel's captain about this time though the dates of his service are unknown. On Sep. 23, 1887, the vessel left Sydney for Townsville, Queensland, with a varied cargo. And arrived at Townsville on Oct. 4, 1887.  A couple of weeks later, on Oct. 21, 1877, the vessel left Townsville, for Mongonui (a couple of reports rather say Wanganui, NZ, SW coast of N. Island) under the command of experienced Captain John Wood. At 2 a.m. on Oct. 27, 1877 the vessel hit a reef to the NE of Hook Island, Whitsunday Passage, Barrier Reef (A & B), a reef that was not marked on the nautical charts. By daylight the vessel had 6 ft. of water in her hold & was bumping heavily on the reef. It now being considered impossible to save the vessel, at 6.30 a.m. the crew took to ship's boats & safely arrived at Bowen, Queensland (SE of Townsville). A 'Marine Board of Queensland' Inquiry into the loss, later held at Brisbane, determined that the master was at blame for not having used the patent log to better determine his position, but since the charts were in error returned to him his master's certificate & cautioned him. The webmaster has not so far spotted whether the vessel was in ballast or carrying a cargo at the time, however link 1 states that she was carrying a general cargo. Many crew lists for the vessel are available here. Can you add to or correct the above? #2074 3   Labrador 266/391 (N/G) tons, later 297/436 (N/G) tons, later 256/436 (N/G) tons 54697 1866 A barque-rigged wooden steamship which, I read, was launched on May 16, 1866 & was first registered, at London, on Jun. 4, 1866 (scroll to #54697). The vessel had an amazingly long life - about 47 years. Per 1 (her later history & her 1913 loss, thanks to John Roche). The vessel is Lloyd's Registers ('LR') listed, it would seem, from 1866/67 thru 1911/12 at least, though many of such editions are not available to the webmaster. The vessel was, per LR, owned thru 1888/89 by the Hudson's Bay Company, of London. For service initially from Sunderland to Montreal, Canada, then from London to Hudson Bay thru 1868/69 & from London to Greenland from 1869/70 to 1872/73, the last year for which LR indicated intended voyages. With a great many captains - J. Wood, R. Wood, A. Walker, J. Birnie, Gray or A. Gray, J. L. Dunn & W. N. Shaw. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1867 thru 1888 confirm Hudson's Bay Co. as her owner. (MNLs of 1870 & 1885) LRs of 1889/90 thru 1890/91 list G. W. Ashdown, as the London registered vessel's new owner, thru 1890/91 at least, with J. Wiggins serving as the vessel's captain. And W. Byford serving as the vessel's manager. MNLs of 1889, 1890 & 1891 clarify that the vessel's managing owner was George W. Ashdown, of Brighton, Sussex. In 1891, the vessel became registered at St. John's, Newfoundland, owned per LR by 'Newfoundland Steam Sealing and Whaling Co. Ltd.' - per MNLs of 1892 thru 1896 'Newfoundland Sealing & Whaling Co. Ltd.'. With A. Service her captain. From 1897 thru 1913, per MNLs, James Baird of St. John's ('Baird') was the vessel's owner (James Baird Co. Ltd. from 1911). (The 1908/1909 LR edition rather has 'Baird, Gordon & Co.' as the vessel's then owner). With G. Hann, B. Barbour & D. Martin some of her captains. (George Hann & Daniel Martin, I read). The vessel is listed in MNL of 1913 but the vessel's register is said to have been closed in 1913. The vessel's dimensions, tonnage etc. are variously reported. LR reported the vessel at 137.0 ft. thru 1875/76 & 139.2 ft. long thereafter, while MNL's always state her length to be 139.2 ft. LR reported the vessel as having 80 HP engines of unstated manufacture thru 1874/75, 70 HP engines by George Clark ('Clark') of Sunderland from 1874/75, & 80 HP engines, later 80 RHP engines, by Clark from 1886/87. The MNLs always state 80 HP engines. Both LR & MNL list her tonnage at 266/391 (N/G) thru 1889/90, 297/426 (N/G) briefly & 256/436 (N/G) from 1892/93 at least. Signal letters HTNM. The webmaster has not yet attempted to research the history of the vessel. It would likely not be an easy search. However, ship's logs thru 1873 are available here. And detail of an 1881 voyage is here. The vessel regularly served Fort Chimo, Koksoak river, Ungava Bay, bringing in supplies & taking out oil, furs & salted salmon. The webmaster is grateful for the later history of the vessel available at link 1 above thanks to John Roche, whose article advises i) from 1891 to 1909 the vessel operated as an Arctic whaler. ii) at times its crew numbered 142 men. iii) on Mar. 27, 1896, the vessel saved the crew of Windsor Lake, 60 miles off Cape Freels, Bonavista North. (Windsor Lake, a 473 gross ton steamship, previously named Curlew, was built by W. H. Potter & Son at Liverpool in 1877). iv) Baird bought Labrador for the seal fishery in 1909 for $10,600. v) On Mar. 1, 1913, the vessel left St. John's for the Gulf of St. Lawrence seal fishery. She encountered ice & soon hurricane conditions when off St. Pierre and Michelon, sprang a leak & was mercilessly pounded by mountainous waves which tore off the vessel's boats & galley. The vessel began to fill with water & Daniel Martin, her captain, tried to reach safety at Branch (SW Avalon Peninsular). There, on Mar. 3, 1913, the vessel hit rocks extending from the shore. The crew all were saved thanks to local residents, parts of her cargo & stores were salvaged, but during a further gale on Apl. 5, 1913 the vessel broke in two. Do read the detail at 1. I would be remiss if I did not note, however, that John Roche is under the impression that the vessel was built in 1891. Not so as the above history attests. How amazing it is that a tiny wooden steamship, built back in 1866 when steam powered vessels were in their infancy, could survive in the harsh cold, weather & fishery conditions of the far north for so many decades. Crew lists of just 3 years are available here. Can you add to or correct the above? #2076 4   Quinteros 384 tons 56522 1866 A wooden barque which, I read, was launched in Nov. 1866 & was first registered, at Newport, Wales, on Jan. 23, 1866 (scroll to #56522). The vessel had a short life. The vessel is Lloyd's Registers ('LR') listed from 1866/67 thru 1873/74 only. Per LR, the vessel was owned thru 1872/73 by J. Beynon of Newport & thereafter by T. Beynon, also of Newport. The WWW available Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1867 thru 1872, however, all list Thomas Beynon as the vessel's owner. (MNL of 1870) LR notes that J. Beynon was always her captain. 128.7 ft. long, signal letters HKGS. For initial service from Sunderland to Valparaiso, Chile. It would seem likely that the vessel was named after the port of Quintero, located 30 km. N. of Valparaiso. LR of 1869/70 thru 1871/72 notes service from London to Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, & from 1872/73 from Newport to South America. A few operational details. In Nov. 1868 the vessel was loading at London for Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). So far as I can see, the vessel made only one voyage to Australia. On Mar. 18, 1870, the vessel left Gravesend, London, for Hobart, Joseph Beynon in command, with 7 passengers & a general cargo that included gunpowder. It arrived at Hobart on Jun. 28, 1870 after a voyage of 100 days, slowed by light winds. The vessel left Hobart on Aug. 8, 1870 with a partial cargo & completed its loading at Melbourne, Victoria. It arrived back at Gravesend on Jan. 14, 1871. In Nov. 1871 the vessel was cleared ex Newport to Buenos Aires, Argentina, with coal. Similarly in late Oct. or Nov. 1872 the vessel was cleared ex Newport for Buenos Aires with, I believe, 560 tons of coal. There are very few references to the vessel at Welsh Newspapers Online. It would seem that the vessel must generally have traded out of other U.K. ports. Which is strange since 'Beynon' was noted for the carriage of coals to Chile & Peru. Trading out of Newport & Cardiff with Welsh coal would be expected. This page advises (scroll to Quinteros) that the vessel was lost at the island of Lobos, on Feb. 6, 1873. Her loss is confirmed by this brief newspaper reference (no date of loss indicated) which states that the vessel was en route from Newport to Buenos Aires with a cargo of coal. So far I have not learned the circumstances or any other detail about the vessel's loss. There would seem to be two islands of Lobos. One is located in the Canary Islands, the other in Uruguay, 5 miles SE of Punta del Este, located E. of both Buenos Aires & Montevideo. The vessel must surely have been lost at the Uruguay location. I cannot yet tell you about the circumstances of the loss. Crew lists are available here. Can you add to or correct the above? #2075 5   Terentia 345 tons 54822 Nadeshda 1866 A wooden barque which, I read, was launched on Jan. 14, 1866 & was first registered, at Sunderland, on Jan. 22, 1866 (scroll to #54822). Per 1 (1878 grounding at Ardnacross, Scotland). 118.9 ft. long, signal letters HVNC. The vessel is Lloyd's Registers ('LR') listed from 1865/66 thru 1893/94, though not all of those editions are available to the webmaster. The vessel was initially owned, thru 1871/72 by Walton & Co. of Sunderland, for service from Sunderland to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) thru 1869/70 & from Sunderland to the West Indies in 1870/71, with H. Potter, per LR, always serving as the vessel's captain. Unfortunately the recording of captain names in LRs is less than perfect. I say that in this case because, on Sep. 10, 1866, Terentia was at Tuticoreen (now Thoothukundi, Tamil Nadu, India) & Captain Potter & a crew member, along with the captain of John Gilles (have not yet identified this vessel) was unfortunately drowned - when they were returning to their respective vessels. The available Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1867 thru 1871 record John Walton, of Sunderland, as her then owner (MNL of 1870). In 1871/72, & thru 1882/83 per LR, the vessel became owned by Kerr, Newton & Co. ('Kerr'), of Glasgow. George Munro Kerr per MNLs of 1872 thru 1883 (MNL of 1880). The vessel became Glasgow registered. With a number of captains under 'Kerr' ownership - Leighton (thru 1873/74), D. Bevan (thru 1878/79), J. Ness (thru 1881/82) & J. Caw (thru 1882/83). There clearly was at least one master not LR recorded - Finnie. As per link 1, on Apl. 14, 1878, while en route from Greenock, Scotland, to Demerera (Guyana, N. coast of S. America), under the command of Finnie & with a cargo of coal, the vessel ran aground at Ardnacross, located on the Kintyre peninsula, 6 or 8 miles N. of Campbeltown. The vessel fortunately grounded where the bottom was sandy, however with 2 ft. of water in her holds, part of the cargo had to be jettisoned. She was pulled off with the help of tugs & on Apl. 16, 1878 (in red) arrived under tow at Troon, to effect necessary repairs. In or about 1883, the vessel was sold to & became captained by H. Noack, of Riga, (then Russia now Latvia) & renamed Nadeshda. LRs from 1888/89 rather refer to H. Noak, incorrectly it would seem (see below). Nadeshda means, I read, 'hope' in Russian. A few of the modestly available WWW references to the vessel's operations. In Oct. 1874 the vessel was loading at Glasgow for Singapore. There are references to the vessel, both as Terentia & Nadeshda, carrying coal from Cardiff, Wales, to i) Table Bay, South Africa, in late 1869, ii) to Alexandria, Egypt, in Aug. 1871 iii) to Bahia, South America, in Sep. 1880, iv) to Martinique in Oct. 1887 & in Jan. 1889, & v) in Feb. 1892 to Paysandú (Uruguay river, N. of Buenos Aires). Nadeshda also would seem to have carried coal to Riga, possibly returning with cargoes of wood. On Oct. 23, 1887, Nadeshda was in the Bay of Biscay & rescued the crew of brigantine Nicholas Harvey (194 tons, ON 13413, built at Hayle in 1855) of Penzance & later landed them at Penarth, Wales. (The linked article incorrectly lists the vessel as Nicholas Henry). The captain of Nicholas Harvey set his vessel on fire & watched it founder, to ensure that the abandoned wreck would not be a danger to navigation. The Board of Trade recognised Captain Heinrich Noack & other members of his crew re such rescue & awarded Noack a 'binocular glass'. In 1893/94, per LR, C. Areka (as I read it) was the vessel's captain. I cannot tell you what finally happened to Nadeshda. I note however that there are 2 WWW available editions of LR of 1893/94, further that the vessel is listed in one of such editions but not the other. While that suggests that the vessel's life was over, it does not tell us if she was broken up or lost for some other reason. Many Terentia crew lists thru 1882 are available here. Can you add to or correct the above? #2077 6   Bertha 399/425 (N/G) tons 56036 1867 A wooden barque which, I read, was launched on Aug. 15, 1867 & was first registered, at Sunderland, on Sep. 6, 1867 (scroll to #56036). The vessel is Lloyd's Registers ('LR') listed from 1867/68 thru 1888/89. For most of those years, thru 1885/86, the vessel was owned by Goldberg & Co., of Swansea, Wales. For service to South America ex Sunderland in 1867/68 & from Swansea thereafter thru 1873/74, the last year where LR notes intended voyages. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1868 thru 1887 list Simon Goldberg, of Swansea as the vessel's (likely managing) owner. (MNLs of 1870 & 1880). During the period of 'Goldberg' ownership, LR notes just 3 captains - H. Johnson thru 1872/73, Whitehead thru 1875/76 & Jones thru 1885/86. LR of 1886/87 records that the vessel had been sold to A. Alm, of Tonsberg, Norway. A. Alm is also noted to have been the vessel's captain. 138.0 ft. long, signal letters WSDR. With the vessel being Swansea registered, I expected to find many references to the vessel at Welsh Newspapers Online. But the references that I could identify as being re this vessel proved to be relatively few. Some detail. i) On Nov. 27, 1872 the vessel was entered outwards from Swansea to Valparaiso, Chile, with Whitehead in command. ii) In Sep. 1876 & Oct. 1877, the vessel left for Valparaiso with coal, Jones in command. iii) on Jan. 29, 1883, the vessel arrived at Swansea from Tucacas, Venezuela, with significant damage. And likely a cargo of copper - from copper mines at Aroa near Tucacas. iv) in Sep. 1883, the vessel left Swansea for Bahia, Jones in command v) on Dec. 13, 1883, 11 shares in the vessel were offered for sale at public auction. vi) in  Apl. 1884, the vessel was entered out for Tucacas, again with Jones in command. vii) on May 10, 1887, Bertha, a Swansea barque, may have passed the Mumbles (Swansea Bay) headed E. under the tow of Privateer. Two entries which are, at present, puzzles to the webmaster. a) On Dec. 24, 1883 (in red), a British barque named Bertha arrived at Montevideo leaky, having lost her captain en route due to drowning. There would seem to have been only one British barque of the name at that time. b) On Apl. 2, 1887, a report was published that stated that Bertha, a Norwegian barque, en route to Yarmouth, had run into Harbinger a fishing smack. Need help! Hopefully I will, one day, be able to advise about what finally happened to the vessel, in or about 1889/90. Just one crew list, re 1884, is available, here. Can you add to or correct the above? #2078 7   Mirzapore 487 tons, later 492/507 (N/G) tons 1867 A wooden barque that was launched on Mar. 20, 1867. Mirzapore? Mirzapur is an ancient city in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Northern India, located on the Ganges & about 425 miles from both Delhi & Kolkata (Calcutta), noted for its carpets & brassware. And for its cotton & its 'cotton-mart'. The cotton was floated down the Ganges river from Mirzapore to Calcutta, in a 'cotton fleet', for onward shipment to Europe. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1866/67 thru 1888/89. It was owned, thru 1878/79 per LR, by Baour & Co., of Bordeaux, France. For service from Sunderland to India thru 1870/71, from Bordeaux to S. America in 1871/72 & from Bordeaux to Batavia (i.e. Jakarta, Indonesia) in 1872/73 & 1873/74. With, per LR, S. Didier serving as the vessel's captain thru such entire period. In 1878/79, again per LR, the vessel became owned by E. Guérin, also of Bordeaux, who would seem to have owned the vessel for the balance of its lifetime. With B. Taisson (thru 1881/82 at least), C. Pertus (thru 1885/86), & Renault (thereafter) serving as her captain. LR reports 'Pertus' as her captain after 1886/87, while 'The Record of American & Foreign Shipping' of 1889 & 1890 lists 'Renault'. 141.3 ft. long, signal letters KHMW. Operational details are not easy to find & identify, there being three vessels of the name for much of the vessel's life. Some 'best efforts' detail. i) On Jul. 19, 1868, the vessel left Bourbon (the earlier name for Réunion, an island located 140 miles to the SW of Mauritius), for Sydney, New South Wales ('NSW'), Australia, with Didier in command & likely with a cargo of sugar. It must have visited Newcastle, NSW, for in early Oct. 1868 the vessel left Sydney for Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) with 700 tons of coal & cases of wine. One Sydney newspaper article rather referred to M. Oliver as being her then captain. ii) In a rather confusing article, on May 30, 1871, the vessel, en route from Moulmein (now Mawlamyine, Myanmar), to Falmouth, under the command of J. Bailloux, put in at Mauritius leaky. iii) On Sep. 18, 1876, the vessel, L. Defreux in command, left Pannarveckan (cannot identify), Java, for Queenscliff, Melbourne, Australia, arriving there on Oct. 26, 1876. iv) On Dec. 25, 1876, the vessel left Sydney for Auckland, New Zealand, with 500 tons of wrought stone for the Auckland graving dock. v) on or about May 4, 1877, the vessel arrived at Seabeck (Port Seabeck, Puget Sound, Washington, U.S.A.), ex Auckland, to load timber for Melbourne. On Jun. 23, 1877, the vessel left Seabeck for Melbourne (arr. Aug. 19, 1877) with 331,709 ft. of timber, L. Defreux in command. It later, on Sep. 28, 1877, left for Guam (island, E. of Philippines) in ballast. vi) on Jan. 18, 1878, the vessel left the Lacepede islands (off the NW coast of Australia) for London, arriving on Jun. 11, 1878. Probably with a cargo of guano. vii) on May 2, 1881, the vessel arrived at Sydney with 450 tons of sugar ex Mauritius (left Mar. 3, 1881), P. Charles (maybe an error) in command. It went on to Newcastle, & sailed for San Francisco on Jun. 2, 1881, C. Pertus in command, presumably with a cargo of coal. viii) On Nov. 7, 1882 the vessel arrived at Newport, Wales, with a cargo of pit props ex Bordeaux. I initially thought that the vessel had run aground at Bordeaux on Oct. 27, 1883 based upon this article. The report was in error, the Mirzapore which so stranded rather being an 1186 ton barque built at West Hartlepool in 1863 by Pile, Spence & Co. Hopefully I will soon be able to advise about what finally happened to the vessel, in or about 1889/90. I cannot do so today. Can you tell us what happened to the vessel or otherwise add to or correct the above? May I suggest that you look at these splendid images, of a barque named Mirzapore, at Moodyville, Burrard Inlet, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, at an unknown date in 1888. Moodyville was then a sawmill community, named after Sewell Moody, an American, who owned it in 1865. While I cannot find the link again, I believe that I read that the vessel was identified - per the San Francisco Maritime Museum as I recall - as being the 1863 barque referred to above. #2081 8 City of Halifax 724/478 later 523 later 681/462 tons Hull # unknown 58954 Mic Mac 1868 A wooden steamer with iron beams. From 1 (Inman Line, City of Halifax), 2 (brief data), 3 (William Inman, with image), 4 (Wikipedia, Inman Line, 'Google' translated from the French), 5 (ref. to wreck of Mic Mac, ex this 'Google' book), 6 (a most extensive 'pdf' file about the history of Inman Steamship Company Limited - related data on pages 9 & 13). The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1868/69 thru 1878/79, initially owned by W. Inman of Liverpool, for service from Sunderland to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Mercantile Navy List of 1870 records the vessel as then registered at Halifax & owned by William Inman of Liverpool. In a practical sense that means 'Liverpool, New York and Philadelphia Steamship Company', known as the Inman Line, after its founder William Inman (1825/1881). LR of 1872/73 advises that the vessel, now  of 681/462 tons, became owned by W. B. Grieve of St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, for service from the Clyde to St. John's. In the next LR edition, i.e. that of 1873/74, it is advised that the vessel had been renamed Mic Mac. (Presumably named after the 'Mi'kmaq', often in English referred to as 'MicMac', a First Nations Band indigenous to Canada's Atlantic Provinces, & parts of Quebec, Newfoundland, & the State of Maine.) LR of 1876/77 lists Baines Johnson of Greenock, River Clyde, Scotland, as her owner for service ex the Clyde. 204.3 ft. long, signal letters HNKS, 120 HP engines (later) by Kincaid, Donald & Co. of Greenock. Now this listing exists solely as a result of the receipt of detailed data about the vessel's career, kindly provided by Mark Tripp. Mark's words are as follows:- When Inman took the Royal Mail contract for Halifax away from Cunard, beginning in Jan. 1868, Inman was also made responsible for a feeder service that would take mail & passengers from Halifax to St. John's, Newfoundland. City of Durham was taken off Inman's European feeder service in Jun. 1868 & sent to Halifax to take on this new route while a new ship (City of Halifax) was purpose-built for the route. William Watson built the ship, which was launched on Nov. 16, 1868, its engines being built by The North Eastern Marine Engineering Company, in South Docks, Sunderland. It was the only wooden-hulled ship Inman ever owned, with iron plating around the bow as protection against seasonal ice off St. John's. The ship could accommodate 100 passengers (60 in 1st class, & 20 each in 2nd & Steerage). The ship's maiden voyage from Liverpool to St. John's took place on Jan. 2, 1869, under Captain George Lochead. Upon arrival in St. John's, Captain William Jamieson transferred from the City of Durham to take command & remained with the ship until 1871, when his 1st officer John Herd took command. Phillips assumed command of the City of Durham & brought it back to Liverpool. City of Halifax remained on the Halifax-St. John's route until Inman's mail contract expired, & it returned to Liverpool in Mar. 1872.  It operated on Inman's Liverpool - Havre - Antwerp feeder service until Nov. 1872, when it was sold to Baine, Johnston & Company of St. John's, Newfoundland, who had it converted into a sealing ship at Greenock by Robert Steele & Co. & re-registered the ship in St. John's. City of Halifax left Greenock under Captain William Jackman on it's first sealing voyage in Jan. 1873 but it returned to Greenock in May 1873 at  which point it was re-engined by Kincaid, Donald & Co., & at the end of the year the ship was renamed Mic Mac. The Mic Mac went through a couple of masters as a sealer, but it was under the command of Samuel Bartlett when it was (per the Northern Shipwreck Database at Memorial University)  crushed in the ice & foundered 8 miles NNE of the Horse Islands, Newfoundland, on Apl. 17, 1878. No lives were lost. Mark comments additionally about the references above to W. B. Grieve. Walter Baine Grieve was the manager of the St. John's office of Baine, Johnston & Company. It seems that there was a preference at the time to registering ownership in the name of a company official rather than in the name of the company itself. I have seen this with several Inman line ships. That said, when you see W. B. Grieve identified as the owner, that signifies the ship was with Baine, Johnston. Both Mark Tripp & the webmaster would welcome additional data. And an image! #1922 9 Lady Turner 430 tons 55489 1868 A wooden barque, likely of 3 masts. Per 1 (burnt at sea in 1877, at column bottom), 2 (House of Commons papers, Vol. 66, published in 1880), 3 (House of Commons papers, Vol. 75, published in 1877). 140 ft. 8 in. long, signal letters HWKL. The vessel is not Miramar listed. The webmaster has a number of editions of Lloyd's Register available to him from 'Google' books, see left. The vessel was built for B. Balkwill & Co. ('Balkwill') of Salcombe, Devon, U.K., who remained the vessel's recorded owners thru the 1876/77 register, the last that I have available that references the vessel. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1870, however, records Robert Hancock Balkwill of West Alvington, Devon, as the then owner of the Salcombe registered vessel. It would seem that the vessel was acquired to serve the Indian Ocean - Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) & India etc. - & had only one captain in its lifetime, S. (Sherrick) Vincent. On May 12, 1877, the 'Hawke's Bay Herald', a New Zealand newspaper, advised that the barque, owned by Balkwill & valued at about £3,500, had burned at sea, while en route from Melbourne, Australia, to Colombo, Ceylon. They further advised that the crew was rescued by Arratoon Apcar, a steamer, & landed at Galle, (SW tip of Sri Lanka). I have found no additional data which might set out the detailed circumstances, though the loss occurred at 6N/85E in the Indian Ocean & the vessel's captain stated that the vessel burned due to spontaneous combustion. Notable perhaps because the vessel's cargo was of bone manure or bone dust, a cargo that seems unlikely to be flammable. The vessel had a crew of 13, none of whom were lost. I learn that the loss actually occurred on Mar. 09, 1877, & that the vessel was then owned by E. (Edward) Jarvis ('Jarvis'), of Kingsbridge, Devon (near Salcombe). I presume that Balkwill must have sold the vessel to Jarvis in or prior to 1875 - since the MNLs of both 1875 & 1876 list Edward Jarvis, of Kingsbridge, as the vessel's then owner. Link 3 states that J. F. Vincent was the vessel's then captain. There is very little data WWW available about the vessel. Can you provide any additional data, and/or correct the above? 10 Lois 395 tons, later 380/395 (N/G) tons, later 393/408 (N/G) tons 56404 1868 A wooden barque which was launched in Jul. 1868 & first registered on Feb. 8, 1869 (#56404). Per 1 ('wrecksite.eu', wreck data), 2 (Report of the Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Court of Inquiry into the 1881 storm damage to the vessel referred to below). 131.3 ft. long, signal letters HQCM. The vessel, which is not Miramar listed, would seem to have been Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1868/69 thru 1887/88 & not thereafter. The vessel's initial owner was L. Lewis of Aberystwyth, Wales, for service from Sunderland to Australia thru 1870/71 & for service from Liverpool to South America from 1871/72 thru 1873/74 (the last edition where intended voyages were LR referenced). The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1870 thru 1883 list the vessel's owner as Lewis Lewis of Llanrhystid, Cardiganshire (MNLs of 1870 & 1880). It is interesting to note that L. Lewis was the owner of an earlier vessel of the same name, built by Briggs of Sunderland in 1859 & sold in 1868 to W. Fry of Arundel, Sussex. This Lois was initially listed at 395 tons, became 380/395 (N/G) tons in 1874/75 & 393/408 tons from 1881/82. During the period of 'Lewis' ownership, i.e. the period thru 1882/83, the vessel's captain was recorded as being 'Lewis', from 1876/77 'L. Lewis', & from 1881/82 'L. S. Lewis', possibly all the same person. There clearly were other captains. Certainly Richards, Warner & John Stronach. LR of 1883/84 records that the vessel had been sold to James Gillan, of Port Adelaide, South Australia ('SA') & from 1886/87 of Newcastle, New South Wales ('NSW'), Australia. James Gillan was listed as the vessel's owner in 1887/88 the final year in which the vessel was LR listed. MNL's of 1884 & 1885 thru 1890 list the vessel as registered at Adelaide, SA, & at Newcastle, NSW, respectively, with James Gillan her owner. I am advised however, by Mori Flapan, (thanks Mori!) that from 1883/84 James Gillan owned 32 of the vessel's 64 shares, the other 32 being owned by John Hay, until 1890 that is when John Hay owned all of the 64 shares. 'Best efforts', significant items in the vessel's operational history, with giant assistance from the extensive research of Mori Flapan. i) the vessel left Sunderland on Feb. 20, 1869 for Launceston, Tasmania (arr. Jun. 15, 1869). It went on to Newcastle & on Aug. 11, 1869 left Newcastle for Shanghai, China, with 616 tons of coal. ii) In Dec. 1872, Lois was at Cape Town, South Africa. On Jan. 1, 1873, she left Cape Town for Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand ('NZ'), (arr. Jan. 26, 1873) with a portion of the cargo of Agamemnon which ship had been damaged at sea & condemned as a result. Lois went on to Newcastle, & returned to Lyttelton on May 5, 1873 with a cargo of coal. Soon after arrival, Gazelle, a steamship, moved Lois, to a more protected anchorage during a heavy SE sea. On Jun. 7, 1873 Lois left Lyttelton for Newcastle in ballast & on Jul. 24, 1873 went on to Mauritius with 638 tons of coal & some gold sovereigns. iii) On Aug. 7, 1878, the vessel put into Dover to effect repairs the result of a collision (with which vessel, I wonder?) in the Downs. iv) On Feb. 14, 1879, Lois, from Mauritius, picked up 9 crew members of Kerangie from a ship's boat off Ram's Head. Kerangie, en route from Melbourne to Newcastle, had gone ashore in fog at Cape Everard/Gabo Island, State of Victoria, on Feb. 7, 1879. v) On Nov. 11, 1869, the vessel arrived at Lyttelton ex Mauritius with a cargo of sugar. vi) In May 1881, Lois was en route from Mauritius to New York with a cargo of sugar, under the command of Lewis Lewis. On May 8 & 9, 1881, when off Cape L'Agulhas (the southernmost tip of South Africa), the vessel was hit by violent winds & seas. Giant seas broke on board the vessel causing major damage to the ship's bulwarks, galley, long boats etc. as you can read in the report of the Official Inquiry into the matter available at link 2 above. A part of the cargo was damaged - the vessel put into the nearest port (Port Elizabeth) to effect necessary repairs. vii) In late 1883, Chusan arrived at Albany in a leaky condition. Lois took part of her cargo of railway iron ex Barrow-in-Furness on to Rockhampton, Queensland (arr. Jan. 12 1884). viii) In 1884, 1885 & 1886, the vessel made many voyages from Newcastle to Albany (southern tip of Western Australia), & occasionally to Fremantle (Perth), carrying coals. ix) On May 30, 1887, the vessel left Oamaru (N. Otago, South Island, NZ) for Sydney, NSW, with a cargo of bran & potatoes. The vessel had arrived ex Wellington - her arrival was delayed by adverse weather conditions. x) On Jul. 9, 1887 the vessel left Newcastle for Bluff Harbour (S. Island, NZ, near Invercargill), with a cargo of coal, soon returning to Sydney with 5,700 sacks of oats. xi) Later in 1887 & also in 1888, the vessel made 5 more voyages to Albany with coal ex Newcastle. On one of such voyages the vessel, under the command of Captain Richards, went on to Bluff Harbour to load timber for Port Pirie, SA. xii) On Sep. 27, 1888, when at Bluff Harbour, Richards slipped overboard at night, was recovered but unfortunately died 2 hours later. xiii) On Oct. 20, 1888, the vessel, now under the command of Captain Warner, left Bluff with a cargo of red pine. It encountered hurricane force winds & enormous seas & lost her rudder as a result. It tried to reach Melbourne & on Nov. 17, 1888 was helped into port by Falcon, a steamer. xiv) In late 1889, repaired, the vessel carried coal to Albany & went on to Melbourne with a cargo of timber. John Hay of Stockton (a suburb of Newcastle, NSW), is stated to have been the vessel's owner when on Jul. 17, 1890, the vessel, commanded by John Stronach, under charter to carry 620 tons of coal from Newcastle to Port Broome, Western Australia, struck rocks entering Roebuck Bay, near Port Broome (W. coast of Australia about 1,050 miles N. of Perth). At Mangrove Point, I read. I have so far not located the Report of the Court of Inquiry held at Port Broome on Jul. 29, 1890. However, John Stronach, in this newspaper article, advised the vessel's owner that he had been exonerated of all blame for the vessel's loss. A strange conclusion since I read that the casualty was caused by the vessel not carrying charts for the port of Port Broome. I would have thought that it would have been normal practice for a vessel to carry a nautical chart for a port the vessel & captain had never visited before, as in this case. However, the lack of blame may relate to other circumstances - per Mori Flapan 'that the vessel had been waiting for instructions as the township faced difficulties dealing with the cargo'. The vessel was abandoned & was sold at auction for £405. Related data - 1, 2 & 3. Some crew lists are here. Can you provide any additional data, and/or correct the above? #2072 11   Glance 887/912 (N/G) later 881/911 later 861/890 tons Hull 402 63529 1869 An iron barque, later a ship & a barque again. This vessel, which was completed in Oct. 1869, seems to be Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1869/70 thru 1899/1900 at least. I say 'seems to be' because the webmaster does not have LRs available for every year in such period & particularly none into the early 1900s. The vessel, a barque generally but a ship per LR from 1872/73 thru 1876/77, was registered at London thru 1888/89 & owned by W. (William) Pellier of St. Helier, Jersey, as is confirmed by the Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1870, 1880 & 1888. LR lists proposed service only thru 1873/74. It lists her initial service as being to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) ex Sunderland (in 1869/70), from London to China (from 1870/71 thru 1872/73) & from Cardiff, Wales, to Australia in 1873/74. With, per LR, a number of captains during such period - A. Messrvy thru 1872/73, E. Lusby thru 1875/76, Barrett thru 1879/80, Le Bas thru 1880/81, T. Howard in 1881/82, W. P. Le Bas for part of 1882/83, Le Boeuf (a number of spellings) thru 1885/86, & J. C. Le Masurier thru 1888/89. Something unusual must have happened to the vessel in or about 1882/83. LR of that edition noted that the vessel had foundered but then deleted the reference, while MNL of 1883 did not list the vessel at all. It would seem a single voyage to Australia. On Nov. 9, 1874, the vessel left London for Adelaide, South Australia, with a general cargo which included 500 barrels of gunpowder. It arrived at Adelaide on Jan. 29, 1875 & later left on Mar. 13, 1875 to return to London. The vessel was then under the command of J. C. Barrette, previously the vessel's chief officer. He was granted command when the vessel's previous captain (Lusby?) died as a result of a gun accident just before the vessel's departure from London. LRs from 1889/90 thru 1899/1900 list the vessel as now registered at Swansea, Wales, & owned by G. (George) H. Meager, her managing owner, of Swansea (maybe of Villiers Dry Dock). As is confirmed by MNLs of 1889, 1890, 1900 & also in 1902 then listed at 842 tons (net) only. 197.7 ft. long, signal letters LCGK, later, per MNL only, PLTR. I spotted a reference in Jun. 1896 to the vessel being involved in the grain trade, unloading 1,334 tons of wheat at Swansea ex Talcahuano (coast of central Chile). And a Feb. 13, 1900 reference to the vessel at Swansea ex Cape Town, South Africa. The vessel is not listed in MNL of 1904. It had been lost? Apparently not. On Apl. 3, 1903, the 'Cambrian' Welsh newspaper reported that the vessel had been sold by 'Meager' to unnamed Norwegian owners for £2,000. The webmaster is in possession of no later data re the vessel now Norwegian owned. Is there anything you can add? #2039 12   Miss Preston 450 tons 62508 1869 A wooden barque which, I read, was launched on Jan. 2, 1869 & was first registered, at Sunderland, on Feb. 17, 1869 (scroll to #62508). The vessel had a very short life indeed. The vessel is listed in Lloyd's Registers ('LR') of 1868/69 & 1869/70 only.  Owned by Preston & Co., of Sunderland - Robert Preston per the Mercantile Navy List of 1870. 141.1 ft. long, signal letters HQJS. Intended for service from Sunderland to India, with 'Davis' serving as her captain. Now LR of 1869/70 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. The first link above confirms that the vessel had been lost, per an advice dated Mar. 30, 1870 as I read the notation. Now news did not travel back then at the speed it does today. That said I was surprised to read that the vessel had in fact been lost a great many months prior to Mar. 1870, in fact at an unknown date prior to Jul. 4, 1869. As per this newspaper article (in red). While en route from Sunderland to Singapore, the vessel was wrecked in the Straits of Sunda, which lie between the Indonesian islands of Java & Sumatra & connect the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean. The crew were saved. I cannot yet tell you about the circumstances of the loss. Can you add to or correct the above? #2071 13   Beethoven 1393 (or 1390) tons Hull 403 62587 Columbia 1870 An iron steamship. Per 1 (Columbia), 2 ('wrecksite.eu'), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). I cannot see that the vessel was listed in Lloyd's Register. Nor is it referenced in the Mercantile Navy List. Miramar (thanks!) advise that the vessel was built for G. Swainston, of Sunderland. And advise also that the vessel was sold in 1873 to 'Societa Rocco Piaggio & Figli' of Genoa, Italy & renamed Columbia. Was engaged in the Genoa to Montevideo & Buenos Aires service with return via Santos & Rio de Janeiro. On Jul. 5, 1880, the vessel sank in a collision near Bahia, Brazil. I cannot yet tell you more about what happened & with which vessel Columbia was in collision. I have read that the vessel was 241.3 ft. long & had 175 HP engines. Some crew lists seem to be available here. Can you help any? 14   Houghton 491/763 (N/G) tons Hull 405 62601 1870 A 'schooner-rigged' iron steamship, which would seem to have been launched on Sep. 27, 1870 - it was first registered on Oct. 26, 1870. Per 1 ('wrecksite.eu', wreck data), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). It is surely Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1874/75 thru 1886/87. And thru such entire period was, per LR, owned by H. T. (Thomas) Morton of Sunderland. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') from 1871 thru 1885 all list 'Morton' as the vessel's owner - Henry Thos. Morton thru 1880 & Henry T. Morton thereafter, always of Biddick Hall, County Durham. 'Morton' was a long time associate of Lord Durham. Turnbull's Register of 1874 just lists H. T. Morton. MNL's of 1880 & 1885 are here & here. LRs of 1885/86 & 1886/87 indicate that H. (Henry) Swinson was then the vessel's captain. It seems likely that the vessel would have carried coal from ports in the north east to southern England & to the continent. LR of 1886/87 also notes that the vessel had been in a 'Collision'. 196.4 ft. (59.86 metres) long, signal letters JTBS, 90 HP engines by North Eastern Marine Engineering Co. Ltd., of Sunderland. At midnight on Aug. 18, 1886, Houghton was in collision with J. M. Strachan, a 780 gross ton steamship built at Howden in 1865, when about 5 miles off Scarborough, Yorkshire. Houghton sank while J. M. Strachan, which suffered severe damage to her starboard bow, survived the encounter, & went on to Jarrow for necessary repairs. Houghton was, I read, en route from Sunderland to Dieppe, France, with a cargo of coal. The most extensive data at 'wrecksite.eu' tells us (thanks!) that Houghton had a crew of 13 all told & also had three passengers aboard her. Further that the bow of J. M. Strachan penetrated deeply into Houghton just to the rear of the bridge & additionally that no lives were lost in the collision. Henry Swinson was indeed Houghton's captain at the time. Everyone aboard scrambled onto the deck of J. M. Strachan & were later transferred to Grenadier & landed at the Tyne. The weather conditions would seem to have been good, but one reference does say 'thick'. J. M. Strachan was stated in the newspaper article I provide to be Newcastle registered. It would seem that it had, however, been registered at London since 1865 & was at the time of the collision owned by 'Stephenson Clarke'. Is there anything additional you can add? #2044 15   Nina 783 tons Hull 404 63660 1870 This vessel, an iron steamship, was launched in Jul. 1870 & first registered on Sep. 24, 1870. Per 1 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The vessel is surely Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1874/75 thru 1892/93 at least (LRs of a later date are not available to the webmaster). Thru 1889/90, per LR, the vessel was owned by 'Fenwick' of London - by C. R. Fenwick in 1874/75 & 1875/76 & by Fenwick & Co. from 1876/77. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') from 1871 thru 1875 all list Chas. Richard Fenwick of Abchurch Chambers ('Abchurch'), City of London, as the vessel's then owner. A modest puzzle, perhaps, is that MNLs of 1876 thru 1890 do not list 'Fenwick' as the vessel's owner, rather John Burn, albeit of the same Abchurch address. MNL of 1880 is here. MNLs of 1889 & 1890 additionally list E. W. Rowland as her then manager. It seems likely that Fenwick & Burn were partners. If such ownership data is 'curious', her following ownership is further 'curious'.  The vessel would seem, for a short time, in 1891 for sure, to have become owned by a 3rd party, but from 1892/93 (per LR) reverts to William France & Co. as the owner with Fenwick & Co. her managers. LR of 1890/91 (1891/92 is not available to the webmaster) records 'H. Gilliat', of London, as her then owner. While MNL of 1891 records Howard Gilliat as her then owner with Douglas W. Stobart (of Abchurch) her then manager. The above ownership history suggests, perhaps, that the vessel was always effectively owned by Fenwick? 200.5 ft. long (61.11 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters JDTQ or JTDQ, not sure which. MNL always has JTDQ, which looks likely to be correct, 90 HP engines by George Clark of Sunderland. In late Aug. 1894, the vessel sailed from Sunderland to London with a cargo of coal. Miramar advises (thanks!) that on Aug. 27, 1894 the vessel was in collision with City of Brussels in the River Thames at Lower Hope (NE of Tilbury/Gravesend). And that Nina was then broken up. A little more detail is provided by these newspaper articles. Nina was raised by the Thames Conservancy on Sep. 6, 1894 & on Sep. 18, 1894 passed Woolwich under tow to a dry-dock. Kent County Council used to offer a page re the collision. But no longer does so. This was what the page said, per a Google cache. Such page advises that W. Young was Nina's master at the time & that no Nina lives were lost. It also advises that City of Brussels, arriving from Brussels, was London registered. MNL of 1894 reports only one vessel of the name, ON 82793, built at Dumbarton in 1880 & registered at London since 1880. Many Nina crew lists, thru 1894, available via here. Can you add anything? 16 Ulpiano 348 tons Hull 407 1870 An iron barque. Per 1 (fine Ulpiano wreck image by Wolfgang Stemme), 2 ('wrecksite.eu'), 3 (data), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). For many years now, data re this vessel has been on site but not particularly visible - in large part recorded in this 2014 guestbook message from Joachim Kaiser, of Hamburg, Germany. Joachim essentially advised that the wreck of Ulpiano had in 2013 emerged from sands in the North Sea after being buried for 143 years. The vessel was launched on Sep. 7, 1870, built for Ulpiano de Ondarza (or Ondaza), of Bilbao, Spain. On Sep. 9, 1870, the vessel left South Dock, Sunderland, for La Corunna, Spain, under the command of C. Prieto & with a crew of 12 all told. After unloading, the vessel proceeded, in ballast, from Cádiz, Spain, to Hamburg, Germany, but never arrived there. On Dec. 24, 1870, late at night I have read, the vessel was driven onto Süderoogsand, a sandbank on the North Frisian coast, during a hurricane. All of the vessel's crew were saved but had to stay on Süderoog island for 10 weeks, trapped by the surrounding ice floes. Some references I have read state that the vessel was en route rather to Southampton, which certainly conflicts with the few words in the London Times on Jan. 2, 1871. The vessel's owner, it would seem, moved from Spain to Germany, married a German lady & lived at Blankenese on the Elbe. The wreck was buried in the shifting sands but became exposed in early 2013, essentially out of water at low tide. In time, the remains will probable be again hidden by the shifting sands. 130.0 ft. long. The vessel's figurehead was salvaged & has been in the local maritime museum (Wyker Friesen) for over 100 years. A modest puzzle. Lloyd's Register listed the vessel in 1870/71 & 1871/72 (as at left) but even though it had been lost, continued to list it thru 1881/82. Can you provide anything additional? An image of the vessel's figurehead, perhaps? #2035 17   Yarra 463/482 (N/G), later 444 (N) tons 63604 1870 An iron barque. Per 1 (wreck data), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The vessel, which was launched on Mar. 8, 1870, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1870/71 thru 1883/84 only. It was owned, per LR, thru 1875/76, by R. Cresswell of London, which owner name is clarified by Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1871 thru 1875 to mean Richd. Wm. Cresswell. F. Orfeur, per LR, served as the vessel's captain under 'Cresswell' ownership indeed continued to so serve for the duration (thru 1880/81) of ownership of the vessel's next owner - i.e. J. Hall, jr. & Co. of London. MNL's of 1876 thru 1882 list John Hall, jun. thru 1876 & just John Hall from 1878. MNL of 1880. In 1881/82, per LR, the vessel became both registered & owned at Melbourne, Australia, owned by D. Blair, per MNL of 1883 David Blair. 'Schutt', per LR, became the vessel's captain. LR lists 'Blair' as her owner thru 1883/84. However, MNL of 1884 lists the vessel at now 444 tons (net) & owned by Mrs. Violet M. Christian, of Queensland, Australia. 148.2 ft. long, signal letters JNTM. Link 1 states that the vessel was en route from Lakes Island to Northwest with a cargo of guano, struck Scott Reef during a gale & was lost on Jan. 15, 1884. And further states the loss location to have been 14.04S/121.77E. Miramar has a slightly different location - 14.03S/121.48E. A Google 'data snippet' ex 'Unfinished Voyages, 1881-1900', Lynne Cairns & Graeme Henderson, published in 1995, tells us that the vessel carried a crew of 11 all told under the command of Lewis Schutt & that the captain's wife & 2 children were aboard also. The ship's boats had carried away & via a makeshift raft everyone managed to make it to Browse Island, about 160 km. distant, where they arrived on Jan. 28, 1884. So far as I can see the vessel at the date of loss did NOT carry the captain's wife & two children as above indicated - the couple's second child was born 2 days after the raft arrived at Browse Island. So throughout the hurricane, wreck & raft ordeal, the captain's wife was in an advanced state of pregnancy. A 'best efforts' summary of events, thanks to Trove. Yarra, then operated out of Brisbane, was under charter to Messrs. Grice, Sumner & Co. of Melbourne & owned by Captain Schutt (Lewis John Daley Schutt) & 3 others incl. Thomas Christian of Charters Towers, Queensland. It was not insured. Aboard the vessel were a crew of 11 all told, plus the captain's wife & their 3 year old daughter. The vessel left Lake's Island, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, on Dec. 2, 1883 bound for Falmouth, Cornwall, for orders, with a cargo of guano. Hurricane conditions were encountered when in the Arafura Sea, most of the vessel's sails were carried away & at 11 p.m. on Jan. 15, 1884, at a time of high water, the vessel was driven broadside onto Scott Reef. The vessel became a total wreck with its bilge knocked out, & only one ship's boat barely serviceable. Everybody made it ashore - the wreck was high & dry in the morning. They started to dismantle the vessel & on Jan. 18, 1884 started to build a raft from the ship's masts, spars, etc. It took about 5 days to complete & then, stocked with sufficient provisions from the ship to last 50 days, they set out to try to reach Browse Island, about 90 miles distant. They safely arrived near Browse island at 6 a.m. on Jan. 28, 1884 & hoisted a distress signal. Though the signal was quickly seen by the two vessels anchored there, only at 3 p.m. did 2 boats arrive, one each from Alert, a Swedish schooner, Sundqvist in command & Rizoe (name not for certain) a Norwegian brig, Ellingsen in command. Alert was under charter to load guano for Browse Island Guano Company of Adelaide. At 6 p.m. a portion of the survivors with the more valuable of the provisions went in Yarra's boat to Alert. Two more boats arrived at the anchored vessels thru the night. The captains of Alert & Rizoe both agreed that the survivors would help load their vessels with guano (maybe for Levi & Co. of Adelaide) & in return the survivors would be landed at an Australian port. The raft was effectively abandoned & drifted away. A daughter was safely born to Mrs. Schutt on Feb. 2, 1884. During all the days thru to Feb. 9, 1884, Yarra's crew lived up to their agreement, helping load guano onto Alert & Rizoe. Now Karnan, a Helsingbourg schooner, had been also loading guano at Browes Island but had left the scene to get needed supplies. When it returned on Feb. 10, 1884, Captain Nordfelth, its captain, offered little charity - he only offered to take Mrs. Schutt (presumably with her now 2 children) to Cape of Good Hope. Alert now wanted to land the survivors at Mauritius. The Alert/Rizoe deal was changed. All 3 vessels were to go to Yarra's wreck & split whatever they could recover. Schutt had little choice but to accept Sundqvist's (of Alert) new agreement - to land Schutt at Port Darwin for a £10 fee for himself & £5 for each of the others, Sundqvist to be given the Yarra's thermometers/chronometers & additionally would be given the allowance that the British Government routinely provided to shipwrecked sailors. Alert made it to the wreck site but Rizoe & Karnan never did. On Feb 27, 1884, Alert landed the Schutt family & 5 Yarra crew members at Port Darwin. They all went on to Sydney for Melbourne via Tannadice, a steamer. Not sure yet when Rizoe with its 5 Yarra survivors made it to Darwin but it would seem that it did so. Key newspaper articles A, B. Names of Yarra crew. An Inquiry was held into the vessel's loss, but this brief ref. to its findings adds little to the story. A distressingly uncharitable treatment for survivors of a shipwreck, all said & done. Can you add anything additional? #2036 18   Auguste Elsa 365/376 (N/G) tons Justine Helene Vesta 1871 An iron barque. There is some doubt as to the vessel's initial name. Many sites rather refer to Augusta Elsa. In the absence of definitive data I have chosen to refer to Auguste (with an 'e') Elsa as per the Lloyd's Register ('LR') entry referenced below. But seek to establish which name is truly correct. Per 1 ('wrecksite.eu', ownership, wreck data, etc.), 2 (data in Danish ex 3, a large 'pdf' file (thanks), 4 (Danish page, Vesta, with links to source data in Danish), 5 (link 4 'Google' translated into English), 6 (data in Danish). This listing was made possible thanks to Niels Hald-Andersen of Denmark, who advised that the vessel was initially owned by U. de Ondarza, of Barcelona, Spain. 129.2 ft. long, signal letters RFSM. So far as the webmaster can see, the vessel is listed only once in LR, in just one of three editions of LR re 1887/88. The vessel, there reported to be the renamed Justine Helene, was owned by C. M. Mantzen & Cie. (or maybe by J. C. M. Matzen), of Hamburg, Germany, with 'Richtstieg' her captain (N. J. Richstieg, I read). The initials C. M. apparently mean Christian Michael. Such ownership & name change must have taken place much earlier than 1887/88, in fact on Oct. 29, 1879 I read at link 2. Kathy Doering, in a guestbook message advises us (thanks!) that Christian Michael Matzen of Altona, Hamburg, owned the vessel in 1882, the data being recorded within a registry of passengers re a voyage from Hamburg to Australia in May 1882. Yes indeed! On May 9, 1882, Justine Helene, under the command of Peter Petersen, left Hamburg via Cuxhaven (at the mouth of Elbe river, Germany - left May 15) for Adelaide, South Australia, with a general cargo which included 30 cases of pianos. With a single cabin passenger & 22 in steerage. As per these cuttings ex Trove, Australia. On Sep. 22, 1882, the vessel left Adelaide for Apia (Navigators' Islands, now Samoa, South Pacific) en route, presumably, to Hamburg. The vessel's sole voyage to Australia, it would seem. On Jul. 19, 1888, the vessel was sold to O. C. Hirth, of Kolding, southern Denmark, & renamed Vesta. Niels Hald-Andersen further advised that in May 1889 the vessel went missing while en route from 'Esmeralda' to Hamburg, with the loss of all hands. I learn at links 4 & 5 that on Mar. 23, 1889, Vesta left Guayaquil, Ecuador, for Esmeraldas, also Ecuador (NW Ecuador, N. of Guayaquil), to complete a cargo, further that on Jun. 1, 1889, the vessel left Esmeraldas for Hamburg, but was never heard from again. With M. Brinck, her then captain. Possibly lost in the area of Cape Horn but that would seem to be speculation. Note that wrecksite.eu states (thanks!) i) that the vessel was rather lost at an unknown date in 1890 (looks to be incorrect), ii) that Mads Mathiesen Brinch was then her captain & iii) that her crew was 12 in number. Is there anything you can add? #2079 19   Cleadon 489/760 (N/G) tons Hull 406 62613 1871 An iron steamship, a collier. Per 1 (data), 2 ('wrecksite.eu' wreck data), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The vessel, which was launched on Jan. 7, 1871, would seem to have been Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1873/74 thru 1892/93 at least - later editions of LR are not available to the webmaster. It was owned, per LR, thru 1892/93, by 'H. Morton & Co.', of Biddick Hall, County Durham. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of many years thru 1894 (incl. 1880) list 'Hy. Thos. Morton' as her owner, with, in 1889 & 1890, Thos. J. Reay, & from 1891 thru 1894, Thos. Nicholson, as her managers. The vessel was later 'transferred', in 1895, per MNL, to The Earl of Durham & in 1897 to The Lambton Collieries Ltd. ('Lambton') of Newcastle, with Nicholson her manager thru 1902 (MNL of 1900 is here). In 1904 per MNL, still owned by Lambton, Edward T. Nisbet is recorded as her then manager. LR lists few captain's names - just A. Smith from 1885/86 thru 1888/89 & 'Mohrke' thereafter thru 1892/93. 196.8 ft. (59.98 metres) long perpendicular to perpendicular (other dimensions at MNL links), signal letters JWDK, speed of 8 knots, 90 HP engines by George Clark of Sunderland. On Aug. 31, 1904, still owned by Lambton, the vessel, en route from Aberdeen to Sunderland in ballast, was struck on her starboard side by Dagne, a Norwegian steamer (owned by A/S Dagny of Kristiania), which vessel had left Tyne for the Baltic with a cargo of coal. When off the mouth of the Tyne near the Mary Island Light. Cleadon sank within 15 minutes. 'Wrecksite.eu' tells us that 14 Cleadon crew members & passengers, incl. the master, scrambled across to Dagne, while the chief engineer (Lawrence) & the chief mate (Monser) went into the water & were picked up, 15 minutes later, in an exhausted condition. Dagne, with a seriously damaged bow, landed the rescued at South Shields. So no loss of life. 2 newspaper reports of the collision. Were there, in fact, any passengers aboard her? Many Cleadon crew lists are available here. Is there anything you can add? 20   Commander 746/1160 (net/gross) tons Hull 408 62382 1871 The vessel, which had a very short life, is not recorded in Lloyd's Register. 240.0 ft. long, signal letters KFJB, 130 HP (but have also read 110 HP) engines by North Eastern Marine Engineering Co. of Sunderland. The Mercantile Navy List of 1872 indicates that the vessel was then registered at Newcastle & owned by Wm. Shevill Lishman, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. On Nov. 5, 1872, per line 3270 here, the steamship went missing while en route from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to the U.K. with a cargo of maize (corn). The voyage may well have originated in Baltimore, U.S.A., & have been bound for London. Crew of 27 - all lost. Then stated to be owned by Wm. S. Lishman. Miramar advise that the vessel went missing after passing Bic Island (S. shore of the St. Lawrence river, SW of Rimouski) & that only 26 lives were lost. Note that a now dead website stated that Commander was a vessel in the fleet of Hall Bros. Steamship Co., of Newcastle. Presuming that that was indeed so, it seems likely that there was a relationship between Hall Bros. Steamship Co. & 'Lishman'. Can you tell us about it or otherwise add anything? #2037 21   Firenze 1014 tons Hull 412 1871 An iron steamship. The vessel, which had a very short life, was launched on Sep. 30, 1871 & is not recorded in Lloyd's Register. 227.7 ft. (69.40 metres) long. Per Miramar (link, you now must be registered to access), the vessel was owned by Lloyd Italiano, of Genoa, Italy. Miramar advise (thanks!) that the vessel was wrecked on Feb. 12, 1874 at Ras Sherateeb, Red Sea, while en route from Genoa to Bombay, India. Can you tell us anything more about the vessel? #2038 22   Fop Smit (or Fop Smidt), later Success 957, maybe 1003 gross tons, later 733/1136 (N/G) tons Hull 410 68266 (later) 1871 A schooner rigged iron steamship, which was launched on Jul. 17, 1871 & recorded in 2 master lists of Sunderland built ships at an initial 1003 tons. Per Miramar (link, you now must be registered to access), the vessel was initially owned by Wm. Ruys & Zonan of Rotterdam, but was sold in 1873 to J. Machan of Dundee & renamed Success. The circumstances of such sale are of interest. The vessel is stated (Question 15 on page 2 of this report) to have been a wreck when Machan purchased her. Further, Miramar advise that the vessel, initially 67.5 metres (221.46 ft.) long perpendicular to perpendicular, was lengthened to 76.2 metres (250.0 ft.) long in 1873. Can anybody tell us what happened to the vessel that caused the vessel to have been termed a wreck & precipitated the 1873 sale. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed, as Success, from 1874/75 thru 1885/86, always owned by J. Machan of Dundee, Scotland. With 'Hunter' her captain from 1877/78 thru 1881/82 & 'W. Ogilvie' thereafter. Success is listed in Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') from 1874 thru 1885, always owned by John Machan of Dundee. Who purchased her for between £16,000 & £17,000. Was first registered at Dundee on Jun. 12, 1873. Two typical MNL's - 1882 & 1885. MNL consistently states, incidentally, that the vessel was initially Fop Smidt rather than Fop Smit. LR of 1885/86 notes that the vessel had 'Foundered'. 221.46 ft. long, from 1873 250.00 ft. long, signal letters MSPL (per MNL) or NSPL (per LR), 98 HP engines by North Eastern Marine Engineering Co. of Sunderland. Re the signal letters, NSPL would seem to have been issued to Marie Brandt (Danish) in 1883. On Jul. 10, 1885, the vessel left Cronstadt (St. Petersburg, Russia) for London with a cargo of wheat & oats, but additionally with lathwood loaded upon her decks. Under the command of Alexander Glass & with a crew of 19 all told. At midnight on Jul. 10, 1885 the vessel was 1 1/2 miles off Rodskar Light, Gulf of Finland. A course was set for the Reval Stone Lightship, about 60 miles distant, & the captain retired to the chart house. At 3.23 a.m. on Jul. 11, 1885 a lightship was sighted. Such light, believed to have been Reval Stone lightship was in fact the Kalbaden lightship. The 2nd mate twice changed course without consulting the captain. At 3.50 a.m., proceeding at full speed, the vessel struck Kalbaden shoal indeed passed right over it. It was initially thought there was little damage but soon the pumps could not control the inflow of water. At 7.30 a.m. they had to abandon ship which sank 15 minutes later. The ship's boats safely arrived at Reval (today Tallinn, the capital of Estonia), at 9.00 p.m. later that day. The crew later were returned to the U.K. via Delta. The loss was the subject of an Inquiry held at Dundee & the resulting Report can be read here. The Court concluded that the vessel's loss was due to the grave default of Thomas Alexander Dykes, the vessel's 2nd mate, & they suspended his certificate for a year. The court reprimanded the captain also for trusting the 2nd mate & for not giving adequate instructions. The story is strange. The helmsman at the time (Louis Hansen) knew where they were but, as I read the report, did nothing to avoid the disaster. The vessel was insured. Many crew lists are here. Is there anything you can add? #2040 23 Hesperus 878 (later 941) tons Hull 413 65266 1871 A cargo steam ship. Per 1 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 206.6 ft. long, signal letters KQVM. The webmaster has a number of editions of Lloyd's Registers, ex Google Books, available to him (see left). The vessel is not recorded in the 1870/71, 1872/73 & 1873/74 editions, so its initial owner, likely 'Good, Flodman & Co.' maybe, ex Kelly's Directory 1885, 'Good, Flodman & Duncan' ('Good'), of Hull, is not confirmed. Miramar indicate, however, the initial owner to have been Wm. Easton Duncan, of Hull. From 1874/75 thru 1883/84 the vessel was owned by Good. The tonnage increased by the time of the 1880/81 edition, & became 941 tons gross. On Apl. 27, 1884, while en route from Iggesund Bottima, Sweden, to Hull with a cargo of iron & deals, the ship was lost on Market Rocks, Aland Sea. The Aland Islands are Russian, & are located at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia, between Sweden & Finland. Iggesund is to the north, on the E. coast of Sweden, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The master was found 'in default in underestimating the distance run and in taking no steps to verify his position'. And the mate was held also to be at blame. That basic data is ex 'The Nautical Magazine' of 1884 (see left) - 'F. Good & others' being the then owners - re Inquiry #2194. Miramar indicates that the loss was rather on Apl. 29, 1884 - 'leaked & ashore Alandshof Rocks, near Market LH.' It would be good to read the full Inquiry Report #2194, but I have not yet been able to WWW find it. Crew lists are available here. Can you add anything? 24 Maria Ysasi 392 tons Hull 411 69299 (later) 1871 An iron barque which was launched in Aug. 1871. Per 1 (image, Maria Ysasi, thanks to State Library of Queensland) 2 (brief ref. to Maria Ysasi's loss), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1871/72 thru 1876/77 only. It was built for 'A. de Ysasi' of Bilbao, Spain, was registered there in 1871/72 & 1872/73, for service from Sunderland to Bilbao, with 'de Echev'na' serving as her captain. In 1873/74, per LR, the vessel became registered at Liverpool (first registered there on Sep. 24, 1873), owned by S. Lindsay of Liverpool, for service from Liverpool to Australia, with 'Madge' serving as her new captain. LR of 1876/77 advises that the vessel had become Australian owned & registered, owned by S. J. Lindsay, of Melbourne, Australia, with W. Dow her then captain. Now Miramar advise (thanks!) that the vessel was wrecked on Jul. 20, 1876 at W. Tres Reyes (Three Kings) Island in the Philippines. It is unusual, accordingly, to see that the vessel was listed in the Mercantile Navy List thru to 1880 (from 1874), owned by Saml. Jas. Lindsay of Melbourne. 132.6 ft. (40.42 metres) long, signal letters MHQL. Some 'best efforts' details re her Australian related voyages, thanks to Trove. a) On Oct. 17, 1873, the vessel left London for Maryborough, Queensland, under the command of Captain Madge, with a cargo mainly of various sorts of iron, also hardware for Walker & Co. of Maryborough. Was described as being one of James Baines & Co.'s Black Ball Line vessels. The voyage was not speedy - it arrived only on Apl. 18, 1874, 175 days out, the vessel encountering light winds throughout the entire voyage. b) The vessel loaded with timber for Sydney, New South Wales ('NSW'), arriving there on Jun. 20, 1874. c) A couple of voyages between Newcastle, NSW, & Melbourne with coal, one with J. W. Carless serving as her captain. d) On Oct. 12, 1874, the vessel left Newcastle for Java, Richard Wills in command, with 600 tons of coal. It went on to Tegal, Java, & on Apl. 11, 1875 arrived at Melbourne ex Tegal (left Feb. 4, 1875) with a cargo of sugar. e) The vessel went into dry dock for cleaning & painting with 'Japan Paint' etc. f) to Newcastle again, to leave that port on May 24, 1875 for Manila with 600 tons of coal under the command of William Dow. g) Back to Melbourne with sugar ex the Philippine Islands. h) On Jan. 11, 1876, the vessel arrived at Melbourne ex Zebu (today's Cebu) with 9,982 bags of sugar & 1,600 bales of hemp. i) Again to Newcastle whence it departed on May 5 or 6, 1876 for Manilla, Dow in command, again with 600 tons of coal, intending to continue on to Hong Kong. The vessel's voyage (details here) was normal  until, when 2 or 3 miles off Three Kings Islands (SW of Marinduque island), the wind suddenly dropped. Anchors did not stop the vessel being driven by sea currents onto the rocks. She ended up, on Jul. 20, 1876, on a ledge, 'bilged', & full of water. The crew took to the ship's boats & safely were able to reach Kalapan (Calapan), eventually to be transported onwards to Manilla. The linked article tells us that at the time, the vessel was owned not by 'Lindsay' but rather by Captain Smith of Sandridge (Melbourne). Link 2 tells us that the vessel was lost on Marinduque (island). I note that from 1877/78 per LR, A. de Ysasi owned another vessel of identical name, an iron steamship previously named Warkworth, built by Richardson at Newcastle in 1871. It later was renamed Palmira. Can you add anything? #2041 25   Sunniside 637/990 (N/G) tons Hull 409 62627 Vreede 1871 An iron steamship. Per 1 [Vreede (1)], 2 (Stamfordham, sunk by gunfire. '4 August 1916'), 3 (Vreede, 1901 collision detail, in English here), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The vessel, which was launched on Jun. 3, 1871 & 1st registered on Jul. 20, 1871, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed, it would seem, from 1874/75 (not prior) thru 1892/93 at least. With J. Wilson her captain from 1886/87 thru 1890/91 at least & T. Edgecombe in 1892/93 at least. Later editions of LR, thru to 1901, are not available to the webmaster. LR records that the vessel was initially owned by R. T. Nicholson, of Sunderland, which owner name is clarified by Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1872 thru 1894 to mean Robert Todd Nicholson of West Sunniside, Sunderland. Now LRs from 1876/77 thru 1892/93 rather list Lumsden, Byers & Co. of Sunderland as the vessel's owners. MNL of 1895 lists J. Y. Short of Sunderland as the vessel's then managing owner, in 1896 Thos. Speeding, & in 1897 MNL reports that 'The Standard Steam Shipping Co. Ltd.' of Sunderland owned the vessel with Thos. Speeding her manager (maybe 'Speeding, Marshall & Co.'). MNL of 1899 is here. The webmaster suspects that all of the above 'ownership' changes were essentially changes within the large ownership group that owned the vessel & their choice re managing owners from time to time. Which ownership group in 1895 likely formed a limited liability company to take over ownership of the vessel. Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1874 (image hopefully soon) is of interest in that regard. It advises that there were then 21 individual shareholders in the vessel, including 3 investors named 'Nicholson' with a total of 8 (of 64) shares, 2 members of the 'Ord' family also owning a total of 8 shares,  'W. L. Byers' owning 4 shares, etc. etc. Miramar advise (thanks!) that in 1900, the vessel became owned by 'Hollandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij', of Amsterdam, (bought for £5,500), & renamed Vreede. 220.6 ft. long, signal letters KLCP later QBCK, 110 HP engines by George Clark of Sunderland. Per Miramar, on Jun. 26, 1901, while en route from Amsterdam to London in ballast, Vreede was in collision with Stamfordham in the North Sea, 7 miles S. of the Kentish Knock & foundered. I read that the collision took place at 51.3106N/01.4036E, about midnight Jun. 26, 1901 during good weather & a calm sea. Vreede sank immediately. Its entire crew (Captain Schol & 17), were rescued by Stamfordham & landed at Yarmouth. Note: Stamfordham, of 921 tons, built by Wood Skinner in 1898, was later captured by a submarine on Aug. 4, 1916, & sunk by gunfire, 8 miles S. from Longstone. Almost certainly the correct one. Can you add anything additional? 26   Baron Selborne 608/953 (N/G) tons, later 700/987, 530/881 & 545/882 tons Hull 421 67913 Saffi Erato Baron Selborne Francesco O. Ermioni Alexandros 1872 An iron steamship, whose date of build is confusing with both 1872 & 1873 being referenced in the records. Per 1 ('wrecksite.eu', wreck data), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). So far as the webmaster can see, the vessel, which was launched on Dec. 12, 1872 & first registered on Feb. 17, 1873, was Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1873/74 thru 1911/12 & surely would have been listed in later editions also. 216.0 ft. long (65.84 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, later 217.2 ft. (66.20 metres), maybe 217.0 ft. long, signal letters LPKB, later HTJD, 99 HP engines by North Eastern Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. of Sunderland, later 107 HP (certainly in 1897/98) of the same manufacturer. A complicated ownership history. Built for J. (James) MacCunn, of Greenock, Scotland, 'Baronial Line', who owned the vessel only thru 1875/76, with 'C. W. Lmplgh', (Lamplough) per LR, serving as the vessel's captain. Per the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL'), McCunn, correctly James MacCunn, owned the vessel in 1874 & 1875. From 1875/76 thru 1882/83, the vessel became registered at London & owned by H. Collings & Co., (MNL of 1880) ('H' means Henry) of London with W. Masters serving as her captain. In 1882/83, per LR, Mersey Steam Shipping Co. Ltd. ('Mersey'), of Liverpool, became the vessel's owner & they owned it thru 1889/90 with T. Hay serving thru such period as the vessel's captain. In 1883/84, Mersey renamed their vessel Saffi (so far as I can see after a port in Morocco). Strangely perhaps, the vessel seems not to be MNL listed from 1884 thru 1887 - in either name. Per Miramar, in 1888 the vessel, (now of 700/987 tons) & renamed Erato, became owned by Angfartygs Aktiebolaget "Erato" of Gothenberg, Sweden, with K. O. F. Dalman & A. N. Grunden serving, respectively, as her manager & her captain. Miramar advises (thanks!) that in 1894 the vessel became owned by Angfartygs "Viking" & in 1899 by Angfartygs "Ella", both of Gothenberg, with no changes in vessel name. In the 1897/98 edition of LR, the vessel is listed at 217.2 ft. long, her engines are listed at 107 HP & J. H. Söderlund was listed as the vessel's then captain. Again per Miramar:- i) in 1900, the vessel became Baron Selborne again, owned by J. Ridley, Son & Tully ('Ridley'), of Newcastle & ii) in 1906 became owned by The Screw Collier Co. Ltd., also of Newcastle, (with Ridley now her manager, but instead James E. Tully per MNLs) and, I learn, in the period thru 1911/12 J. T. Dawson (1908/09), J. Stewart (1910/11) & N. W. Ashworth (1911/12) serving as her captains. In 1910/11 & 1911/12, the vessel is LR listed at 545/882 tons. MNL records such data from 1901. Three later ownership changes, thanks to Miramar. In 1912, the vessel became registered at Trieste, owned by 'O. Olivetti Fu F.' & renamed Francesco O. In 1913 the vessel became registered at Piraeus, Greece, owned by 'P. Charamis & J. Stringos' & renamed Ermioni & in 1916 became owned by 'Pandeli Bros.', also of Piraeus & renamed Alexandros. Some operational details, for Baron Selborne at least. Baron Selborne, was engaged, for a significant part of its life, in the carriage of coal from Welsh ports, most frequently from Swansea. To such ports as Civita Vecchia, Corfu, Dunkirk, Madeira, Marseilles, Messina, Valencia. The vessel also traded into Malta & Egypt. In the vessel's 2nd incarnation as Baron Selborne, the carriage of pig-iron is referenced (Grimsby) & coal to Rouen, France. Some specific matters of interest. i)  On May 29, 1880, P. Cameron, Chief Engineer of Baron Selborne, jumped into Swansea's North Dock to save James Owens, a 9 year old boy. His actions were commended by the Royal Humane Society. ii) On Mar. 18, 1903, Baron Selborne was in collision with Florence, of Stockton, in the Northfleet Hope, near Gravesend, River Thames. Florence sank within 3 minutes while Baron Selborne had to be beached. One serious injury but no loss of life. iii) on Jun. 18, 1903, Baron Selborne, arriving from the Tyne with coal, was in collision with the outbound Jargoon, in the Northfleet, just W. of Gravesend. Both vessels were damaged. iv) On Sep. 24, 1903, Baron Selborne was in collision with Pellegrini, a dredger, in the River Thames near the entrance to the Regent's Canal (Limehouse Basin, E. London). Both vessels were significantly damaged.  Miramar advises that on Oct. 28, 1917, Alexandros, en route from Caen, France, to Cardiff in ballast, was lost as a result of a collision off the Longships (near Land's End, Cornwall). Have not discovered the name of the vessel with which it collided nor read about the circumstances. Is there anything you can add? #2066 27   Björn 763/1005 (N/G) tons Hull 414 1872 An iron steamship. Per 1 ('wrecksite.eu', wreck data), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). So far as the webmaster can see, the vessel, which was launched in May 1872, was Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed only in 1890/91 & 1892/93. It most likely was listed in a few later LR editions not available to the webmaster. The above two LR editions record her then owners as being 'Angf. Aktie-Bolaget "Thule" (O. Melin)' (hereinafter 'Company') of Gothenburg, Sweden, with F. W. Larsson (72-79) her then captain. 'Angf.' means Angfartygs in full. Company, per Miramar, would seem to have owned the vessel from her delivery in 1872. 218.5 ft. (66.60 metres) long, signal letters HJDV, 100 HP engines by Thompson, Boyd & Co. of Newcastle. Miramar also tells us (thanks!) that on May 25, 1895 the vessel, en route from Gothenburg to Sunderland in ballast, was in collision with Vanland & was wrecked. The collision took place between the Skaw & Hirthals, both northern Jutland, Denmark, almost due W. of Gothenburg. Vanland, 1270 gross tons, also Swedish owned, had been built in 1893 by Campbeltown Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., of Argyll, Scotland, & stayed in service thru 1917. Now 'wrecksite.eu' (link 1) tells us (thank you) that Björn was rather en route in the other direction, i.e. from Sunderland to Gothenburg & that there was no loss of life. I have not so far spotted any details as to the circumstances or causes of the collision. Is there anything you can add? #2043 28 Bylgia 592/934 tons Hull 420 1872 An iron steamship. Per 1 (painting, Bylgia), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The vessel, which was launched on Sep. 7, 1872 was not, so far as I can see, ever listed in Lloyd's Register (I checked thru 1889/90). It would seem that it had a short life & per Miramar (thanks!) was owned throughout by 'Lastangare A/B Aegir' of Malmo, Sweden. 212.8 ft. (64.86 metres) long, signal letters HJLT, 96 HP engines, of manufacturer unknown. The vessel was a frequent visitor to Cardiff, Wales, & carried Welsh coal to such ports as Sulina (Black Sea, Romania) & Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). 'Sellman' may have been an early captain, later 'Loftgren' or a name very close to that. However 'American Lloyd's Register of American & Foreign Shipping', of 1876 & 1877, both indicate that J. Sellman was then the vessel's captain & that Aegir S.S. Co. were the vessel's then owners. The 'Record of American & Foreign Shipping' ('Record') of 1876 & 1877 both name C. Holm as the vessel's then captain & 'Aegir & O.' her then owners. The webmaster has zero knowledge of Swedish. A text in Swedish accompanies an image of the vessel which you can see here ex link 1. The key words I would bring to your attention are the following, '1877 redades hon av F. Malmros for Last-Ång-Aktiebolaget Agir, Trelleborg, Befalhavare J. E. Löfgren.' which words, assuming I have transcribed them properly, translate (Google) into English as follows:- 'In 1877 she was rescued by F. Malmros for the Last-Ang-Aktiebolaget Agir, Trelleborg, Commander J. E. Löfgren.' Which seems to mean that the vessel was not lost in 1877 as is advised below but continued in service, maybe repaired, which seems to be confirmed by this 1885 Record listing where A. Appelgren is stated to be her captain. F. Malmros, likely Frans Malmros, would seem to have been a ship manager, based in Trelleborg, the southernmost town in Sweden, just 32 km S. of Malmo. Almost certainly he would have been then Bylgia's manager. Can anybody i) explain the meaning of the text, particularly of the word rescued? And ii) does the data agree with or contradict the following? Miramar advise that on Jul. 27, 1877 the vessel, while en route from Archangel, Russia, to the U.K. with a cargo of grain, was wrecked 15 miles NE of Fogloy, NE of Tromso. Can anybody help with where exactly that is. Fogloy seems to be the easternmost island of the Faroe Islands. Tromso is on the coast of Norway. Another web site references 'Finnmark' which is the most northerly part of Norway. Have not been able to spot a newspaper article etc. which might help identify the wreck location. I surely need help to clarify this rather confusing overall 'history'. #2042 29   Corinth 610/959 (N/G) tons Hull 416 65933 1872 An iron steamship. Per 1 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). We also thank a) a web site that specialises in Irish Shipwrecks but wishes not to be recognised & b) an extensive article re her loss freely available, I read, thanks to the New York Times. The vessel was launched for the Corinthian Steamship Company Limited of Liverpool - on Feb. 12, 1872 & first registered on May 8, 1872. It had a very short life indeed, less than 2 1/2 years. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed only in 1874/75, with 'W. H. Nichlsn' of Liverpool LR stated to be her then owner. It is also listed in the Mercantile Navy List of 1874 which states Wm. Hy. Nicholson, of Liverpool, as (presumably), her manager. I say 'presumably' in view of the launch notice above & Miramar's stating that the vessel's initial & sole owner was Corinthian SS Co. Ltd. of Liverpool. 217.2 ft. long (66.20 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of about 8 1/2 knots, signal letters LDQM, schooner rigged, 98 HP engines by North Eastern Marine Co. of Sunderland. It would seem that for a significant part of its life the vessel was under charter to the Atlas Steamship Company Limited ('Atlas'), of Liverpool, to provide service to the West Indies while their new steamer Andes was under construction. A modest event - on May 15, 1874, the vessel left New York for Curaçoa (Curaçao) with a package, placed in the care of the purser, to be ultimately be delivered at Maracaibo, Venezuela, containing U.S. gold coins valued at $10,000. Upon arrival at Curaçoa, the package was light & half the gold coin was missing. You can read about the resulting New York Supreme Court case by Google searching for 'Atlas Steamship' & 'Corinth'. On Jul. 15, 1874, Corinth, under charter to Atlas but on her final voyage under such charter, left New York for Liverpool with a cargo of 22,000 bushels of corn & 7,500 bushels of grain. Under the command of Captain Eden, & with a crew of 22 (have also read 31) & two passengers. On Aug. 2, 1874, the vessel was off the S. coast of Ireland, at Galley Head, County Cork, located midway between Queenstown & Cape Clear. At 51.31N/08.57W, I read. In dense fog, the vessel ran aground, when under the control of the 2nd officer. Efforts were made to save the vessel by reversing the engines but she was stuck fast, soon filled with water &, with fires extinguished, turned over 'on the front side'. Two ship's boats were launched & with the help of local coastguards all aboard were saved. I read that efforts were made to save the cargo. Crew lists are available here & are a bit of a puzzle - in that while crew lists thru 1874 are listed so also is one in 1877. Is there anything additional you can add? #2053 30   Fidela 715/1106 (N/G) tons Hull 418 68874 1872 An iron steamship that, I read, was launched on Jul. 25, 1872. It was first registered (68874) rather later, at Sunderland, on Jan. 13, 1873. The vessel, which was not listed in Lloyd's Register, had a very short life - about 4 months only. Per 1 (wrecksite.eu, wreck data), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). There are also a number of WWW references to the Fidela wreck incl. at South African ('SA') sites. Collectively the sites seem to state that the vessel, commissioned as a 'mail ship' to serve between Australia & New Zealand ('NZ'), was on its maiden voyage when, en route from either Mossel Bay (Western Cape Province, SA) or Cape Town (SA) to either Port Elizabeth (Algoa Bay, Eastern Cape Province, SA), or Mauritius, in thick fog, it hit a reef & was wrecked on Apl. 7, 1873, about a mile N. of the Cape Recife (Port Elizabeth) lighthouse. No lives were lost. Interestingly, the wreck was used as target practice during WW2 by the South African Air Force, when bombs made of concrete were dropped on her. A dive site today with modest remains (an engine block) & concrete blocks, still there. Wreck lies about 400 metres offshore at 34.00.60S/25.42.00E. Miramar advises (thanks!) that the vessel, which was registered at London, was owned by Francis C. Fulton. The wreck is referred to in Colin Urquhart's 'Algoa Bay in the Age of Sail ...' & per this data snippet, Fidela 'put into the Bay to offload 1143 tons of Welsh' coal. Further that her 'sickly master, William Swainstone, had his certificate suspended for 6 months by the court'. Per this U.K. Government page, 233.2 ft. long (71.08 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, 140 HP engines of unknown (to the webmaster) manufacture. May I give you a different version of the vessel's history? I believe that the vessel was, in fact, a collier, intended to carry coal from Newcastle, New South Wales ('NSW'), Australia to Dunedin (E. coast of S. Island), NZ. Owned by Francis C. (Crossley) Fulton, (1836/1901) of Dunedin, the vessel was named after his wife Fidela. (Fulton's obituary). Vessel likely owned by 'Webb & Fulton', of Dunedin. Fidela's maiden voyage would seem to have been from Sunderland to Penarth Docks, Cardiff, Wales, where it arrived on Jan. 31, 1873, under the command of 'Swainston'. H. Swainston was, per many sites, her captain. On Feb. 7, 1873 the vessel was cleared for passage to Cape Town, SA, with, as I read an article at Welsh Newspapers Online, 743 tons of coal ref. Ocean Steam Coal Co. It arrived at Table Bay (Cape Town) on Mar. 25, 1873 & on Apl. 4, 1873 left there for Melbourne, Australia, via Algoa Bay, East London, Natal & Mauritius. Her ultimate destination would seem to have been Dunedin. I have not read what cargo she then had but she would seem to have still had (see Colin Urquhart reference above) coal to be unloaded at Port Elizabeth. It seems likely that she carried mails, as so many ships did in such times. She carried many passengers also (don't know how many) including one Lieutenant Coghlan, en route from Cape Town to Melbourne, & Harry Stanley a theatrical manager. The vessel proceeded slowly along the coast & late on Apl. 7, 1873 was in sight of the Cape Recife lighthouse. Readers should be aware of a most important factor in the vessel's loss. The vessel's after compass was mounted about 2 ft. away from the vessel's rudder head, made of iron. Such iron dramatically effected the compass to the extent that it pointed S. when it should have pointed N. The ship's other compasses also had similar issues, due to the general abundance of iron throughout the ship. The captain steered a course that should have taken him well clear of Cape Recife. Suddenly & unexpectedly, at about 9.30 p.m. on Apl. 7, 1873, the vessel hit the reef. A boat was launched to seek assistance but did not return. Distress signals were fired, but help did not arrive until the next morning. Waves crashed continuously on the vessel throughout the night. Some of the webmaster's data sources:- A, B, C, D. The webmaster knows little about compasses. But it would seem that the ship's compasses would have worked well i) when first installed at Sunderland & ii) in the northern hemisphere. Iron vessels were then relatively new. And the problems with compasses in an iron ship, particularly when in the southern hemisphere & indeed compass deviation generally were not taught to captains until 1872. Anyway, Lieutenant Coghlan gave some most compelling evidence at the Colonial Court  of Inquiry held at Port Elizabeth, into the vessel's loss. At that hearing the captain's licence was suspended for 6 months for negligence & lack of care, mainly that the captain, knowing the compasses were erratic, did not have a temporary standard compass installed at Cape Town. See this most extensive 1874 article re compasses & the loss of Fidela. Which article refers to the captain as 'Swainston'. The ship's loss was first reported as being Gidelia & then as Videlia. Francis Fulton was at Sydney, NSW, when he heard of the vessel's loss. Fidela was insured in the total amount of £28,000. Upon learning of the wreck, Fulton returned to the U.K. & bought Easby at a price of £24,589 as Fidela's replacement. That vessel was later wrecked in 1907. I wonder why Captain Swainstone (or Swainston) was above referred to as being 'sickly'? Is there anything you can add or correct? A contemporary African newspaper report that reported the wreck & named the survivors? The full report of the Court of Inquiry, perhaps? #2058 31 Pachino 1003 or 1049 gross tons, later 684/1049 (N/G) tons Hull 423 Eugenia Segre Lido G 1872 An iron steamship, which was launched on Nov. 13, 1872. Now two master lists of Sunderland built vessels list the vessel as 1st registered in 1873. I have accepted 1872 as correct as advised by Lloyd's Register ('LR') of later years (see below). Per 1 (Pachino), 2 (Florio Line), 3 (NGI), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The vessel seems to be LR listed from 1886/87 (not before I think) thru 1892/93. Later editions of LR are not available to the webmaster. Built for Triancria Steamship Company ('La Triancria Societa di Nav. a Vapeur'), of Palermo, Italy. Or maybe 'Trinacria'. On Oct. 24, 1876, the vessel was purchased as part of the 'Triancria' fleet in liquidation by 'Societa in Accomandita Piroscafi Postali - Ignazio & Vicenzo Florio', known as 'Florio Line', also of Palermo? In 1881, the vessel was taken over by 'Navigazione Generale Italiana' ('NGI'), which was formed, in that year, by the amalgamation of Florio Line & R. Rubattino of Genoa. LR of 1886/87 indicates that the vessel was then owned by NGI of Palermo, Sicily, which became of Venice, Italy, in 1889/90. With 'Cullotta' the vessel's captain from 1887/88 thru 1888/89, 'Vecchini' in 1889/90 & 1890/91 at least & G. Lagana in 1892/93. It would seem, per LR, that G. Lagana has earlier served as the vessel's captain from 1880 thru 1887. In 1910, the vessel was transferred to 'Societa Nationale del Servizi Marittimi'. And maybe sold in 1913 - to whom, I wonder? Miramar rather records a sale in 1911 to SA di Nav. "La Sicania" of Trapani, Italy. And sold again in 1914, to A. Tedeschi, & renamed Eugenia Segre. And sold yet again, in 1915, to N. Gavagnin, & renamed Lido G. 225.7 ft. (68.79 metres) long, 2 masts, 1 funnel. LR of 1886/87 thru 1892/93 indicates that the vessel was then brigantine rigged, with 265 HP engines by North Eastern Marine Engineering Co. of Sunderland. It seem likely that those were replacement engines, installed in 1881, replacing its initial 140 HP engines of the same manufacturer. Signal letters RGQL (1886/87 thru 1892/93). The vessel was sunk, on Oct. 14, 1917, by gunfire from German submarine UC-73, off Cape Misurata, NW Libya. At left is an image of a table fork, identified as being ex Pachino, offered by eBay vendor 'miamimikeh'. It did not sell on Aug. 14, 2011. You were then invited to contact the vendor re its availability, but that was almost 8 years ago. The vendor provided this most interesting history of the companies concerned, which history surely merits retention for those interested in such matters. Anything to add? 32 Segesta 1768, later 1157/1782 (N/G) tons Hull 415 1872 An iron steamship, brigantine rigged, launched on Jan. 25, 1872. Per 1 (Florio Line, Segesta), 2 (NGI), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). Segesta? A truly ancient Sicilian city, with many ruins, located 75 km. from Palermo. So far as the webmaster can see, the vessel was Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1886/87 thru likely 1892/93. And surely in later years also whose editions of LR are not available to the webmaster. Built for Trinacria Steamship Company ('Trinacria Societa di Nav. a Vapeur' but the name may be 'Triancria' - but I think not), of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. On Oct. 24, 1876, the vessel was purchased as part of the 'Trinacria' fleet in liquidation by 'Societa in Accomandita Piroscafi Postali - Ignazio & Vicenzo Florio', known as 'Florio Line' (also of Palermo?). In 1881, the vessel was taken over by 'Navigazione Generale Italiana' ('NGI'), which was formed, in that year, by the amalgamation of Florio Line & R. Rubattino of Genoa. LRs of 1886/87 thru 1892/93 list NGI, of Palermo, as the vessel's owner with 'Bruno' her captain in 1887/88, 'Paratore' then her captain thru 1890/91 at least & 'C. Cafiero' in 1892/93. In 1897/78, per LR, G. B. Dodero served as the vessel's captain. On Dec. 9, 1906, Segesta was in collision with Lula (a Greek vessel owned by J. Diakakis), when leaving Leghorn (Livorno, Tuscany, Italy). This newspaper article tells us that Segesta had many emigrants on board at the time & that all of such emigrants & the entire crew were saved. Where were the emigrants bound for, I wonder? I read that the vessel was later re-floated but, being considered to be beyond repair, was sold to L. Donegali (of ?) to be scrapped. There would seem to have been an Italian court case re the Segesta/Lula collision but details of the case have so far eluded me. 261.8 ft. (79.80 metres) long, signal letters SGVH, with, per LR thru 1892/93, 298 HP engines by North Eastern Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. ('NEM') of Sunderland, but per LR of 1897/98 161 HP engines by NEM. Have also read initially engines of 130 HP only by NEM. Can all of those last HP statements be correct? Can you add anything? 33   Solunto 1242/1908 (N/G) tons, later 1150/1692, later 1242/1908 again. Or 1314/1933 per U.S. registers Hull 419 62670 1872 An iron cargo ship, brigantine rigged, launched on Aug. 20, 1872 & first registered on Dec. 13, 1872 (see #62670, 1859 tons). Per 1 (Florio Line, Solunto), 2 (NGI, Solunto 1), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). Solunto? An ancient Sicilian city, with many ruins, located 16 km E. of Palermo. Piero Casiglia, who researched the vessel in 2005 re building a model of the vessel, was advised, by Tyne & Wear Archives I believe, that the vessel was originally named Lagana. A coincidence? A 1902 Italian Register lists Domenico Lagana as Solunto's then captain. Also see re Piero Casiglia's research A & B. The data record for this vessel is quite confusing. 280.1 ft. (85.37 metres) long perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters SJHW, two masts brigantine rigged. Her tonnage? When built she would seem to have been recorded at 1933 tons gross. Have also read 1859 tons. The 'American Lloyd's Register of American & Foreign Shipping', available via Mystic Seaport's fine site, lists the vessel, from 1878 thru 1883 at 1314/1933 tons (N/G). Lloyd's Register ('LR') of 1886/87 lists the vessel at 1242/1908 tons, in the next 4 years at least lists her at 1150/1692 tons, reverting to 1242/1908 again from 1892/93 it would seem. Her engines? I have read 220 HP engines when built. For many years (1886/87 thru 1892/93) LR listed the vessel's engines at 427 HP, built by North Eastern Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. of Sunderland. LR of 1897/98, however, lists the engines at 277 HP only by the same manufacturer. 201 HP in 1902 (Italy). So far as the webmaster can see, the vessel was Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1886/87 thru likely 1892/93. And surely in later years also whose editions of LR are not available to the webmaster. Built, I read, for Trinacria Steamship Company ('Trinacria Societa di Nav. a Vapeur' of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. On Oct. 24, 1876, the vessel was purchased as part of the 'Trinacria' fleet in liquidation by 'Societa in Accomandita Piroscafi Postali - Ignazio & Vicenzo Florio', known as 'Florio Line' (also of Palermo). In 1881, the vessel was taken over by 'Navigazione Generale Italiana' ('NGI'), which was formed, in that year, by the amalgamation of Florio Line & R. Rubattino of Genoa. LRs of 1886/87 thru 1892/93 list NGI, of Palermo, as the vessel's owner with 'Cardillo' her captain from 1887/88 thru 1890/91, 'Compagno' her captain in 1892/93 & 'P. Stabile' in 1897/98. Some other captains, as per American registers include 'P. Pirandello' (or 'Pirrandello'), 'Bartelo' & 'Ignatio'. The 'captains' data from the different sources is often in conflict. I note in passing that 'Trinacria' is recorded in the 'Record of American & Foreign Shipping' as the vessel's owner from 1878 thru 1900. American Lloyd's from 1878 thru 1883 always says 'Florio'. 'Tis confusing! What I have found as to the vessel's operational history, thanks to many sources. i) On Feb. 8, 1887, 'following the Dogali incident' (i.e. the Battle of Dogali), Solunto sailed from Naples for Eritrea (Red Sea), having been requisitioned, together with about another ten ships, by the Italian Government, used to transport troops & materials. ii) On Aug. 3, 1877, the vessel was cleared for departure from Cardiff for Palermo with 985 tons of Welsh coal, with 'Pirandello' in command. iii) On Jun. 8, 1877, Solunto made its first, described as 'experimental', voyage from Palermo to New York, arriving there on Jun. 29, 1877. it would seem the first of many such voyages. On that voyage, 'Pirandello' in command, the vessel carried 23 emigrants & cargo. A list of the emigrants is, I read, available at the Immigration Office in New York. iv) On Jul. 14, 1877 the vessel left New York for Bremen, Germany. v) On May 9, 1879 the vessel arrived at New York with a cargo of fruit ex Italy. vi) On Apl. 5, 1880, Solunto would seem to have observed a steamship in difficulties in the N. Atlantic. I have not read the New York Times article re the matter (see link), which refers to a disabled steamer, floating spars & icebergs (can anybody provide me with such article). After some research I think that the vessel that they saw was likely the abandoned Fernville, which had been en route from West Hartlepool to Boston with a cargo of pig iron. It hit an iceberg on Mar. 27, 1880. If I am correct, this article which refers to Fernside should correctly refer to Fernville. vii) On Oct. 20, 1881 the vessel arrived at Genoa ex New York with Guiseppe Randazzo aboard. Randazzo was a wanted man, a 'brigand' who has been captured in Sicily some years earlier, had escaped, & made his way to New York. viii) In the summer of 1885, Solunto was seized by France but soon was released since it was a privileged vessel being a mail packet. ix) On Jul. 18/19, 1886 Solunto was present at Genoa, Italy, at a 'sailing competition' in honour of King Umberto I & Queen Margherita of Savoia. x) It was reported on Feb. 26, 1894 that Solunto, 'a mail steamer', was towed into Piraeus, Greece, by Dingwall, with its tail shaft broken. Miramar advises (thanks!) that in Jun. 1906, the vessel was broken up at the Genoa ship breaking facilities of 'Fratelli Bruzzo'. Two of the above links rather advise that the vessel was scrapped in 1908. It seems that Miramar has the timing correctly. Centro America, built in 1897, was in 1907 renamed Solunto. Shown here at Tunis in 1912. No image of 'our' Solunto has yet emerged. Can you add to or correct anything written above? #2060 34 Susan 559/876 (N/G) tons Hull 417 65711 1872 An iron steamship that was launched on Mar. 26, 1872 & first registered on Jul. 13, 1872. Per 1 (Board of Trade inquiry into 1875 wreck, ex 'Accounts and Papers', published 1876, a 'Google' book), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). So far as I can see, the vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed only in 1874/5 & 1875/76. Owned by 'H. Collings & Co.', of London. i.e. 'Hy. Collings' per the Merchant Navy Lists of both 1874 & 1875. 205.6 ft. (62.67 metres) long perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters LGFW, 99 HP engines by North Eastern Marine Co. Ltd. of Sunderland. On Jun. 15, 1875, Susan, a vessel owned by 'Henry Collings and others, Captain Masters in command, & a crew of 21 all told, left Oran, Algeria, for Dunkirk, France, with a cargo of 'mineral' & wool. Per Miramar a) ex Bône, now Annaba, Algeria, & b) a cargo which included iron ore. Approaching the straits of Gibraltar, the vessel safely passed Ceuta (a tiny Spanish city & territory, on the African coast, claimed by Morocco) early on Jun. 17, 1875. At 11:00 a.m. that morning, the vessel struck a small submerged rock, 800 yards from the shore, initially believed to be 'Benzus Shoal'. Even though there was 14 fathoms (84 ft.) of water under her stern, it became apparent that vessel had been badly damaged & any hope of saving her was abandoned. The crew took to the boats & safely landed at nearby Ceuta. The vessel was attended to by HMS Coquette from Gibraltar & a tug boat, to no avail. An Inquiry into the vessel's loss was later conducted. It was proven that the vessel did not hit 'Benzus Shoal' but rather hit a nearby & almost parallel rock that was not recorded on the Admiralty or Spanish charts & accordingly was not recorded on the chart carried by Susan. The court could not find that the master was at fault & Captain Master's certificate of competency was returned to him. Miramar describe the wreck location as being '1.5nm ExS half S Cape Leona, W Ceuta'. A few crew lists are available here. Can you add anything? 35 Ballochmyle 1438/1511 (N/G) tons Hull 428 67930 Hebe Alba 1873 An iron 3-masted ship, a clipper, which was launched on Dec. 5, 1873 & first registered (#67930) on Jan. 26, 1874. Per 1 (brief ref.), 2 (image), 3 & 4 (1874, 502 passengers), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 245.0 ft. (74.68 metres) long perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters MLRT later HBKL, crew of 19 (have also read 21). The vessel would seem to have been listed in Lloyd's Register ('LR') from 1873/74 thru 1899/1900 & probably later than that in editions not available to the webmaster. You can see some of those LR entries, in the image at left. W. London is LR listed as the vessel's captain from 1873/74 thru 1889/90 at least. Some confusion as to his name. Referred to by Basil Lubbock ('Last of the Windjammers' Vol. #1) & in other places as  W. G. Loudon, i.e. with a 'u', & also as 'Lunden'. Correctly, I believe, the captain's name was W. G. London, as per a great many NZ advertisements re the ship incl. this one dated Jun. 4, 1874. T. (Thomas) Tait is her LR reported captain from 1891/92 thru 1896/97, with S. (Sven) Nielsen her captain (vessel now named Hebe) from 1897/98 thru 1901/02, I read. This site, however tells us that Thomas Tait (1848/1899) became her captain in 1888. Engaged in New Zealand trade, under charter to New Zealand Shipping Company. An immigrant ship. Built for McKeelar & Co., of Greenock, Scotland, which ownership name seems soon to be corrected (LR of 1875/76) to McKellar &  Co. Have read that Ballochmyle was the first vessel to berth at Gladstone Pier, Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand ('NZ'). Carried 502 passengers on a London to Lyttelton voyage, said to be under the command of Captain Lunden, that commenced Feb. 25, 1874 & arrived at Lyttelton on Jun. 1, 1874. She also carried cargo which included 700 tons of railway iron. On Aug. 1, 1874 it was reported that Tararua, a steamer, had collided with Ballochmyle upon Tararua's arrival at Lyttelton. Tararua was severely damaged while Ballochmyle's port bulwarks were stove in. When being moved into the stream at Lyttelton, on Aug. 5, 1874, Ballochmyle was towed by Beautiful Star, a steamer. The tow line unfortunately parted & kicked back viciously, its end striking Captain Hart of Beautiful Star. Both his legs were broken & one was immediately amputated. Captain Hart was carried on to Dunedin, where Beautiful Star was bound, but he died before reaching port. (Per 'White Wings', Vol. 2, Sir Henry Brett, 1928 & this extensive newspaper article). Ballochmyle left Lytteleton on Aug. 21, 1874 bound for San Francisco where it arrived on Oct. 27, 1874, then to proceed to Cork, Ireland, with sleepers. En route to San Francisco, the ship's surgeon, Dr. Edward Smythe, who apparently was unable to swim, fell overboard & was drowned. The above voyage seems to be Ballochmyle's only voyage to NZ. The vessel was sold, in 1875, to R. Cuthbert & Co. ('Cuthbert'), also of Greenock, i.e. Robert Cuthbert per Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1875 thru 1883 - 1880 is here. On Jul. 26, 1880, the vessel was reported to have arrived at Bombay (now Mumbai), India, ex Dundee with only its fore & main masts & bowsprit left. All other yards, sails & boats had been lost & the vessel had suffered considerable hull damage. 100 tons of its cargo of coal had had to be jettisoned. Presumably weather related. The vessel was sold again, in 1883, to D. Bruce & Co, of Dundee, Scotland, which ref. shows in the 1882/83 edition of LR at left. D. Bruce would seem to mean David Bruce per MNLs of 1884 thru 1895 (MNL of 1890 is here). LR however has the vessel reverting, per LR of 1883/84, to Cuthbert ownership & then back to D. Bruce & Co. It would seem that they were likely related? In LR of 1894/95 the vessel was sold or transferred to 'The Dundee Clipper Line Ltd.', with D. Bruce & Co. the vessel's managers, both of Dundee (per MNL of 1896 & 1897). On Oct. 31, 1892 the vessel arrived at East Bute Dock, Cardiff, with wheat ex Talcahuano, Chile. In late Nov. 1892, it left Cardiff for San Francisco, presumably with a cargo of Welsh coal. Not the first time it had traded into Cardiff. The vessel's best passage was, I read, from Sharpness, Gloucestershire, (left Nov. 8, 1893) to Melbourne, Australia, (arrived Jan. 24, 1894) in 77 days, with a cargo of salt. Tait was in command for such voyage. On Apl. 25, 1895 the vessel arrived at London, 99 days ex Kingston (150 miles SE of Adelaide) with a cargo of wool. On Oct. 27, 1895, two vessels arrived at Melbourne from Quebec, Canada, both with cargoes of timber, i.e. Ballochmyle & Sigurd, a Norwegian barque. They had left Quebec respectively on Jul. 24 & Jul. 25, 1895. In Apl. 1896, the vessel arrived at Portland Oregon, Captain Tait in command, 76 days out of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, probably with a cargo of coal. Severe weather had been encountered en route - on Jan. 8, 1896 - when the vessel was near New Zealand. The main topmast had carried away & crashed both on the deck & partly overboard resulting in a severely damaged ship. To save the ship, the debris was cut away, repairs were effected, & the vessel proceeded on its journey under jury rig. The actions by Tait were considered to be most 'plucky'. You can read all about it here. The vessel was sold, in 1897, to B. Hansen of Stavanger, Norway, renamed Hebe & it would seem re-rigged as a barque.  Such sale, at a value of under £3 per ton, was noted in a Sydney, NSW, newspaper published on Jul. 15, 1897. Have read that the owner was 'A/S Jernskib Hebe'. On Oct. 7, 1897 Hebe arrived at Melbourne, 76 days out of Hamburg, Germany, with a general cargo, S. Neilsen in command. It later went on to Boston, U.S.A., with 7,041 bales of wool. The vessel was sold again, in 1901, to F. (Francesco) G. Leva ('Leva'), of Austria, & renamed Alba. Owned by 'Ship Alba Co. Ltd.' of Lussingrande, I read. György Ákos of Budapest advises (thanks George!) that Leva, who lived in Lussingrande (Mali Losinj on the island of Lussino/Losinj, today Croatia) was the managing owner of Alba, which had 57 owners, all Austrian citizens, & was based at Trieste. Felice B. Cosulich became the vessel's master. Alba was converted to a hulk at Lussingrande in Mar. 1908. The second to last image at left was published in 'Amerre szél visz, s hullám utat ád', a 1907 book, written in Hungarian by György Ákos & József Horváth - re Hungarian seamen in the era of sailing ships. A portion of the above data was also from a long expired eBay item. Many crew lists are available here. Can you add anything? Your contribution would be most welcome. 36   Baron Blantyre 1623/1700 (N/G) later 1585/1704 tons Hull 426 67924 1873 An iron ship, which was launched on Aug. 22, 1873 & first registered on Oct. 13, 1873 (scroll to #67924). Per 1 (vessel's 1874/75 voyage to Sydney, Australia), 2 (crew & passenger list re above voyage), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 257.0 ft. long (78.94 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters MJGQ. So far as the webmaster can see, the vessel was Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1873/74 thru 1889/1890. Built for J. McCunn, correctly James MacCunn, of Greenock, Scotland, as per many editions of The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') from 1875 thru 1885 at least including that of 1880. 'J. McCunn & Co.' per LRs of 1878/79 thru 1883/84 at least, always registered at Greenock. Rosemary Wilson advises (thanks Rosemary!) that the company was founded by John MacCunn (1803/1873) & later run by John MacCunn's son James. Known as Baronial Line. During the period of 'MacCunn' ownership, 'Maclachln' is listed as her captain thru 1875/76, J. Mitchell thereafter thru 1880/81 at least. Her later captain, thru 1883/1884 at least was, per LR, F. Wilson. At an unknown date in 1885/86, the vessel was sold. LR reports the new owner to be 'Baine & Johnston (per J. Grieve Jr.)' which I think means that J. Grieve Jr. was the appointed nominee for Baine & Johnston. MNL of 1887 lists 'Jas. Grieve, jun.' of Greenock, as her then owner. Ownership changed one more time. LR of 1887/88 lists J. Neill, also of Greenock, as the new owner of the vessel, now of 1585/1704 (N/G) tons, John Neill per MNLs of 1888 & 1887. John Neill was a Greenock sugar refiner, I read. Per LRs, E. S. Burns served as the vessel's captain from 1885/86 at least thru 1888/89, & 'Taylor' was in command in 1889/90. Some operational events. i) On Nov. 11, 1874 the vessel left Gravesend, London, & under the command of Captain Francis J. (known as Frank) McLachlan, for Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, with 31 passengers & a general cargo (which included iron rails) stated to be valued at £90,900. It arrived at Sydney on Feb. 9, 1875, 88 days out of the Lizard, in a damaged condition having met a heavy gale on Feb. 6, 1875, a gale which carried away her maintopmast & mizzen-top-gallant yard & caused other significant damage. On Apl. 22, 1875, the vessel left Sydney for San Francisco with 5 passengers & 2,300 tons of coal.  ii) In Apl. 1876 the vessel was spotted en route from Liverpool to Calcutta (now Kolkata), India. iii) The vessel left Deal, Kent, for Otago, New Zealand, on Jan. 15, 1877. It went on to Calcutta, arriving there in Oct. 1877. You can read an extensive article re her arrival at Otago here. iv) On Aug. 1, 1879, the vessel arrived at Penarth Docks, Cardiff, in ballast. It loaded a cargo of coal for Calcutta & ready to depart, moored in the stream at East Bute Dock. On Aug. 26, 1879, while moored, the vessel was struck by Somorrosto, a small, 398 gross ton steamship, causing damage to Baron Blantyre including damage to her bulwarks. v) In Jun. 1881, the vessel past the Lizard ex Calcutta, bound for Dundee. On Jul. 19, 1881 the vessel arrived at Cardiff, ex Dundee, in ballast. vi) On May 4, 1885, the vessel, under the command of F. C. Wilson, arrived at Melbourne, Australia ex London (dep. Jan. 21, 1885). It later sailed, on Jun. 8, 1885, for Sourabaya, Java. vii) In early 1887, the vessel, Burns in command, was en route from Java to Greenock with a cargo of sugar. On Feb. 23, 1887, when 500 miles W. of Fastnet (SW tip of Ireland), the vessel encountered a major gale which carried away all of her sails & spars & all the available food & water except for 2 casks of salt beef. The crew were left starving & in desperate need of drinking water. Baltimore, a British steamship, came to her assistance & in raging seas sent 2 lifeboats to Baron Blantyre with needed supplies. The voyage to Greenock was safely completed without assistance. A newspaper article about the matter can be read here. A second more extensive article, quite difficult to read, can be read at Trove, Australia, here. viii) At Liverpool Assizes, in May 1888, Edward Burns, Baron Blantyre's captain & Gavin Coghill, her mate, were found guilty of manslaughter in the Aug. 30, 1887 death of Charles Barnes, a seaman, during the ship's 1887 voyage from Cardiff (arr. from Liverpool on May 13, 1877, dep. Jun. 2, 1877 with crew of 27) to Singapore. To say that Barnes was mistreated is a giant understatement. You can read what, it is reported, that Burns & Coghill did or permitted to be done to Barnes. But be warned. It is not easy reading. Burns' own words read rather differently. The pair were found guilty. Burns was sentenced to 18 months in prison with hard labour & Coghill to 15 months with hard labour. Their certificates were also cancelled. LR of 1889/90 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. On Aug. 28, 1889, the vessel, en route from Cardiff (dep. May 25, 1889) to Singapore with a cargo of Welsh coal, James Taylor in command, grounded 1 1/2 miles NW of Timbaga Rocks, in the Banka Straits, which lie between Sumatra & Bangka Island in the Java Sea. 3 days later, on Aug. 31, 1889, the vessel was abandoned with, it would seem, no loss of life. In the opinion of the Court of Inquiry held into her loss, this all happened due to the gross neglect of both Taylor & the ship's mate, for their significant navigational errors. Taylor's master's licence was suspended for 12 months & Edward Williams, the ship's mate, was censored by the Court. As you can read here (ex here) in the brief Report of the Court of Inquiry. In an extensive Singapore 'Straits Times' article I read i) that efforts were made to free the vessel, without success, & ii) that Captain Taylor went to Muntok aboard Penang & returned to the scene aboard Gier, a Government steamer. Upon arrival all they could then do was save some of the gear. The crew went on to Rhio via Ternaie & ended up at Singapore. Many crew lists are available here Can you tell us more? #2064 37   Drepano 1026/1558 (or 1572 or 1499) tons Hull 424 68883 1873 A passenger/cargo steamship which was launched on Mar. 15, 1873 & first registered, at Sunderland, on Apl. 16, 1873 (scroll to 68883). Per 1 (Florio Line, Drepano), 2 (NGI), 3 ('wrecksite.eu'), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 278.8 ft. (84.98 metres) long perpendicular to perpendicular, 230 HP engines by George Clark of Sunderland. Its first owner would seem to be Trinacria Steamship Company ('La Trinacria Societa di Nav. a Vapeur' but the name may be 'Triancria' - but I think not), of Palermo, Italy. On Oct. 24, 1876, the vessel was purchased as part of the 'Trinacria' fleet in liquidation by 'Societa in Accomandita Piroscafi Postali - Ignazio & Vicenzo Florio', known as 'Florio Line', also of Palermo? In 1881, the vessel was taken over by 'Navigazione Generale Italiana', 'NGI', which was formed, in that year, by the amalgamation of Florio Line & R. Rubattino of Genoa. A couple of operational matters. The vessel was reported to be ashore at the quarantine ground at Nisidia (Nisida, an islet located just N. of Naples, Italy) as a result of a hurricane which hit the Bay of Naples area on Feb. 24, 1879. And in Jun. 1890 (in red), Drepano was slightly damaged after a collision with a lighter - at Sulina (Romania, Black Sea). In 1906, Drepano was wrecked at Cyrenaica, eastern coastal region of Libya. Lloyd's Telegrams in a shipping casualties list published on Jun. 20, 1906, tells us that Drepano was aground at Takura, said to be located 42 miles E. of Benghazi, Libya, & that her passengers crew & post had been saved by Flavio Givia, an Italian steamer. The vessel later broke up. I have read that such grounding took place on Jun. 17, 1906, & that the vessel had been en route from Canea (Chania, Crete) to Tripoli, Libya. Can you provide more data and perhaps an image? 38 Norval 1431 became 1427/1503 (N/G) tons Hull 427 67926 1873 An iron, fully rigged 'half-poop' ship. Per 1 (An extensive account of the 1882 Norval fire ex 2), 3 ('wrecksite.eu', data), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The webmaster has a number of editions of Lloyd's Registers, thru 1882/83, ex Google Books, available (see left). 243.0 ft. long (74.07 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters WSGT. Built for Baine & Johnston of Greenock for trade to the East Indies. The 1876/77 edition of Lloyd's Register shows the vessel ownership as being R. Grieve. That does not mean that the vessel had been sold, Grieve being a nominee of Baine & Johnston. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1875 & 1876 both refer to Jas. J. Grieve, of Greenock. The Baine & Johnston effective ownership would seem to have been brief - the 1878/79 edition shows the then owner to be 'T. O. Hunter & Hendry', of Greenock. Per LR, no later ownership changes. However, MNL of 1878 lists Thomas O. Hunter, of Greenock, as the vessel's then owner while MNLs of 1879, 1880 & 1882 all list William H. Hunter, again of Greenock. David Roberts advises (thanks David!) that the ship was dismasted in the Indian Ocean on her first voyage, to Bombay, India, with a cargo of coal. She made for Mauritius under jury-rig where she was re-fitted, loaded with sugar & returned to Britain. The second voyage was to Calcutta & back (also India), & the third to Port Chalmers, New Zealand, leaving Gravesend on May 2, 1876, loaded with barrels of gunpowder & paraffin oil, reaching port in early August. David also advises that his great great grandfather James Limbrick, later a tug captain, was an ordinary seaman aboard Norval on a voyage ex London that arrived at Sydney, Australia, in Mar. 1880. Miramar advises that the vessel suffered a fire on Mar. 4, 1882 at  13.30N/126W, in the Pacific Ocean, 1700/1800 miles W. of the coast of Guatemala, a bit N. of the Equator. I now learn that the ship left Hull on Oct. 26, 1881 bound for San Francisco, U.S.A., with a cargo of 1865 tons of 'Wheldale Hartley' steam coal, under the command of George Halliday, with a total complement of 29. The ship rounded Cape Horn & sailed northwards. On Feb. 28, 1882, when at 8N/115.4W, a smoky steam began issuing from the fore-hatch. Extensive efforts were made to extinguish the fire - water was pumped into the holds for 2 days or more resulting in 6 ft. of water in the holds. It was thought that such efforts had been successful in extinguishing the fire. However on Mar. 3, 1882, a giant explosion occurred, an explosion which caused great damage to the ship & some modest crew injuries but no loss of life. Two 26 ft. lifeboats were put into the water. Soon the mainmast went over the side, the mizzen mast followed & the ship became enveloped in flames. Where was the ship? W. of 10.34N/117.33W it would seem. The crew set sail for the Sandwich Islands, i.e. the Hawaiian Islands, in 4 boats, The lifeboats were commanded by Captain Halliday & First Mate Frank Anderson, respectively, while the 2nd mate & the boatswain commanded  the two smaller boats. After a journey of 2,000 miles & 20 days, the Captain & 20 of the crew arrived safely at Honolulu, aboard steamer Likelike which had picked them up near Mahukona on the NW tip of the Big Island of Hawaii. Anderson & 7 crew members did not arrive at Honolulu, at least by the time of the extensive article referenced above. David Roberts believes, in fact, that they never did arrive. The names of all crew members are at 1. The cause of the fire? It would seem that the spontaneous combustion of the ship's cargo may have been caused by the coal being loaded in a damp condition. Not a rare occurrence, it would seem. Can you provide more data & perhaps an image? #1906 39   Sleipner 543/854 (N/G) tons later 623/916, 626/987, 723/986 (in 1887/88) & later again 566/933 tons Hull 425 1873 An iron steamship which was launched in Aug. 1873. Per 1 ('wrecksite.eu', data & wreck), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1873/74 thru 1893/94 at least & also in 1897/98. And presumably some intervening years. Sleipner? A fine name for a ship - in Norse mythology 'Sleipner' was warrior God Odin's (or Oden's) horse, swift, gray, muscular, able to fly & equipped, I read, with eight rather than four legs. 210.1 ft. (64.04 metres) long perpendicular to perpendicular, later 214.4 ft., signal letters HLCS, 100 HP engines by North Eastern Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. of Sunderland. The vessel may well have been rebuilt in or about 1887/88. In LR of that year, the vessel's length is reported at 214.4 ft. & her engines of the same manufacturer at 110 HP. Just maybe in error, LR of 1897/98 records her engines at 96 HP only. The vessel's first owner, thru 1885/86, was, per LR, 'Swedish Steam Navigation Co.' of Gothenburg, Sweden. With 'L. Pal'nder', G. Gadda, V. Carlson, & Jansson serving as the vessel's captains. A WWW search for such owner name produces truly nothing at all. Miramar rather refers to 'Sverige Angbatsbolag', presumably such name in Swedish, however 'wrecksite.eu' rather refers to her initial owner being 'Oxelösunds RederiAktiebolag - Percy Tham - RederiAktiebolag Sverige' of Stockholm, Sweden. Both such sites also refer to the period of such ownership ending in 1876 rather than in 1886. LR of 1886/87 reports SS Co. "Svithiod" as the vessel's new owner & in or about 1892/93 they modified such name to read 'Angfartygs Aktieb "Svithiod". Such company was founded, I read, in 1870 by a Gothenburg wholesaler & fleet owner named August Carlson - A. Carlson is listed as the vessel's manager in LR of 1897/98. Jansson, per LR, served as the vessel's captain thru 1890/91 then Bruhn, C. J. Jansson, & finally A. G. Wessberg, who was her captain when she was lost in 1897. A few operational matters. It is clear that the vessel frequently carried Welsh coal to Gothenburg, generally ex Prince of Wales Dock at Swansea, returning to Liverpool likely with cargoes of timber. In Apl. 1885, the vessel was towed into Liverpool with her engines disabled. In mid Jul. 1885, the vessel was in modest collision in the Mersey River with City of Berlin. In Dec. 1885, the vessel, while docking at Liverpool struck rocks outside Garston Dock. In Mar. 1894, the vessel arrived at Gothenburg ex Blyth, with hull damage the result of going ashore. The place she went ashore is not stated.  On Nov. 6, 1897, Sleipner, Wessberg in command, arrived at Prince of Wales Dock, Swansea, ex Liverpool in ballast. 3 days later, the vessel left Swansea for Gothenburg with a cargo of coal, though I have also read tinplate also. On Nov. 13, 1897, the vessel was wrecked at Lemvig (NW coast of Denmark). With, I read, no loss of life. I cannot tell you about the circumstances of her loss. Can you provide more detail re such loss or otherwise add to or correct the above text. An image? #2069 40 Baron Aberdare 1630/1708 (N/G) tons later 1604/1679 & 1567/1695 tons Hull 429 67944 Katharine Akershus 1874 A 3 masted fully rigged iron ship, later a barque, which was launched in Aug. 1874 & first registered on Oct. 19, 1874 (scroll to #67944). Per 1 (Wikipedia, Baron Aberdare), 2 (image), 3 (extensive description of Baron Aberdare, half-way down page), 4 (source of data at link 3), 5 (Norwegian page, data, Akershus), 6 & 7 (data re arrival of Baron Aberdare at Auckland, NZ, on Mar. 19, 1875), 8 (half-model, Baron Aberdare), 9 (1883 capsized image, do click on full screen), 10 (same image, click at top right to see in giant size), 11 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 259.0 ft. long (78.94 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters NPBR, later QDWF & HFGV. So far as the webmaster can see, the vessel was Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1874/75 thru 1899/1900 & probably in later editions also. You can see some of those LR entries at left. Built for J. McCunn, correctly James MacCunn, of Greenock, Scotland, as per many editions of The Mercantile Navy List from 1875 thru 1885 including that of 1880. 'J. McCunn & Co.' per LRs of 1876/77 thru 1883/84 at least, always registered at Greenock. Rosemary Wilson advises (thanks Rosemary!) that the company was founded by John MacCunn (1803/1873) & later run by John MacCunn's son James. Known as Baronial Line. During the period of 'MacCunn' ownership, R. (Richard) Edmonds is listed as her captain thru 1876/77 at least, 'Blomfield' from 1878/79 thru 1881 or thereabouts. Her captain thereafter thru 1884 seems to have been W. Parkes, but LR has 3 variations of his name. At an unknown date in 1885, the vessel was sold to 'Reck & Boyes' (per Log-Chips), certainly to 'Boyes & Ruyter', of Bremen, Germany, & renamed Katharine (not Katherine). With B. (Bernard) Spille her captain. It was sold again, in Mar. 1896, to, per LR, 'C. Zernichow & O. Gotaas' ('Zerichow'), of Kristiania (Oslo), Norway, & renamed Akershus. Was re-rigged as a barque. Link 5 indicates that 'A/S Akershus' was the owner with Zerichow the managers. A. Marcussen, maybe A. E. Marcussen, was the vessel's captain, I read, from 1896 thru 1899, then A. Agerholt or Agerholdt thru 1901. Akershus? An Oslo medieval fortress, a tourist attraction today, built commencing in about 1299, to protect the capital & the kings of Norway. Some operational events. i) On Dec. 8, 1874 the vessel left Gravesend, London, under the command of Captain Edmonds, for Auckland, New Zealand ('NZ') via Plymouth on her first commercial voyage. With 164 immigrants, 15 or so cabin passengers & about 1,800 tons of general cargo. Which cargo included railway rolling stock including 5 1st & 2nd class railway carriages. And also a lifeboat, valued at £450, built by Forest & Son of London, for use at the NZ port of Napier. On Mar. 19, 1875 the vessel safely arrived at Auckland 95 or 96 days out of Plymouth, went on to Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia on Apl. 18 or 20, 1875 (arr. May 2, dep. Jul. 10, 1875) where she loaded 2200 tons of New Lambton coal for San Francisco (arrived on Nov. 4, 1875). ii) On Dec. 2, 1878 the vessel left London for Melbourne, Australia, with a general cargo & 14 passengers, under the command of Harry Bloomfield (maybe Blomfield or Bromfield), arriving there on Feb. 19, 1878, 74 days out from the Lizard. On Apl. 5, 1878, the vessel went on to Calcutta, in ballast. iii) The vessel traded from Greenock to San Francisco in 1881. iv) In Dec. 1883 (A & B) the vessel was in the London docks. The dock master moved the ship to moorings from which the vessel broke loose & collided with other vessels, during an extreme storm/hurricane that effected most of the U.K. She ended up, on Dec. 14, 1883, capsized on her side in the entrance between the Royal Albert & Royal Victoria Docks, London. A dramatic scene indeed (image at left). Her masts & rigging had to be cut away before she could be raised. All traffic in the area had to be stopped for a week as a result. Her 'owners claimed in full from the dock company,' ('London & St. Katharine Docks Co.) 'because ship was moved berth by the dockmaster without consent of the master who claimed the vessel was not sufficiently stiffened.' The vessel's owners were successful in their claim & awarded the sum of £7,500 as damages. The vessel was raised & repaired at Victoria Graving Dock. Then owned by 'J. MacCunn & Co.' of Greenock & said to have been registered at Glasgow. v) On Jul. 27, 1885, the vessel now named Katharine & under charter to the Shaw, Savill & Albion Steamship Co., arrived at Auckland, 99 days out of London. With Captain Bernard Spille in command, about 20 passengers & with a full general cargo. On Sep. 11, 1885 it was cleared for departure to Chittagong (then Burmah now Bangladesh). On Jan. 8, 1901, the vessel was stranded & wrecked at Sunbawa (or Sourabaya) Island, Sapel Strait, Indonesia, on a passage from Philadelphia, U.S.A., to Yokohama, Japan, with 'case oil' (kerosene contained in 5-gallon tin cans packed by twos in wooden cases). The crew were all saved. Can you tell us more? WEAR CONCRETE BUILDING CO., LTD. Tony Frost advises me (thanks!) that Wear Concrete Building Co., Ltd. ("Wear Concrete"), a subsidiary company of 'Swan Hunter, & Wigham Richardson, Ltd.' ("Swan Hunter") was, during WW1, commissioned to built 12 concrete tugs for the British Admiralty. At a time of steel shortage. Beside what was, for a few years, the Sunderland facility of Swan Hunter. Wear Concrete operated for a very short period & built only 3 concrete tugs, all built in 1919. Specifically Cretehawser, Creterope & Cretecable, all concrete hulled tugs of 262 tons. 1 Cretehawser 262 tons 1 143118 1919 A concrete hulled tug. Per 1 (extensive data), 2 (aerial image of hulk), 3 (data with a fine large image), 4 (data & image), 5 (night image of hulk), 6 ('Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Lloyd's Register data, 1931/32 thru 1935/36), 7 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 38.1 or 38.25 metres long, signal letters JWSR. Built for the Shipping Controller, of London. And intended to tow barges loaded with iron-ore from northern Spain to foundries in Britain. In 1921, the vessel was transferred to the Board of Trade, London. In 1922, the vessel was sold to Crete Shipping Co. Ltd., of London, owned by Stelp & Leighton Ltd. perhaps, who also were the managers, & used by them to tow barges laden with coal to Continental destinations. The vessel soon became uneconomical to operate & it was mothballed on the River Wear. I have read that the vessel served in the Sunderland docks. Yes? In 1935, the vessel became owned by Samuel Levy of South Shields, who sold it, it would seem, to South Stockton Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., of Stockton, for scrap. Lloyd's Register, of 1935/36 states that the vessel was broken up. In 1936, the hull of the gutted & dismantled vessel was beached in the River Wear intended for use as an emergency breakwater. The vessel was later damaged by bombing in WW2, towed upriver but sank en route. It was, I read, deliberately beached in 1942, on the S. bank of the river near Claxheugh Rock. This listing advised that that is opposite to it's building berth on the N. bank beside the then Wearmouth Colliery. But I now think that data is incorrect & that Claxheugh Rock (image) is rather up-river at South Hylton. Maybe 'Wearmouth Colliery' should have read 'Hylton Colliery'? Can you tell us anything more? WEAR DOCKYARD LTD. This listing should not be confused with the 'Austin' facility, which went, for many many years, by the name of 'Wear Dockyard'. The name came to the webmaster's attention through an eBay listing, now long gone, for a battery operated clock with a most distinctive face - a face that features a copper engraving of a ship called Harbury, which ship has absolutely nothing practical to do with 'Wear Dockyard Ltd.' since Harbury was built by 'Austin' back in 1896 & was sunk in 1943. Have I confused you sufficiently? I am advised that 'Wear Dockyard Ltd.' was a ship repair facility located at South Dock, between where Greenwell's used to be & the entrance to South Dock. The business was run by Albert le Blonde, for many years a sea going engineer, who in the 1970s, against all odds, started up a ship repair business, leasing a small dry dock owned by the River Wear Commissioners. A dry dock that surely had been operated by Greenwell's for many years. The 'Albert le Blonde' business was in operation for 20/30 years & it expanded into Tyneside for a while. Until about year 2000, when Albert retired. A correspondent has described his business as small (which it probably was) but described Albert, none-the-less, as one of the leading lights in the ship repair business on both rivers for a great many years. He used to live at Westoe Village, South Shields, I am advised, but has since moved away from the area. We do not have an image of Albert. But we do have an image of his clock. At left. It was a gift item that Albert gave to his clients, produced in small quantities accordingly. And doubtless, Harbury was used because of the 'Wear Dockyard' name by which 'Austin' had been known. With 'Wear Dockyard Ltd' inscribed under the most attractive original copper engraving of Harbury. As you can next see. WHITEFIELD, M. (or WHITFIELD) So far as I can see, M. Whitefield (or Whitfield) built just 3 vessels, one in each of the years 1838, 1839 & 1840. 1   Sedulous 226/230 tons 24654 1840 Sedulous? Diligent, persevering, does not give up easily. A snow. Sedulous is Lloyd's Register ('LR') recorded from 1840/41 thru 1858/59 with the exception of 1851/52 & 1852/53. Its initial owner, per LR, was 'Whitfield' of Sunderland, i.e. its builder, for service from Sunderland to Portsmouth, Hampshire, with P. Brooks noted to have been her captain. But LR of 1840/41 also records 'Nisbet & Co.', of Aberdeen, Scotland, as the vessel's new owner, for service form Aberdeen to the Baltic. It would seem that 'Nisbet & Co.' should correctly be 'Nesbet & Co.' as is LR recorded from 1842/43 thru 1850/51, with G. Levie serving as the vessel's captain, per LR, thru such period. LR records service always ex Aberdeen, to the Baltic in 1841/42 & in 1848/49 & 1849/50, but to Quebec, Canada, from 1842/43 thru 1844/45. I read (search for Sedulous) that on Jun. 14, 1847, the vessel, Levie in command, arrived at Quebec ex Liverpool (left Apl. 22, 1847). I also have read that on Jul. 27, 1852, Sedulous, arriving at Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, from Quebec with a cargo of timber & a crew of 8, struck on rocks near Peterhead. It was got off, 'much injured'. I suspect that the grounding & related repairs caused the 2 year LR silence noted above. The data at the link that the vessel was under the command of a pilot at the time of the grounding & that the rocks were not marked on the then area charts. It also notes that Jas. Nesbet was the vessel's then owner & Geo. Levie her then captain. LR of 1853/54 records 'Staniford' of Newcastle as Sedulous's then owner, with G. Sykes her captain, for service from Shields to London. LRs of 1854/55 & 1855/56 record W. Burton of Shields as the vessel's then owner, for service from Shields to Portsmouth with G. Storey her captain. I note in that regard that this page (#24654) notes that the vessel became Shields registered on Nov. 25, 1854. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5 lists Wm. Burton, of North Shields as the vessel's 1854 owner with George Storey her captain. Ownership soon changed again. LRs of 1856/57 thru 1858/59 lists T. Knox, of Shields, as Sedulous's both owner & captain, for service from Shields to the Baltic (in 1856/57). It would seem, however, that Knox had become her owner at an earlier date than 1856/57. Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1855 lists T. Knox & Roger Fair as her then owners with G. Storey still her captain. While TR of 1856 lists T. Knox & R. Fair as the then owners of the Shields registered vessel. This listing is advanced having seen Wikipedia advise (thanks!) that on Sep. 16, 1857 the vessel was driven ashore & wrecked at Bolderāja & that her crew were rescued. Bolderāja is at the mouth of the Daugava river, at Riga, Latvia. A 'Lloyd's List' report, from Riga on Sep. 24, 1857 (in blue), tells us that 'Fair' was Sedulous's captain at the time, that the vessel had been stranded on the coast & that her crew were all saved. Driven ashore as the result of a severe storm that had caused 16 vessels to have been stranded on shore there. I read (in blue) that Sedulous was from Cronstadt (St. Petersburg, Russia) in ballast, & was lying high on the sand, near the lighthouse, presumably at Bolderāja. The webmaster is not independently sure as to the date when the vessel stranded - but Sep. 21, 1857 looks likely to have been the correct date. But was the vessel truly wrecked as reported in the 'Morning Chronicle' of London on Sep. 24, 1857, one of 'Wiki's sources? Text. This page (#24654) notes, in an 1858 report of some sort, that Sedulous had been sold to foreigners. To whom was it sold? I don't know. Was it later repaired & returned to service? Again I don't know. It seems likely that the much damaged vessel was auctioned off in situ. No crew lists seem to be available for the vessel. It may well be that the London 'Daily News', of Sep. 28, 1857 (another Wiki source), might provide additional data. If any reader can provide detail from that issue, it could be most helpful. Is there anything you can add to the above account? If so, your knowledge would be welcomed. #2625 WILKINSON, MOSES So far as I can see, Moses Wilkinson built 12 vessels during the period from 1811 to 1830. Six of those vessels are, so far, listed below. 1   Harvest 213, later 199 & 195 tons 23828 1811 A snow or brig. Harvest is, the webmaster believes, Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1815 thru 1822, from 1828 thru 1833, from 1845/46 thru 1847/48, & from 1855/56 thru 1869/70. The registers are, however, often confusing & interpreting them is difficult. The vessel, a 213 ton brig, was initially owned, per LR, by 'Williamson', for service from London to Jamaica & London to Havana, Cuba. A listing of vessels registered at Sunderland in 1826 records the 1811 built Harvest as owned by M. Wilkinson with R. Child her then captain. The webmaster suspects that the LR reference above to 'Williamson' was in error & should rather have been to 'Wilkinson'. Such view is confirmed by a Sunderland shipping website which requests no links or recognition. It advises (thanks!) that the vessel was first registered, at Sunderland, on Sep. 19, 1811, owned by Bartholomew Thomas & Moses Wilkinson. From 1828 thru 1833 the brig was owned, per LR, by 'Wilkinson' for service as an Exmouth, Devon, coaster. Note the LR listings of such period refer, incorrectly I believe, to the vessel having been built in or about 1821. The LR data from 1834 thru 1838 is cryptic - it may or may not be listed in those years. From 1845/46 thru 1847/48 the vessel, now of 199 tons but soon of 195 tons only, was owned, per LR, by 'Kersson' of Sunderland for service as a Yarmouth coaster. You should note that the LR listings from 1855/56 thru 1869/70 refer to the vessel having been built in 1812. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, in Apl. 1848 data, lists Harvest as Sunderland registered & owned by W. Keres. As is confirmed (William Keres) by the equivalent directory of 1854/5, in Mar. 1854 data, with Wm. Simpson there noted to be her captain. The Sunderland website referred to above tells us that the vessel was registered, in the names of William Keres & Thomas Mitchison, both of Sunderland, on Dec. 27, 1838. From 1855/56 thru 1860/61, per LR, 'Thompson' of Sunderland owned the 199 ton Harvest, now a snow, for service from Sunderland to Hamburg, Germany, from Sunderland to France, ex Sunderland & for service as a Sunderland coaster. In 1855/56 & 1856/57, per LR, T. Thompson was her captain. As is confirmed by Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1855. TR of 1856 lists T. Thompson of Sunderland as her then owner. Which owner name is clarified by Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 as meaning Thomas Thompson. First registered in his name, on May 15, 1854, I read. In 1861/62, the vessel was briefly owned by 'R. Crawfrd', i.e. Robert Crawford, of Sunderland (registered on Feb. 16, 1861). From 1861/62 (reg. Jan. 14, 1862) thru 1869/70, per LR, E. Oliver of Shields is listed as her owner for service as a Newcastle coaster. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') record the vessel as registered at Sunderland from 1857 thru 1861 & at Shields thereafter. MNLs of 1865 thru 1871 (1870) list Edward Oliver of North Shields as the then owner of the 196 ton vessel. While MNL of 1872 lists John Markham, of Seaham Harbour, County Durham, as her owner. Registered on May 11, 1872, I read. 82.8 ft. long per LR, have also read 86.2 ft., crew lists are available via this page. The initial LR listing, that of 1815, interestingly refers to the vessel having had 5 guns. On Nov. 14, 1871, per line 2075 here, the 195 ton brig was stranded at Saltfleet, Lincolnshire, while en route from Rochester, Kent, to Seaham, in ballast. Crew of 5 - none lost. Then stated to be owned by John Markham. Such wreck listing incorrectly, I believe, reports the vessel as having been built in 1808, as did MNL of 1872. I learn (1 & 2) that a large number of vessels were driven ashore, on Nov. 14, 1871, between Saltfleet & Theddlethorpe, Lincolnshire, by powerful gales. Including Harvest, then under the command of 'Markham'. Most of them got off in an exceptionally high tide on the next morning, but Harvest was not so fortunate. Is there anything you can add to the above account? Or correct? #2700 2   Canning 176/153 tons 1827 A brig. The webmaster has two lists of Sunderland built ships available to him. One of them states that Moses Wilkinson was Canning's builder - the other states W. Wilkinson. Canning, which was launched in Jul. 1827, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1834 thru 1849/50 & not thereafter. With, alas, the LR data from 1834 thru 1838/39, being most limited. In such years, LR tells us only that the vessel was registered at Portsmouth, Hampshire, with T. Mann her captain - no owner name, where & when built, no rig data, proposed voyages etc. From 1839/40 thru 1849/50 the vessel is again LR listed as Portsmouth registered, owned by 'Clarks' or Clarks & Co., with J. Slater, per LR, always her captain. For service over those years to Portsmouth ex Sunderland, Newcastle, Shields & London, but in 1844/45 & 1845/46 for service from Portsmouth to Archangel, Russia, & in 1846/47 & 1847/48 for service from Newport, Wales to Spain. What happened to Canning? Wikipedia advises (thanks!) that a vessel of the name, en route from Cádiz, Spain, to St. Petersburg, Russia, was wrecked near Kuressaare, Russia. Before May 24, 1849, it is stated. Further that her crew all survived. I learn that on Mar. 06, 1849, Canning (Slater) had arrived at Lisbon, Portugal, ex Hartlepool. On May 14, 1849, it arrived at Portsmouth ex Lisbon, noted to be bound for Cronstadt (near St. Petersburg). And on May 16, 1849, Slater in command, it departed from Portsmouth. I read that Canning stranded at Ahrensburgh (or Arensburg), on the island of Oesel (now Saaremaa, Estonia, Baltic), previous to May 24, 1849. Noted to have been en route from Cadiz, Spain, to St. Petersburg. Arensburg is, I learn, the German name for Kuressaare, the Oesel capital town. The webmaster has not read about the circumstances of the vessel's loss or the nature of her cargo. Which cargo, along with the vessel's crew & ship's stores were landed at Arensburg/Kuressaare, prior to Jun. 8, 1849. As per these contemporary news reports (1 & 2). Is there anything you can add? Or correct? #2701 3   Rainbow 215, later 216, tons 1827 A snow or brig. I have seen W. Wilkinson stated to have rather built this vessel. Only modest data is available re Rainbow. Which is, the webmaster believes, recorded (if cryptically at times) in Lloyd's Registers ('LR') from 1828 thru 1837/38. The vessel's owner, per LR, thru 1833, was P. Austin for service from Liverpool to Bremen, Germany, thru 1830, & from Hull to Hamburg, Germany, from 1831 thru 1833. LRs of 1834 thru 1837/38 are fragmentary - they provide no detail other than that she was now of 216 tons, registered at Sunderland, & that 'Hnderson', presumably Henderson, was now her captain. It may well be that there had been a change of ownership. As per this page (in blue), on Feb. 24, 1838, Rainbow encountered bad weather, lost its main mast & became totally unmanageable in the high seas. At 2 p.m. that day, she was driven on shore at Hawthorn Hythe (located S. of Seaham, County Durham). Presumably rather later that day, fearful of being swept overboard, the entire crew & also the captain's wife who was aboard, took to the ship's longboat. Next morning, they were all rescued with the exception of the captain's wife, who had died overnight in the perishing cold. This page tells us that the captain was named Tanner. (Wikipedia states that the loss was on Feb. 26, 1838). Can you add anything additional? #2332 4   Edward Charleton 237, later 238 tons 1828 A snow or brig. The webmaster has two lists of Sunderland built ships available to him. One of them states that Moses Wilkinson was Edward Charleton's builder - the other states W. Wilkinson. The vessel, which was launched in Aug. 1828, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1828/29 thru 1837/38 only. The vessel was owned, thru 1832/33 per LR, by Charleton & Co., for service from London to the Baltic in 1828/29, & from London to Archangel, Russia, from 1829/30 thru 1832/33. With J. Brown, per LR, always the vessel's captain. There seems to be some confusion as to both the vessel's & her initial owner's name. LR clearly & consistently records the vessel as being Edward Charleton (with an 'e'). And, as I read the owner's name as it was variously recorded in LR, the owner's name surely included an 'e' also. In 1834, per LR, the vessel, now of 238 tons, became registered at Dublin, Ireland, & owned by J. Brown. However, in 1836/37 & 1837/38, the vessel, still owned by J. Brown, was, per LR, rather registered at Blyth, Northumberland. For consistent service from Dublin to Quebec, Canada, with 'Morrison' her captain. Much of the data in the last paragraph looks doubtful. This list of vessels registered at Newcastle in 1830 records Edward Charlton, then owned by J. Brown & Co., of Blyth. What happened to Edward Charleton? LR of 1837/38 notes that the vessel had been 'Lost'. I read, in a report from Scilly (Islands) on Dec. 27, 1836, that Edward Charlton, en route from Pembrey (Carmarthenshire, Wales) to London with 'Morrison' in command, was driven into St. Mary's Sound, Scilly Islands, in a sinking state, struck on Bartholomew's Ledge & sank. During powerful gales in the area that effected many ships. Per this report which does not state the date of such stranding. This webpage, however, as I understand the words, tells us (thanks!) that the loss occurred on Dec. 20, 1836 & that the vessel was rather en route from Llanelly, Wales, to London. Such webpage also tells us i) that the vessel's entire crew were taken off by a pilot boat & ii) the vessel itself was a total wreck with little expected to be saved. But I have read also that on Jan. 3, 1837, the vessel's broken hull was towed on shore in St. Agnes' Islands & was to be sold that day. Is there anything you can add? Or correct? #2702 5   Renard 105/89 tons 1828 A schooner. The webmaster has two lists of Sunderland built ships available to him. One of them states that Moses Wilkinson was Renard's builder - the other states W. Wilkinson. Renard, which was launched in Oct. 1828, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1834 thru 1848/49 only. LRs of 1834 thru 1837/38 are fragmentary - they provide no detail other than that she was of 105 tons, registered at Newcastle, & that B. Scott was consistently her captain. The vessel's initial owner was likely 'Plummer' of Newcastle. I say that because this list of vessels registered at Newcastle in 1830 records Renard as then owned by M. Plummer & Co. of Newcastle. And further, 'Plummer' is recorded as the vessel's owner from 1838/39 thru 1845/46 per LR. With A. How her captain frm 1838/39 thru 1840/41 & 'McLeish' from 1840/41 thru 1845/46. The vessel's service when 'Plummer' owned would seem to have been to Cadiz, Spain, mainly from Newcastle but also from London. In 1841/42, service from Newcastle to the Mediterranean is LR noted. In 1845/46, per LR, the vessel became Stockton registered, owned by 'Anderson', for consistent service, thru 1847/48 at least, from Stockton to the Rhone River (which enters the Mediterranean near Marseilles, France). With 'Anderson' her captain. The LR data re 1848/49 is modest which suggests to the webmaster that the vessel may have been 'Lost'. I note that the vessel is not recorded in the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9 as registered at Stockton in May 1848. But it is recorded as registered at Sunderland on Aug. 01, 1848, owned by Francis D. Thompson of Sunderland. Wikipedia tells us (thanks!) that a schooner named Renard, surely 'our' Renard, ran aground, on Mar. 19, 1850, at Whitby Rock. She was, per 'Wiki', refloated with the assistance of a coble & a steamboat & taken in to Whitby. I learn that the vessel had earlier left Seaham for Abbeville, Somme, N. France, with 'Brown' in command, presumably with a cargo of coal. I learn further (1 & 2) that at about 2 a.m. on Mar. 19, 1850, Renard & another vessel (a large unnamed brig) got onto Whitby Rock. Renard was got off, making a little water, with the assistance of a steamboat & the crew of a coble, & was brought into Whitby. The other vessel got off & proceeded towards Scarborough. It seems likely that Renard was damaged beyond repair as a result of her stranding. Can you add anything additional? #2703 6   Platina 303 tons 3809 1830 Platina? The word would seem to mean either platinum, a rare metal, or an alloy of platinum & other metals. Platina, a barque, was Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1832 thru 1852/53. The vessel was initially owned, thru 1834, by 'Potter' of London, for service from London to India. The vessel clearly went to Australia, however, under 'Potter' ownership, as follows:- i) Platina left London on Jul. 25, 1831, under the command of W. S. Wilson, via Portsmouth, for Hobart, Tasmania, where she arrived on Dec. 11, 1831. With a general cargo & about 20 passengers. She went on to Sydney & left Sydney for Liverpool on May 18, 1832 with colonial produce (incl. black & sperm oil, wool & timber). ii) On Apl. 9, 1833, Platina (Wilson) left London for Sydney, New South Wales ('NSW') via Rio de Janeiro, arriving at Sydney on Oct. 10, 1833. It left for Manilla, Philippines, in ballast on Dec. 14, 1833. On Apl. 24, 1834, the vessel was at Singapore when the shipment of tea to the U.K. became permitted. Troughton, a barque built at Shields in 1826, took the first tea chest aboard & fired a celebratory 7 gun salute, which Platina answered with a salute of 13 guns. The vessel left Singapore on Jun. 13, 1834 for London, en route putting into Cape of Good Hope ('CGH') on Oct. 7, 1834 for repairs. In 1835/36, the vessel was acquired by R. Brooks of London, who owned it thru 1848/49, for service from London to Sydney, thru 1838/39, for service ex London to NSW thru 1843/44, & for service to Launceston, Tasmania, from 1844/45 thru 1847/48. During the period of 'Brooks' ownership, the vessel, per LR, had just two captains i.e. G. Parker thru 1839/40 & 'Wychely' thereafter. Some details as to the vessel's 'Brooks' voyages to Australia. iii) Platina left London for Sydney on Oct. 14, 1835, under the command of G. H. Parker, with cargo & 22 passengers. It left Sydney on May 23, 1836 for London with a cargo of colonial produce incl. wool. If I read the words correctly, the vessel went around Scotland on its return voyage & was hit by a hurricane in the North Sea in the month of Nov. 1836. The vessel was saved by cutting away all of her masts when nine miles below the Nore (a sandbank at the mouth of the Thames estuary). I thought that I also read that the damage was incurred on the Lincolnshire coast - but brief reports record that the loss of masts did occur below the Nore during a gale on Nov. 29, 1836. iv) The ship was chartered to carry female convicts to Hobart Town, Tasmania. On May 3, 1837 the vessel left the Downs in the command of R. (Robson) Coltish. It hit tempestuous weather en route & as a result was detained at Cape Town for 12 days. There were great concerns for the vessel's safety due to its late arrival. Vessel described as 'proverbially a bad sailer'. It eventually arrived at Hobart on Oct. 22, 1837, with 113 (1 and 2) female convicts, after a voyage of 172 days. I note that included in its cargo were the revolving lights for the Iron Pot & Launceston Lighthouses. It returned to London on or about Feb. 20, 1838. v) On Sep. 29, 1838, Platina left Gravesend, London, for Adelaide, South Australia, under the command of Captain Wellbank. The vessel arrived at Adelaide on Feb. 9, 1839 with 99 passengers, mostly emigrants in steerage. There were complaints as to passenger treatment - 9 died en route including all of the 3 children of Mr. & Mrs. Reid. The vessel arrived back at Gravesend, on Nov. 19, 1839, ex Batavia. vi) On Feb. 23, 1840, the vessel left the U.K., under the command of Captain Mitchell, for Port Nicholson (Wellington), New Zealand ('NZ'), chartered by the New Zealand Land Company to carry much needed foodstuffs. It arrived on Jul. 6, 1840. This book states that M. Wycherley was rather her captain & that the vessel was the first British merchant vessel to enter the port of Auckland. On Dec. 15, 1840 the vessel left Hokianga (NW N. Island, NZ) for Sydney, under the command of Captain Wycherly, with a cargo of timber. The vessel went on to Melbourne & left on her return voyage to London on May 23, 1841 with apparently a very large cargo. vii) On Apl. 5 or 6, 1842, the vessel left London for Melbourne, arriving there on Jul. 22, 1842. It went on to Sydney to land passengers & soon, on Sep. 3, 1842, left for India in ballast. viii) In mid Jan. 1844 the vessel arrived at Melbourne after a voyage which seems to have originated at Leith, Scotland, via Adelaide & Geelong. It returned to London, arriving there on Jun. 7, 1844. There clearly were more voyages, but I am out of both space & enthusiasm. I invite you to research such later voyages for yourself at the fine Trove, Australia, website. In 1848/49, the vessel was acquired by 'Gillespy' of London - initially 'Gillespy', but from 1850/51 T. Gillespy, for service in 1848/49 & 1849/50 from London to Coquimbo, Chile, & in 1850/51 & 1851/52 for service to Honduras. LR of 1852/53 names T. Gillespy as Platina's owner but offers minimal other detail, which suggests that the vessel may have been sold or lost. It would seem, however, that the vessel was late in life registered at Fowey, Cornwall, the owner's name being yet unknown to the webmaster. This report ex this Google Book was a puzzle for a while. It advises that on Nov. 24, 1852, Platina a barque, bound from Cardiff to Portsmouth, was abandoned at sea about 23 miles S. of Ushant (a small rocky island in the English Channel off the coast of Brittany, near Brest, France), having lost her sails & being in a leaky condition. The entire crew were rescued by Gondar, a ship, & landed at Charleston, U.S.A. The webmaster now believes that it was 'our' Platina, having read that it was found abandoned off the Scilly Islands, & on Nov. 25, 1852, brought into the port of Fowey by Happy Return, (Gilbert her master), of Falmouth, who had put two men aboard her & towed her into Fowey. The vessel soon became Fowey owned, registered there, I read, on Apl. 17, 1853. Two contemporary newspaper reports - 4 & 5. I read that on May 20, 1855, Platina arrived at Quebec City, Canada, ex Bristol, under the command of Captain Richards with 10 passengers & a general cargo. I further read that Platina, Richards her captain, of and from Fowey, foundered after being 'in contact', on Sep. 18, 1855. At 46N/54W which is on the Grand Banks, S. of Cape Race, Newfoundland. Wikipedia tells us (thanks!) that on Sep. 18, 1855, the vessel, en route from Fowey to Quebec City, collided with Charles C. Fowler, an American barque, & sank on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland (at 49.30N/34.30W). Her fourteen crew were rescued by Charles C. Fowler. A few contemporary newspaper accounts (1, 2 & 3 - in red). It would appear that at noon on Sep. 18, 1855, Charles C. Fowler, en route from Buctoosh, New Brunswick, Canada, to Hull with a cargo of timber, Captain Palmer in command, ran into the starboard bow of Platina. Which sank within 5 minutes of the collision. Platina was, at the time, under the command of John Richards. The 3rd article is a bit of a puzzle but does seem to relate to the collision, & tells us that Charles C. Fowler suffered considerable damage. I have read that Platina was 92 ft. 11 in. long, signal letters HVST. Clearly she had guns, presumably to ward off pirates. Can you add anything? #2699 WILKINSON, RICHARD (of Pallion) So far as I can see, Richard Wilkinson built at least 35 vessels during the period from 1845 to 1862. Just seven of those vessels are, so far, listed below. In Apl. 1852, a Newcastle newspaper article referred to then recent River Wear launches. The article (here) referred to an unnamed 400 ton barque, built by W. Wilkinson of Pallion, which vessel had been purchased by Bradley & Potts, timber merchants of Sunderland. With a figure head by Alder of Deptford. The webmaster has, so far at least, been unable to identify the vessel, i.e. establish its name. I note that Bradley & Potts were themselves also shipbuilders. 1   Athole 301/337 later 306 tons 26375 1850 A barque. 'Lloyd's Register Foundation' tells us that Richard Wilkinson was the vessel's builder. Athole had many owners, seven it would seem, in its lifetime of approx. 28 years. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1845/46 thru 1873/74. Thru 1856/57, per LR, Athole was registered at Liverpool & owned by 'Barbour' of Liverpool. As is confirmed by Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5, in Mar. 1854 data, which states that her then owner was John Barbour & Co. of Liverpool, with Alexander Black her then captain. Note that Athole is there stated to have been a ship. This page (scroll to #26375) states that the vessel was registered at Liverpool on Aug. 21, 1845. LR reported W. Lang the vessel's captain thru 1847/48, followed by 'Brown' thru 1856/57. Her service per LR under Barbour ownership? From Liverpool to Montreal, Canada, in 1845/46, from Liverpool to Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, in 1846/47 & 1847/48, & from Liverpool to Bahia, Brazil, from 1848/49 thru 1856/57. In 1857/58, & thru 1860/61, per LR, Athole, now stated to be of 305 tons, became registered at London & owned by Glover, Bros. of London. With W. Davie her captain - for consistent service from Shields to the West Indies. In 1861/62 & 1862/63, per LR, T. Philpot of London was her owner & J. Lelean her captain (thru 1865/66 it would appear). For a continuation of the service from Shields to the West Indies. And in 1863/64 & 1864/65, E. H. Watts, of London was her owner for similar service. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1865 clarifies the owner's name to mean Edward Henry Watts of London, but notes '(b)' that the vessel is reported to have been sold. Yes indeed! To R. Hay, of London, but registered at Gloucester. MNLs of 1866 & 1867 state her owner to be Richard Hay of Tottenham, Middlesex, London. With, per LR, W. Francis her new captain. For service ex Gloucester. In 1866/67, per LR, C. R. Tatham of London became Athole's owner thru 1871/72, for service from London to Algoa Bay (E. coast of S. Africa, about 425 miles E. of Cape of Good Hope). Charles R. Tatham of Holloway, Middlesex, London, per MNLs of 1868 thru 1872 (1870). With J. Gorley, per LR, serving as the vessel's captain. I note that from May 28, 1870, thru Jun. 20, 1870 Athole was offered for sale by London ship brokers. LR of 1871/72 advises that R. G. Wood, of Glasgow, Scotland, had become the vessel's final owner for continued service from London to Algoa Bay with J. Gorley still her captain. Robert George Wood, of Glasgow, per MNL of 1874 which lists the vessel as still registered at London. Some 'best-efforts' Athole operational matters. i) A modest case in the Courts of India, dating from Nov. 11, 1847, granted to the pilot who brought the vessel into Calcutta extra compensation. In circumstances where Athole's crew had scurvy & were unable to perform their duties - and the pilot & his men provided services above & beyond the duties of a pilot. ii) On Mar. 14, 1850, the vessel, Alexander Black in command, was at Singapore advertising for freight. iii) On Jun. 25, 1851, the vessel (Black) arrived at Honolulu, Hawaii, from San Francisco. iv) In Jun/Jul 1868 the vessel carried a general cargo to Stanley, Falkland Islands. v) On Jan. 30, 1873, (search for Athole) the vessel came too close to the Sevenstones Lightship, located 15 miles WNW of Land's End, Cornwall. The vessel caught her rigging on the lightship's bumpkin causing some damage to Athole, later repaired. 103.5 ft. long, 3 masts, carvel built, figurehead of a woman, signal letters PKVG, many crew lists, thru 1873, are available via this page. LR of 1873/74 notes that Athole had been 'Wrecked'. I learn that in late 1873, the vessel, 'James' in command, was in the Cape Verde Islands (an island group in the N. Atlantic ocean, from about 450 to 700 miles W. of Dakar, Senegal). The vessel had there loaded a cargo of salt for delivery to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when, on Oct. 02, 1873, a heavy gale hit the area. Athole was driven ashore at Mayo (correctly Maio) Island, Cape Verde, & became a total wreck. As per this contemporary report which notes also that the wreck had been sold. Can you add to or correct in any way the above listing? #2800 2   Addison 242 tons 12215 1850 A snow or brig. Addison, which was launched in May 1850, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1851/52 thru 1861/62 only. The vessel was, per LR, always owned by A. Brown of Stockton, with, again per LR, M. Brown always serving as the vessel's captain. For service thru 1854/55 from Sunderland to the Baltic, &, from 1855/56 thru 1859/60, for service from Shields to the Mediterranean. Such owner names are clarified by a number of available shipping registers. The North of England Maritime Directory, of 1854/5, lists the vessel, in 1854 data, as owned by Richard (not A.) Brown of Middlesbro', & Hannah Sanderson & Matthew Brown, both of Staithes, with Matthew Brown then the vessel's captain. Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1856, in 1855 data, lists R. Brown & Co. as the vessel's then owner. While Christie's Shipping Register, of 1858 records Richard Brown of Middlesbro', & Samuel Sanderson & Matthew Brown, both of Staithes, as the vessel's then owners. LRs of 1860/61 & 1861/62 provide minimal detail, which suggests that Addison may well have been in process of sale. This Mercantile Navy List page (scroll to #12215), if I read the notation correctly, tells us that an advice dated Jul. 0     5, 1861 was received advising that the vessel had been sold to foreign interests. A Sunderland shipping website that requests no links or recognition tells us (thanks!) that Addison was 88.5 ft. long. No crew lists seem to be available. Regrettably, the webmaster can tell you nothing more. The vessel's new owner & his country of residence & registration is unknown to the webmaster. The new owner may very well have changed the vessel's name. Need help! #2611 3   Star in the East 308/314 later 287 & 277 tons 11534 1850 A barque. The vessel, which was launched in Jan. 1850, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1850/51 thru 1869/70 only. It was owned, thru 1861/62 per LR, by T. Kish of Sunderland, with, also per LR, D. James her initial captain, 'Caithness' from 1851/52 thru 1855/56, & G. Wayman from 1857/58 thru 1860/61. LR records the vessel's service, while 'Kish' owned, as being i) from Sunderland to the Mediterranean in 1850/51 & from 1857/58 thru 1860/61, ii) from Sunderland to Odessa (Black Sea, Ukraine) from 1851/52 thru 1855/56 & iii) from the Clyde to the West Indies in 1856/57. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/49 clarifies that Thos. (Thomas) Kish was Star in the East's owner & Geo. R. Wayman her captain in Mar. 1854. Which data is confirmed by Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1855 & (as to ownership) by the equivalent register of 1856. In 1860/61, per LR, the vessel became owned by A. Cockerill of Sunderland, for consistent service ex Sunderland & specifically, from 1863/64, for service from Sunderland to Hamburg, Germany. 'Morgan', per LR, served as the vessel's captain from 1861/62 thru 1863/64 & 'Nesbit' from later in 1863/64 thru 1869/70. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865 thru 1869 all confirm Anthony Cockerell (with an 'e'), of Sunderland, as being the vessel's owner or managing owner. Star in the East is included in an 'Anthony Cockerill' fleet list on site page 200 thanks to today's Keith Cockerill. As above indicated, the vessel is not LR listed after 1869/70. Fortunately MNLs come to our rescue. They indicate that from 1870 thru 1875, the vessel was Whitby, Yorkshire, registered, further that William Steel, of Robin Hood's Bay, Yorkshire, was the vessel's owner. That must have meant the managing owner since this reference (in blue), lists her Whitby owners, from 1869, as being Will. Steel, James Storm, & Jn. Nellist. 97.0 ft. long, male figurehead, signal letters KTBV, first listed at 287 tons in LR of 1861/62. From 1870, per MNLs, of 277 tons. Many crew lists, thru 1874, are available. I read that Star in the East was lost at Sturge, Denmark, in Oct. 1875. Wikipedia advises (thanks!) that the (name misspelled) barque foundered off Møn, Denmark, on Oct. 17, 1875, & that her crew of 9 were all rescued. 'Wiki' notes that she was at the time on a voyage from Stettin (now Szczecin, NW Poland), to Dantzic, Germany. Møn is, I see, a SE Danish island, roughly located due S. of Copenhagen. Can you tell us more about the vessel's loss or otherwise add to or correct the above text? #2460 4   Palmyra 245/262 tons 2458 1851 Palmyra? An ancient Syrian city, said to have been built by Soloman. Also an Asian palm tree noted for its resistant wood. Palmyra, a snow, which was launched in Jan. 1851, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1851/52 thru 1865/66 & not thereafter. It was, per LR, owned thru 1856/57 by 'Thompson' of Sunderland. For consistent service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean with 'Ch'dleigh', Chudleigh I presume, always her captain. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5 lists the vessel, in Mar. 1854 data, as registered at Sunderland & owned by Wm. Thompson jun., Thomas Dixon & Robert Dixon, all of Sunderland, with Thos. (Thomas) Dunn her then captain. Which data is confirmed by Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1855. The webmaster has not researched the operational history of Palmyra. However this listing was first advanced having read that at about 6 a.m. on Nov. 20, 1853, a vessel named Palmyra, clearly 'our' Palmyra (since Thomas Dunn was Palmyra's master at the time), was in collision with Brigand, an Aberdeen schooner, when 7 miles off the NE coast between Huntcliffe Foot & Whitby. Brigand, at the time, was en route from Archangel, Russia, to London under the command of W. Daniel & with a cargo of barley. Palmyra was en route, in ballast, from London to Sunderland. Brigand would seem to have struck Palmyra 'on the weather bow' & about an hour after the collision, Brigand sank. Brigand's crew were all saved & landed at Sunderland. A couple of contemporary news reports - 1 & 2. Such collision may well have caused the ownership of Palmyra to have changed. LRs from 1857/58 thru 1865/66 all record Humble & Co., of Sunderland, as the vessel's new owner, again for service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean, with R. Herbert always her captain. I note, however, that 'Humble' must have become the vessel's owners earlier than 1857/58. And did not own the vessel for very long. TR of 1856 lists T. Humble & R. W. Herbert, both of Sunderland, as the vessel's then owners. While Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 confirms such ownership (& references Ralph W. Herbert). But ...  the Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL'), from 1857, record a very different ownership history. MNLs record Palmyra as Sunderland registered only thru 1860 & thereafter registered at Hartlepool. Owned in 1865 by Andrew Towers of Hartlepool, & from 1866 thru 1870 owned by Adam Watt, also of Hartlepool. 93.0 ft. long, signal letters HPFT, vessel crew lists are available via this page. What finally happened to Palmyra? A 'fearful gale' or hurricane hit the North Sea & Baltic in late Oct. 1869 & many ships were lost or damaged. I learn that on Oct. 27, 1869, Palmyra was abandoned, waterlogged, when 80 miles W. by S. of Haute-holman stated to be on the Jutland, Denmark, coast (but Holmen seems to be at Copenhagen). Four of her crew made it in a ship's boat to Joseph Somes, a 770/607  ton steamship built by 'Earle' at Hull in 1863 (ON#27913). The remaining crew members were rescued by the valiant efforts of the crew of Joseph Somes. The entire Palmyra crew were later, on Sep. 29, 1869, landed at Hull. Palmyra had been on a voyage from Cronstadt (St. Petersburg), Russia to West Hartlepool with a cargo of deals. And at the time, was under the command of T. Tait. I read that the abandoned vessel was one of three vessels that later came ashore at Ringkøbing (W. Jutland coast), Denmark, on Nov. 05, 1869. The other two vessels that came ashore were not identified (they had no markings). It would be helpful to know exactly where Haute-holman is located to identify specifically where in the North Sea the vessel might have been abandoned. Some contemporary news reports - 3 & 4. Having created the above listing, I now find that 'Hartlepool History Then and Now' has a page devoted to the vessel. Which provides data that the webmaster did not himself find. Specifically - i) Joseph Murray, of Seaham, was the vessel's initial owner, ii) Andrew Towers' partners were Andrew Smith & Adam Watt, iii) Andrew Towers, a master mariner, died on Jan. 17, 1864 & Mary Alice Towers became a part owner of the vessel, iv) On Jan. 17, 1864, Palymyra, en route from Hartlepool to Dieppe, France, went ashore at Landguard Point (approaches to Harwich harbour). It was assisted off by two smacks for a salvage fee of £200 - I learn that 'J. Lambert' was the vessel's captain at the time & that the vessel's cargo was of coal. iv) 'Lambert' was the vessel's master from 1861 thru 1864, 'Bruce' in 1865 & Thomas Tait in 1869. We thank the Hartlepool site & invite you to visit their fine page for additional data about the vessel.  Is there anything that you can add? Or correct? #2748 5 Star Queen 832/836 later 769 tons 4285 1854 A ship, later a barque. The vessel, which was launched on May 13, 1854 (per this 1854 newspaper cutting, kindly provided to the webmaster by a friend of the site, which cutting refers to Starry Queen, which name clearly should have read Star Queen). Star Queen was first registered, I read, at London, on Aug. 11, 1854 (scroll to #4285), but that combination of dates (May & August) looks suspect. Anyway, the vessel was Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1855/56 thru 1878/79. It had a great number of owners. Star Queen was initially owned by J. Shepherd, or 'Shephrd & Co.', of London, for service from Sunderland to London thru 1857/58 & from 1858/59 ex London. With, per LR, 'Manning' the vessel's captain in 1857/58 & 'Barber' from 1858/59 thru 1863/64. No owner name is listed in LR of 1862/63, for good reason it would appear. J. (Joseph) Shepherd had died & Star Queen, lying in West India Dock, London, was offered for sale at a public auction held on Jan. 19, 1863.  in 1863/64 however, per LR, Ryland Bros., also of London, owned the vessel for service from London to China. With, per LR, J. Eves serving as the vessel's captain. Seddon & Co. became the owner of the London registered vessel in 1865/66, for continued service from London to China, & from 1866/67 for service from Cardiff, Wales, to India. With, per LR, J. Eves her captain thru 1866/67 & J. Forbes from 1866/67 thru 1868/69 or 1869/70. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865 thru 1868 (1867) list Thomas Seddon of Lees (greater Manchester), Lancashire, as the then owner of the 769 ton vessel (first listed at 769 tons in LR of 1874/75). From Nov. 24, thru Dec. 10, 1868, the vessel was advertised for sale at Liverpool - on Dec. 10, 1868 - as a result, I understand, of Seddon & Co. becoming insolvent. MNL of 1869 reports Philip H. Holt, of Liverpool, as her then owner. While LRs of 1868/69 thru 1871/72 list Baines & Co., of Liverpool, as owners of the London registered vessel for service from Liverpool to Australia - such ownership being confirmed by MNL of 1870 which lists John Baines of Liverpool as her then owner while MNLs of 1871 & 1872 rather list James Baines & Co. While 'Baines' owned, per LR, J. Eves was the vessel's captain & then 'Evans' from 1868/69 or 1869/70 thru 1870/71. In 1871/72, per LR, Taylor & Co. of London became Star Queen's owners for service from London to Australia. With 'Davies', per LR her captain thru to 1878/79 under different ownership. MNL of 1874 lists Hy. Roberts of London as the vessel's then owner. LR of 1876/77 & also MNLs of 1875 & 1876, list Taylor, Bethell & Co. of London as the vessel's owner but the words, (Taylor, Bethell & Roberts), were struck through in LR of 1876/77. It presumably had been sold again. In 1877/78, per LR, the vessel became registered at Singapore & owned by Khoo Guan Hong, of Singapore. Which data is confirmed by MNLs of 1877 thru 1879. My apologies for the confusion of all of the many ownership & captain changes as noted above. It is indeed most confusing. To recap the vessel's captains per LR - 'Manning' in 1857/58, 'Barber' (A. Barber I believe) from 1858/59 thru 1863/64, J. Eves from 1863/64 thru 1866/67, J. Forbes from 1866/67 thru 1868/69 or 1869/70, 'Evans' from 1868/69 or 1869/70 thru 1871/72, 'Davies' (D. Davies) from 1871/72 thru 1878/79. Alas that list is quite deficient - it seems clear that the vessel had 12 captains over time. More about that soon. The vessel first came to the webmaster's attention having read that Star Queen was in distress at Bermuda on Nov. 21, 1858 & reported as a marine loss in Dec. 1858. But the vessel clearly was not lost at that time. The vessel, en route from Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, to Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., put into St. George's, Bermuda, in a leaky condition, with the loss of her rudder & wanting a suit of sails. Extensive detail about an 1854 voyage from Southampton to Port Adelaide, South Australia, 'Manning' in command, arriving there on Dec. 30, 1854. 161.0 ft. long, became 165.7 ft. long in 1874/75, signal letters JBTP. The vessel, previously a ship, first became LR listed as a barque in 1873/74, but likely from 1872. I note, however, that MNL always listed the vessel as a ship. Many crew lists are available via this page. I can now tell you what finally happened to Star Queen, having spotted this reference to her loss. I learn that the vessel left Nagasaki, Japan, for Shanghai, China, on Jan. 21, 1879 with a cargo of coal - under the command of Captain Mackintosh, with a crew of 32 all told - which number surely included at least two women & two children. At 10 o'clock that night, a heavy SSE gale sprang up, the vessel became unmanageable & soon became driven, by wind & current, onto an island called Oosima (maybe Oshima) at the extreme end of the island of Gotō in the Gotō Islands. I am unclear as to exactly where - Oshima is an island close to the mainland of Kyūshū, with Gotō rather to the west. Soon after midnight, so on Jan. 22, 1879, the vessel was driven onto rocks where the vessel was pounded by high seas &, in less than half an hour, became a total wreck. A falling mast landed upon the head of Captain Mackintosh & killed him, & 20 of the crew ended up drowned. Only the vessel's chief officer & ten crew members survived. I have not read how the survivors got ashore, noting that all of the vessel's boats had been swept away in the storm. These newspaper articles (1 & 2) provide detail of the disaster. A Naval Court hearing re Star Queen's loss was held at Nagasaki, Japan, on Feb. 04, 1879. There was little evidence provided - the Court was not able to attribute blame to anyone. In a recent guestbook message, John M. Anderson, Canadian author & retired master mariner, advised that he had compiled a comprehensive history of Star Queen. John has kindly provided such history to me, with permission to make it available via this website. The word 'comprehensive' is most appropriate - John's history not only covers, in extraordinary detail, the lifetime history of Star Queen, it covers so very much more - clearly written with love & admiration for the sailors of old who went to sea in sailing ships. You will enjoy reading it - here. Can anybody add to or correct the above, or provide additional detail. The webmaster will gladly pass on to John Anderson, any questions or comments you may have that are addressed to him. #2394 6   Lancastria 335 later 321/336 tons 15397 1856 A wooden barque. The vessel was launched on May 20, 1856 & first registered, at Liverpool on Jul. 23, 1856 (scroll to #15397). Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1857/58 thru 1880/81, the vessel was, per LR, initially owned by J. Longton, (John Longton, I read) of Liverpool with J. (John) Flood serving as the vessel's captain. For service from Sunderland to South America. From 1859/60, & thru 1869/70 per LR, the vessel became Maryport (Solway Firth, Cumbria) registered & owned by J. Seymour, which owner name is clarified by Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865 thru 1870 to mean John Seymour of Rock Ferry, Cheshire. For service from Liverpool to i) South America (1859/60 thru 1862/63), ii) New Zealand ('NZ') (in 1863/64) & iii) ex London (in 1864/65 thru 1867/68) & iv) ex Liverpool with no destination stated in 1868/69 & 1869/70). During the period of 'Seymour' ownership, the vessel had a number of captains - W. (William) Lister thru 1860/61, J. (Joseph) Edmondson thru 1868/69 & Lorryman (William H. Loryman, I read) from 1868/69 thru 1870/71 - when the vessel was sold again. One significant voyage. In early Jan. 1869, (maybe Jan. 8, but the exact departure date is most difficult to determine), Lancastria left Liverpool for Auckland, NZ, with W. H. Loryman in command, with no passengers & a general cargo that included 3 complete portable 'Morton' steam engines. Bad weather was soon encountered & on Jan. 10, 1869 the vessel had to anchor in Holyhead harbour, Isle of Anglesey, N. Wales. Only on Jan. 21, 1869 was it able to resume its journey. Now a voyage to NZ would typically take about 100 days. Lancastria's voyage was much much longer as it encountered almost continuous fearful weather with mountainous seas, high winds, & thunder & lightning. Seas continually broke over the ship, causing damage to sails & spars. It was off Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, on Apl. 5, 1869. 3 weeks later, on Apl. 26, 1869, it was found that a fresh water tank had sprung a leak, so thenceforth water had to be strictly rationed. So grave was the situation that the vessel had to be diverted into Queenscliff, Melbourne, Victoria, to replenish the water supply (arr. May 24 & departed May 27, 1859). The vessel eventually arrived at Auckland, NZ, on Jun. 12, 1869 after a voyage stated to be of 142 days out of Liverpool, though some reports state 155 days. Despite the difficulty of the passage, the cargo was in good order, though the same could not be said for the crew for whom conditions en route had been most difficult. On Aug. 21, 1869, the vessel departed for New York with a cargo mainly consisting of kauri gum & flax. There are extensive newspaper articles at 'Paperspast, NZ' including this extensive article. From 1870/71 thru 1879/80 per LR, & from 1871 thru 1879 per MNL, the vessel, now of 321 tons & again registered at Liverpool, was owned by G. Macandrew of Liverpool - Geo. Gray Macandrew ('Macandrew') per MNLs (1874 is here). For service, thru 1873/74, from Liverpool to the West Indies. LR indicate that Taylor or J. Taylor served as captain thru 1876/77, & Naile so served from 1876/77 thru 1879/80. In 1880/81, per LR, W. Grove became the owner of the Liverpool registered vessel, i.e. William Grove, of Swansea, Wales, per MNL of 1880. With Trust (maybe Trush), her captain. MNLs from 1874 indicate that the vessel had become a brigantine, data which seems likely to be incorrect. I learn, from this page (in red), that Lancastria was lost in Table Bay, South Africa, on Dec. 31, 1880. Thanks to the folks at Southampton City Council/Plimsoll the report of the Court is readily available. Such report being so very short, here is the complete report text rather than a link to the source site. The report advises that the vessel was then a barque & that her master was named James McIntosh. The vessel had arrived at Table Bay on Dec. 30, 1880 while 'half a gale' was in progress. The vessel anchored, but the chains parted as a result of the adverse weather. Under those circumstances, the Court was of the opinion that the vessel should have been taken out to sea to ride out the storm. But that is not what happened. The vessel was permitted to drift for 15 hours & eventually, as I read the words, the vessel had to be run on shore to save the lives of the crew. The Court determined that the vessel's loss was due to the default of the master & his certificate was suspended for a 6 month period. I further learn that the vessel had arrived from Sunderland, with a crew of 8 and a cargo of coal. And that she was run ashore at Robbesteen Point, near Blaauwberg, about 4 miles E. of Robben Island. The crew took to ship's boats, one of which capsized in the breakers resulting in the drowning of 2 crew members. The vessel & its cargo were, I read, put up for public auction on Jan. 6, 1881. 140.0 ft. long, from 1870/71 143.3 ft. long, signal letters LSDK. I was delighted to find a treasure trove of data re Lancastria, assembled by 'littlehand' at this fine page. Do drop by and read about the vessel's detailed history incl., extensively, its operational history. I learn from that page i) that John Longton, the vessel's first owner, owned 60 of the 64 shares & John Flood, the vessel's captain, the other 4 shares. ii) that Macandrew initially owned 60 shares in the vessel & Joseph Ledser the other 4. I refer you to the source re later share ownership changes. iii) That the vessel required major repairs in Dec. 1870. iv) When at Antigua, in Feb. 1879, the heroic actions of Charles W. Scott, saved a fellow crewman from drowning. Many crew lists are available. Can you add to or correct anything written above? #2173 7   Governor 214 later 215 tons 16837 1857 A snow or brig. Governor, which I read was launched in Jun. 1857 & first registered, at Sunderland, on Jun. 27, 1857, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1858/59 thru 1876/77. It was owned thru 1868/69 per LR by G. Thompson of Sunderland. For consistent service from Sunderland to the Baltic. With J. Thompson her captain thru 1865/66 & T. Mills thru 1870/71. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 clarifies the owner's name to mean George Thompson. While the Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865 thru 1870 all list George Thompson of Sunderland as the then owner of the 215 ton vessel. Now G. Thompson was recorded as the vessel's owner in LR of 1869/70 but the name was struck out. From 1870/71, per LR, J. Morgan, also of Sunderland, was Governor's owner for service as a Sunderland coaster in 1870/71 & 1871/72 & from Sunderland to the Baltic in 1872/73 & 1873/74 when LR listing of intended voyages came to an end. 'Morgan', per LR, served as the vessel's captain until part way thru 1872/73, then replaced by 'Thompson'. MNLs of 1871 thru 1876 all list John Morgan of Sunderland as the vessel's then owner. Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1874 advises that John Morgan was then the vessel's sole owner. 90.5 ft. long, signal letters MDFL, many crew lists are available. LR of 1876/77 notes that the vessel had been 'Lost'. On Nov. 9, 1876, 'The Western Mail', of Cardiff, Wales, reported that Governor, en route from Wyborg (Vyborg, Russia, NW of St. Petersburg) to Hartlepool with a cargo of deals & with 'Thompson' in command, got on shore at Nexoe (Nexø, E. coast of Bornholm, a Danish island in the Baltic between Sweden & Poland) - 'and will probably be a total wreck'. Wikipedia records the date of her loss as being Nov. 8, 1876. The webmaster has not read any later confirmation that the vessel truly did become a total wreck, nor any detail about the status of her crew. Can you add anything additional? #2524 WILKINSON, WILLIAM of Deptford So far as I can see, William Wilkinson built 86 vessels during the period from 1830 to 1856. Ten of such vessels are now detail listed below. 1   Sedgefield 206 later 207 & 207/227 tons 19481 1831 A snow or brig. Sedgefield? A village in County Durham located a few miles roughly W. of Hartlepool. Sedgefield is Lloyd's Register ('LR') recorded from 1831/32 thru 1849/50 & not thereafter. Owned for that entire period, per LR, by T. Reed of Sunderland. For initial service from Hull to Sunderland, soon (from 1834), for service from Sunderland to London & (from 1839/40), for service from Sunderland to Pillau (now Baltiysk, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, E. of Gdańsk, Poland). From 1842/43, service from Sunderland to Hamburg, Germany is LR referenced. The vessel's captains, per LR? T. Steabler (often referred to as 'Stabler') thru 1836/37, 'Nottingham' in 1837/38 & 1838/39, 'Parsons' from 1839/40 thru 1846/47 & 'Brown' from 1846/47 thru 1849/50. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, records the vessel, in Apl. 1848, as owned by T. & G. Reed of Sunderland. Some 'best efforts' operational history, while 'Reed' owned. While I have read that the vessel was launched on Aug. 29, 1831 that date must be incorrect. Because on Jun. 07, 1831, the vessel (Steabler) arrived at Archangel, Russia, ex Sunderland & was there at least twice later, on Jul. 13, 1832 & Jun. 6, 1834. Other 'Steabler' voyages were to Hamburg, Germany (a number of times), & to Dordrecht, Netherlands. 'Nottingham' would seem to have served at least from Jan. 1836 thru Mar. 1838, with voyages to London & also to Rotterdam. The vessel, 'Parsons' in command, made further voyages to Archangel & Hamburg & also to Swinemunde (now Świnoujście, NW Poland), Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland), Pillau, & Gothenburg, Sweden. A report from Cuxhaven (at the mouth of Elbe river, Germany) on Jul. 30, 1843 tells us that the vessel was in collision with two vessels, Belle Alliance & Emanuel, & that both those vessels were damaged. Parsons was then Sedgefield's captain. On the night of Dec. 5, 1845, Sedgefield was in contact with William and Richard, also of Sunderland, when off Coalhouse Point, near Tilbury, Essex - William and Richard (which was built at Stockton in 1839), sank as a result. The owners of William and Richard sued in Admiralty Court to recover the cost of their vessel's repair, but the Court found in favour of Sedgefield. The vessel's captain would have been either Parsons or Brown. Sedgefield was again at Archangel (Brown) on Jun. 30, 1847. It seems likely that the vessel was sold in or about 1849. LR of 1849/50 has limited detail which suggests that the vessel may have then been in process of sale. The webmaster is not aware of who owned the vessel after 'Reed' or where it was registered. It seems not to be recorded in the 1854/5 edition of The North of England Maritime Directory, so was not then registered in the major ports in the NE. I previously have noted here - 'along the way' the vessel was registered at Stockton. However Sedgefield was not registered at Stockton in 1854. This page (scroll to #19481) tells us that the vessel was registered at Stockton on Sep. 4, 1857. The Mercantile Navy List records the vessel from 1858 thru 1863 but not in 1857. I suspect that that means that the vessel had been foreign owned in the interval? Sedgefield later became Sunderland registered again. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 advises that the vessel was then registered at Sunderland & owned by Wm. Morrell & Matthew Gordon. Some further operational detail. In 1858, 'Gordon' was the vessel's captain with voyages to Bordeaux, France, & Lisbon, Portugal. Also to Hamburg ex Swansea, Wales. On the night of Nov. 05, 1858, Sedgefield, en route from Shields to Lisbon, Portugal,  with a cargo of coal, was in collision, off Dungeness, Kent, with Scotsman (a ship built at Quebec, Canada, in 1857), which was arriving from Calcutta (now Kolkata), India. If I read the text correctly, Scotsman suffered damage as a result. The vessel again visited Lisbon, now with 'Lister' in command, in early 1859. And on Mar. 08, 1859 Sedgefield (Lister) was on shore near Portsmouth & for a period abandoned by her crew. Was soon taken into Portsmouth where presumably her damage was repaired. 'Sanderson', i.e. Thomas Sanderson (see below), was the vessel's final captain, certainly from Jun. 15, 1859 when the vessel arrived at Barcelona, Spain, ex Swansea with Sanderson in command. Voyages (Sanderson) also to Malaga, Spain, & to Setúbal (St. Ubes), Portugal, &, it would seem that on Dec. 04, 1860, the vessel arrived at Gravesend ex St. Kitts (Leeward Islands, Caribbean). On Oct. 27, 1862, per line 2465 here, the 227 ton brig sank in the North Sea while en route from Sunderland to Hamburg, Germany, with a cargo of coal. Crew of 8 - none lost. The vessel was then owned by William Morrell. Now the Nautical Magazine of 1863 (a Google book) states (in red) that Sedgefield was rather abandoned at sea on Oct. 20, 1862 - indeed a telescope was awarded to H. Wilton, master of the Oldenburgh, Germany, galiot Immanuel for his services to the captain & crew of Sedgefield - presumably their rescue. The vessel was surely lost on Oct. 20, 1862. Arthur Ryan advises (thanks Arthur!) that Thomas Sanderson (1812/?), Arthur's GG grandfather, was then her captain. In a handwritten account, Thomas Sanderson states that the vessel left Sunderland for Hamburg on Oct. 18, 1862. On the evening of the next day the winds began to increase in force. By midnight, a terrible storm from the west hit the vessel - high winds, lighting, thunder, hail & huge seas which caused enormous damage to the vessel. The pumps failed ('choked') & the vessel, lying deep in the water, had to be abandoned - on Oct. 20, 1862. One boat was launched but lost, however the entire crew were able to leave the vessel in a longboat. That crew, it would seem, was 7 in number including the captain. The Immanuel (or Emmanuel), which rescued them, was a 45 ton galiot with a crew of 3, bound for Hamburg from London with a cargo of cement. On Oct. 24, 1862, the crew of Sedgefield were landed at Cuxhaven. It would appear that Sedgefield may have sunk at a point about 22 miles NNE of Borkum reef (East Frisian Islands of NW Germany) but Heligoland, much further to the NE, is also mentioned. Wikipedia records (thanks!) the vessel's loss as being on Oct. 24, 1862. No crew lists seem to be available for the vessel. Can you tell us anything additional? Where the vessel was registered from about 1849 thru 1858? And who then owned her? #2609 2   Black Nymph 301 tons 24227 1834 A barque. The contemporary records for Black Nymph are poor. Both at the beginning of the vessel's life & at the end. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1836/37 thru 1862/63. It was launched, I read, in Jan. 1834, but LR refers to it as a Feb. 1834 vessel. Now the webmaster cannot tell you the name of the vessel's initial owner. The vessel is LR recorded in 1836/37 & 1838/39 as being of 301 tons, registered at Sunderland with G. Smart the vessel's captain. And that is all. No owner data, no build data, no routing, etc. It may very well be that its initial owner was, in fact, Woods & Co. of Sunderland, which is LR recorded as Black Nymph's owner from 1838/39 thru 1841/42. With W. Reid the vessel's captain, for service from Sunderland to Syra (Greece). In 1841/42 & thru 1849/50 perhaps, the vessel was owned by Smith & Co., of London, for service from Shields to the Mediterranean in 1846/47 & 1847/48 & otherwise ex London. With J. V. Hall, recorded throughout as the vessel's captain. Certainly in 1850/51 & likely from two years earlier, Sundius & Co. of London is LR recorded as Black Nymph's owner with 'C. Puruckr' (perhaps Panrucker) her captain thru 1855/56 & 'Butterfld' from 1856/57 thru 1862/63. For service, where indicated, ex Gloucester in 1850/51, from London to Odessa (Black Sea, Ukraine) in 1851/52, from London to the Mediterranean in 1852/53, from Gloucester to Odessa in 1854/55, & ex Liverpool in 1856/57. The webmaster thinks it likely that Smith & Co. became Smith, Sundius, & later just Sundius as the years passed by. i.e. that Smith & Sundius were related. The LR data from & after 1857/58 is fragmentary. Usually a signal that something had happened to the vessel. None the less the vessel is LR recorded for many more years thru 1862/63 & the Mercantile Navy List notes that the vessel had been lost per an 1862 advice. In fact, the vessel was lost in 1856. On Nov. 10, 1856, Black Nymph was one of four vessels that were stranded on Faludd reef. The webmaster is not certain as to the correct spelling of the name of such reef - 'Lloyd's List' referred to it as Pallud or Fallud & later as Fahlud. Such reef would seem, however, to be off the S. end of Gothland (Gotland, the largest Swedish island, Baltic Sea, off the E. coast of Sweden). While I have not read about the weather conditions at the time, I presume that severe winter weather & likely high winds in the Baltic must have been a major factor in the four strandings. The other three vessels were John Hunter (a snow, built at Sunderland in 1846), D'Arcy (a snow or brig built at Sunderland in 1836) & Tyne. Black Nymph had been en route from Cronstadt (St. Petersburg, Russia) to London with a cargo of oats - under the command of 'Stanton'. The vessel quickly broke up. A contemporary news report - 1. No crew lists seem to be available for the vessel. Can you add anything additional? Or correct the above text in any way? #2848 3   Dalston 240 later 221 tons 2926 1838 A snow or brig. Dalston, which was launched in Jul. 1838, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1839/40 thru 1850/51, & not thereafter. It was, per LR, owned by T. Reed of Sunderland, for such entire period, for service from Sunderland to St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1839/40 & 1840/41 & from Sunderland to London thereafter. With 'Notnghm', presumably Nottingham, the vessel's captain thru 1841/42 & then 'Davisson' from 1841/42 thru 1850/51. LR of 1850/51 provides limited detail which suggest that the vessel may then have been in process of sale. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9 lists the vessel, in Apl. 1848 data, as registered at Sunderland & owned by T. & G. Reed of Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland. The equivalent directory of 1854/55 lists the vessel in Mar. 1854 as owned by Thos. R. Elliott of Sunderland, & Robinson & John P. Elliott, both of South Shields, with Jas. Davison her then captain. The vessel was presumably sold again. Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1856 records the vessel, still Sunderland registered, & now of 221 tons, as owned by J. Dixon, sen., & J. Thompson, both of South Shields. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 lists Dalston, now Shields registered, as owned by Thomas Dixon of South Shields. What finally happened to Dalston? Wikipedia tells us (thanks!) that on Oct. 29, 1858, the brig, en route from South Shields to London, foundered in the North Sea 12 miles ENE of Lowestoft, Suffolk. And further that her eleven crew all survived. She was carrying a cargo of coal at the time. These 'Lloyd's List' reports tell us that William Barker was in command. A detailed account of Dalston's loss can be read here. The crew were able to make their own way, thru rough seas, to the coast, in the stern ship's boat. They just left the vessel in time - Dalston vanished beneath the surface of the sea a few minutes after they left her. Can you tell us anything additional? #2606 4   Alicia 349/410 tons 1845 A barque. Before advancing a listing re this vessel, I must thank Julian Whitewright and Julie Satchell for identifying who built the vessel, i.e. William Wilkinson of Sunderland. Such data is contained within an extensive 'pdf' available here re the 1852 wreck of Flower of Ugie, built in 1838 by Luke Crown. Alicia is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1844/45 thru 1849/50 only. It was owned thru such brief period by Jenkins & Co. of Swansea, Wales, (LR of 1847/48 states Jenkinson). I note that Jenkins owned another vessel of the name, built at Hartlepool in 1844, likely lost before 'our' vessel was acquired. Alicia, per LR, served Cuba i) from Sunderland in 1844/45, 1845/46 & 1847/48, & ii) from London in 1846/47. LR of 1849/50, by which time the vessel had been lost, notes service ex Swansea. Per LR, 'Johnson' was the vessel's captain thru to 1847/48 & then 'Colley'. On Sep. 01, 1848, Alicia left St. Jago de Cuba, Cuba, surely bound for Swansea, with a cargo of copper ore. As per this reference (in blue). En route, the vessel was lost with all hands when it fell victim to one of many hurricanes of that year. This newspaper report refers briefly to the loss of the vessel. Is there anything you can add to expand this modest listing? #2404 5   Mary & Sarah 197 tons 8881 1845 A snow. Mary & Sarah would seem to have been first registered at Sunderland in 1845 (scroll to #8881) - launched, I read, in Aug. 1845. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1845/46 thru 1862/63 & not thereafter, always owned by 'Wilkinson' of Sunderland. For initial service from Sunderland to Pillau (now Baltiysk, Russia), from Sunderland to Bordeaux, France, from 1848/49 thru 1850/51 & in 1853/54 & 1854/55, from Sunderland to the Baltic in 1851/52 & 1852/53, & from Ramsgate, Kent, to Bordeaux, in 1855/56 & 1856/57. LR records little detail after 1856/57. Again per LR, 'Hedley' served as the vessel's captain thru 1848/49, 'Arrowsmith' thru 1850/51, G. Thompson thru 1854/55 & J. Robason thereafter. Turnbull's Shipping Registers ('TR') of both 1855 & 1856 & Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 all list Thos. B. Wilkinson, of Sunderland as her then owner. TR of 1855 lists George W. Thompson as her then captain. Signal letters KFBC. No crew lists are available. As noted above, LR lists the vessel thru 1862/63. I do not know what happened to Mary & Sarah & when. But likely lost in 1861. I note that LRs of 1857/58 thru 1862/63, though they reference 'Wilkinson' as the vessel's owner, contain limited data as to port of registry or intended voyages. It seems possible that the vessel had been sold. The vessel is listed in the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') thru 1861 only. But ... this MNL page (scroll to #8881) tells us that the vessel was lost as per an advice dated Jul. 21, 1870. For many years, I have noted in this space that a vessel of the name was lost in late 1860 off Filey, Yorkshire. Such vessel, I now know, was not 'our' Mary & Sarah but rather another vessel of the name - ON #18643 registered at Lowestoft. Line 867 on this page - a U.K. government list of 1860 wrecks - tells us that such vessel was of 31 tons only, was built at Yarmouth in 1819 & was lost on Nov. 15, 1860. Her captain at the time of her loss is noted as being Thos. Hobson. I had assembled data about such vessel, thinking that it may have been 'our' Mary & Sarah. Now knowing that it was not our vessel, I have chosen to retain the data previously assembled in the hope that the data may help other researchers. So ... Wikipedia reports that on Nov. 15, 1860, a schooner of the name, collided with (British) Tartar off Filey, Yorkshire, & foundered, while en route from Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, to Lowestoft, Suffolk. With no loss of life. Wikipedia references, as their source, articles in the 'Times' & 'Standard' newspapers, both of London, on Nov. 22, 1860. I noted previously that it would be good to get access to such articles. This listing is revised in Aug. 2022, having now read the report in the 'Standard' of London. Such report (text) notes that Tartar was not just British but was registered at Sunderland. While Mary & Sarah was Lowestoft registered. Important data in permitting identification of the vessels in question. So:- Tartar, a brig, was, I believe built at Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1848. It was LR listed from 1850/51 thru 1852/53 only, of 267 tons, owned by J. Tait of Glasgow, for service from Liverpool to the United States in 1850/51 & 1851/52 & from the Clyde to Bombay (now Mumbai), India in 1852/53. It must have been later sold. The Mercantile Navy List lists the vessel - ON #7324 - as Sunderland registered from 1857 thru 1866, owned in 1865 & 1866, when of 211 tons, by William Clark of Sunderland. The vessel is recorded, in the North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5, in Mar. 1854, as owned by Wm. Clark, Christoph. Rodgers, John Crossby & David Allason, all of Sunderland, with Geo. Hayes her captain. The vessel is recorded, in 1856, in Turnbull's Shipping Register, then owned by W. Clark, C. Rodgers & D. Allason, all of Sunderland. And again in Christie's Shipping Register of 1858, owned by Wm. Clark & Christopher Rodgers. It looks as though the vessel was sold to foreign owners in 1866. Fine, but what happened to Mary & Sarah in Nov. 1860? In what clearly was some very rough weather, during the night of Nov. 15, 1860, Mary & Sarah, en route from Middlesboro' to Lowestoft, collided with Tartar off Flamborough Head. Mary & Sarah lost both of her masts & drifted away from Tartar in the darkness. And sank. The crew of Mary & Sarah, 3 in number, were all saved but I cannot tell you how - it seems unlikely that Tartar was able to rescue them. At the time, 'Jacques' was the captain of Tartar & 'T. Hobson' was the captain of Mary & Sarah (he filed a deposition with Lloyd's re the encounter). As per these two 'Lloyd's List' reports (1 & 2). I should note that this vessel was first listed having read of an 8 page hand-written manuscript, in French, available via Delcampe in May 2020 - it is still there in 2022. The first page of such manuscript. The listing refers to '17 ROCHEFORT collision entre deux navires : la Charente n°1 et le Mary and Sarah (SUNDERLAND) 852; PAP09'. Alas I have no idea whether the manuscript, which seems to date from 1870, relates. Need help! So after all of this, we still do not know what happened to 'our' Mary & Sarah. Is there anything you can add to this listing? Or correct it? #2593 6   Surat 326/501 tons 10507 1846 A barque. Surat? A west coast Indian port city, located on the Gulf of Khambhat, N. of Bombay (Mumbai). The vessel, which was launched in Aug. 1846, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1848/49 thru 1859/60. It was initially owned by Woods & Co., of Sunderland, thru 1847 & maybe thru part of 1848, which owner name it would seem means Woods, Spence, & Co. (I do not recall where that data originated). For service from Sunderland to India with 'Harrison' the vessel's captain. In 1848/49, per LR, Shallcross & Co. of Liverpool became the vessel's owner & remained the vessel's owner for the balance of the vessel's lifetime. With 'Graham' always serving as the vessel's captain - W. Graham per LR thru 1851/52, F. Graham in 1852/53 & E. Graham  from 1853/54 thru 1859/60. For service, per LR, from Liverpool to Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, from 1848/49 thru 1850/51 & from 1853/54 thru 1856/57. In 1851/52 & 1852/53, the vessel, per LR, served Bahia, Brazil, ex Liverpool while from 1857/58 the vessel is LR stated to have served Hartlepool ex London. Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory, of Mar. 1854, lists the Liverpool registered vessel as then owned by John Shallcross & Jas. Higham, with John W. Eves the vessel's captain. Signal letters KNTC. The Mercantile Navy List references that the vessel was abandoned, per a certificate of loss dated Jan. 05, 1860. Detail as to what happened is sketchy. Wikipedia notes (thanks!) that on Oct. 03, 1859, the vessel, then a hulk, was wrecked at Port Elizabeth, Algoa Bay, South Africa, per the 'Daily News' of London on Nov. 26, 1859 (it would seem quoting a Cape of Good Hope newspaper). The fragmentary data I have WWW found, in large part comes from data snippets ex 'Algoa in the Age of Sail', by Colin Urquhart, published in 2007. Which states, as I read it, that the vessel, under the command of Edward Graham, put into Algoa Bay in a distressed condition on '8/6' i.e. Jun. 08, 1859. It became a hulk & it would seem was anchored, likely abandoned, in the Bay. On '2/10', i.e. Oct. 02, 1859, per such volume, 'the condemned hulk of the barque Surat came ashore near J. O. Smith & Co's sawmill'. This site states (search for Surat) that two major south-east gales or storms hit Algoa Bay on Oct. 07 & 16, 1859 respectively (rather than on the 2nd) & resulted in the loss of 10 vessels. The webmaster has read, via Trove, Australia, an article originally published in the South African Advertiser of Jul. 27, 1859. Which tells us that on Apl. 18, 1859, Surat, under the command of Edward Graham, left Penang, Malaysia, for London with a cargo of spices, sugar, tin etc. The vessel clearly developed a substantial leak en route. On Jun. 08, 1859 the vessel put into Algoa Bay, making 4 1/2 inches of water in her holds every hour. It was then expected that the cargo would be discharged, further that the necessary repairs would be effected at Port Elizabeth & Surat would soon resume her voyage to London. Which clearly never happened. All as per this newspaper article. The webmaster has also seen at Trove a pair of articles about the two Oct. 1859 storms & Surat (1 & 2). Also destroyed in the Oct. 03, 1859 storm was Basileia, built by George Barker at Sunderland in 1854. No crew lists seem to be available for Surat. Is there anything above that you can improve or correct in the above text? Maybe provide a copy of the 'Daily News' of London Nov. 26, 1859 article? #2229 7   Emma Sarah 202 tons 1847 A snow. The vessel, which was launched in Aug. 1847, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1848/49 thru 1851/52 only. Its owner, throughout such short period, per LR, was J. Barry of Sunderland, with 'Fordyce' serving as the vessel's captain thru 1850/51 & 'Darnton' so serving in 1851/52. For service from Sunderland to London thru 1851/52 & from Sunderland to the Mediterranean in 1851/52. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9 lists her then owners as being J. Barry & J. Hemsley, both of Monkwearmouth. On Jan. 26, 1852, the vessel was en route from London to Newcastle, in ballast, with a crew of nine & 'Warston' stated to be her captain. The vessel ran ashore at Newton-by-the-Sea (on the Northumberland coast, about 15 miles N. of Newcastle) & became a total wreck. The conditions were 'thick' with strong winds. The vessel's captain, who had not passed his examinations, showed 'Great carelessness' in not using the lead. The vessel's life-boat, rockets & mortars all were defective, & the charts she carried were 'not good'. No lives were lost. The vessel, then valued at £1,800, was noted to be owned by J. Berry & Co. of Sunderland. As per this page. And also on this page, noted to be owned by J. Barry. Is there anything you can add? And/or correct? #2300 8   Victory 239 later 218 tons 6948 1847 A barque. The vessel, which was launched on Jul. 01, 1847 (as per (in blue) this newspaper cutting), was Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1848/49 thru 1869/70 ex 1855/56, a 3 year LR silence, & again from 1874/75 thru 1885/86. Victory was, per LR, initially owned, thru 1853/54, by Nichol & Co. of Aberdeen, for service from Sunderland to the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa ('SA'), thru 1851/52, from London to SA in 1851/52 & 1852/53, & from London to Algoa Bay, SA, in 1853/54. With, per LR, 'Allan' serving as the vessel's captain thru 1850/51 & then 'Fowler' (J. Fowler in 1853/54). In 1854/55, per LR, the vessel became Bristol registered & remained so for the balance of the vessel's lifetime. For consistent service thru 1869/70, per LR, from Bristol to Africa. In 1854/55 Victory was owned by King & Co., in 1856/57 & 1857/58 by Bruford & Co., & it would seem from 1858/59 thru 1869 by R. and W. King, all of Bristol. LR indicates that in 1854/55, 'Babington' was the vessel's captain, I. Johns in 1856/57 & 1857/58 & A. Fry from 1858/59  thru 1869/70. Such service by 'Fry' is doubtful - LRs of 1861/62 thru 1869/70 look to be unreliable. Some operational history. In early Feb. 1855, Victory, Babington in command, left Bristol for Africa, with a general cargo. En route, I read, to Cape Palmas (SE Liberia) and Camaroons (Cameroon), both W. coast of Africa. Going down the Bristol Channel the vessel encountered a NE gale with high seas & winds & accompanying blinding snow. On the night of Feb. 08, 1855, Victory ran ashore at Portlack Bay, stated to be near Glenthorne. They commenced the unloading of her cargo - the vessel's bottom seemed to be significantly damaged. 11 days later, on Feb. 19, 1855, (per The Standard of London, Feb. 20, 1855), Victory was floated off & towed to Bristol. The webmaster has had difficulty in establishing where this all happened. Portlock Bay (not Portlack Bay) is a few miles to the W. of Minehead, Somerset. I do not know where the appropriate Glenthorne is located. It was William Babington who was the vessel's captain at the time. We know that because he filed a deposition as to the circumstances of her grounding. All as per these two contemporary reports. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') comes to our rescue re Victory's later ownership. From 1865 thru 1869, they indicate that R. and W. King, were the vessel's owners, in 1870 they record Samuel Lowther, & in 1871 & 1872 Edmund Gwyer, all of Bristol. From 1874 thru 1885 (1880), MNLs list Thos. Redway, of Exmouth, Devon, as the vessel's owner, as also do LRs of 1874/75 thru 1885/86. 113.0 ft. long, later 112.0 ft. (from LR of 1874/75), signal letters JQWD, many crew lists are available (1 & 2). It seems that most ships end up wrecked in some manner somewhere in the world. Not so for this vessel. It was good to read, in LR of 1885/86, that Victory had become a hulk. Is there anything you can add to the above account, or correct? #2486 9   Queen of the Wave 446/496, later 454 tons 11953 1852 A barque. The vessel, which was launched on Apl. 21, 1852, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1852/53 thru 1869/70. But it was wrecked in 1861! Queen of the Wave was, per LR, initially owned, for two years only thru 1853/54, by T. Young of Sunderland, for service from Sunderland to Aden. With no captain name LR recorded. The Lloyd's Register Foundation has available this Survey document conducted at the time of the vessel's build. A launch announcement, which is not fully explained. This launch announcement refers to a barque built by William Wilkinson in Apl. 1852 for Bradley & Potts, timber merchants, of Sunderland. Alas a barque that is unnamed in the report. Stated to have had as its figure-head a full length portrait of Her Majesty (Queen Victoria), the work of Mr. Alder of Deptford. It is the webmaster's belief that the vessel referred to to is, in fact, Queen of the Wave. He believes that the sale to Bradley & Potts must have fallen through & that the vessel was then acquired by T. Young as above & registered as Queen of the Wave. This sale advertisement may well relate. Can anybody confirm or contradict my thoughts? On Sep. 16, 1853, the vessel, then lying at London, was offered for sale. It was then offered for sale in a public auction at London on Sep. 28, 1853 (one of the announcements) but did not sell. On Oct. 29, 1853 it was reported that George Avery, of Gateshead, had become Queen of the Wave's new owner. Further that the vessel's next voyage would be to Madras (now Chennai), India, under the command of Captain Wood. From 1854/55 thru to 1869/70, LRs record G. Avery of North Shields as the vessel's owner for continued service from London, initially (in 1854/55) to Madras, from 1855/56 thru 1858/59 for service to the East Indies, & from 1859/60 for service to India. David Watts advises (thanks!) that Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of 1854 lists Queen of the Wave as Shields registered & owned by George Avery with Wm. Stork the vessel's then captain. Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1856 lists G. Avery, of North Shields, as her then owner. Which owner name is clarified by Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 to mean George Avery. 122.0 ft. long. No crew lists seem to be available for the vessel. The vessel became of 454 tons in LR of 1857/58. The Mercantile Navy List records the vessel thru 1863 only. While LR of 1869/70 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. Clearly information did not then flow as it does today! On May 30, 1860, the vessel was significantly damaged at 18S/67E in the Indian Ocean as per this reference in an obscure 'Google' book. During a cyclone. I read that the vessel was en route from Madras to London, that 'Brown' was in command at the time & that the vessel put into Mauritius on Jun. 02, 1860, presumably to effect repairs. On Aug. 15, 1861, per line 1315 here, the 454 ton barque was wrecked at Ganjam (Odisha State, E. coast of India), while en route from Madras to Ganjam. Crew of 17 - none lost. Then owned by Geo. Avery. The vessel had sailed for Ganjam on Jun. 08, 1861 under the command of Captain Brown. Can you tell us anything additional? #2741 10 Rose of Sharon 730/870, later 788 tons 15896 1852 Rose of Sharon was launched on May 18, 1852 & first registered, at Newcastle, on Jun. 14, 1852. A wooden fully rigged sailing ship. This launch announcement tells us that she was made of English oak & teak, had a bust of King Solomon as her figure-head & had, on her stern, a view of Mount Lebanon. Per 1 (arrival at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on Apl. 13, 1855, ex the Apl. 18, 1855 edition of 'The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser'), 2 (passenger list re Sydney arrival), 3 (wreck data ex 'House of Commons Papers, Vol. 60' published 1860, a 'Google' book). 155.0 ft. long, signal letters LVFQ, no crew lists seem to be available, the vessel is not listed at Miramar. Lloyd's Register Foundation has a number of documents available re the vessel, including this survey report dated May 25, 1852. Rose of Sharon was built for J. (John, it would seem known as James) Miller, of Newcastle, & that he proved to be the ship's sole owner. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') recorded from 1853/54 thru 1858/59, always owned by J. Miller of Newcastle, for service from i) Sunderland to Calcutta (now Kolkata, India) in 1853/54 & 1854/55 & ii) London to Australia from 1855/56 thru 1858/59. With, per LR, J. Thompson (John Thompson) her captain thru 1855/56, W. Forsyth (possibly 'Forsayth') in 1856/57 & 1857/58 & J. South'rn in 1858/59. Maybe also 'Loutherman' in 1856. The North of England Maritime Directory, of 1854/55, records the vessel, in Apl. 1854 data, as owned by Jas. Miller with J. Thompson her captain. Such ownership data is essentially confirmed by Turnbull's Shipping Registers of both 1855 & 1856, the 1855 edition also listing J. Thompson as the vessel's then captain. LR of 1858/59 lists the vessel as now registered at London, hence Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 does not reference the vessel. On Jan. 10, 1855, Rose of Sharon left Southampton for Australia, William Forsyth in command (accompanied by his wife), & arrived at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on Apl. 13, 1855, after a passage of 93 days. She carried 365 immigrants, primarily agricultural workers, nearly all of whom were English. En route, i) the vessel encountered a hurricane which caused considerable damage to the ship & ii) the ship's carpenter was swept overboard & lost. The 3rd & 4th mates deserted the ship after arrival in Australia as also did what would seem to be two sailors. The sailors were caught - one of them was returned to the ship while the other was sentenced to 13 weeks imprisonment. The vessel's return voyage left Sydney on Jul. 07, 1855 & included stops at Rangoon (Burma, now Myanmar), Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, & Mauritius, before arriving back in U.K., at Falmouth in Jul. 1856. David Row of Australia indicated (thanks!) that, per 'White Wings Vol. II', on Oct. 01, 1856 the vessel left London & arrived at Wellington, New Zealand, on Jan. 19, 1857. With 100 passengers. And with, I believe, J. Southeron or maybe J. Southern as her captain. On Dec. 16, 1858, Rose of Sharon left Calcutta for London, under the command of William Maxton ('Maxton'), with a cargo principally of jute. The weather turned 'thick' as the vessel entered the English Channel. A light was observed off the starboard bow, which light the Captain believed to be the lighthouse at 'Casquets', 13 miles NW of Alderney in the Channel Islands. The lead was cast, but it would seem that the resulting data was not compared to the charts. The light proved instead to be 'Cape de Carteret', on the French coast, a long way to the south. On Apl. 10, 1859, the vessel ran ashore near Rozel, on the French coast S. of Cherbourg (the island of Jersey is 22 km. to the SW), & ended up a total loss. As is confirmed by these contemporary reports. Denis Wederell, of New Zealand, years ago advised us that jute was strewn along the beach & the wreck & its cargo was later auctioned off at Cherbourg, France. No reference to any loss of life so I presume there was none. Maxton admitted that repeated soundings would have saved the vessel & a Board of Trade Inquiry (held at Greenwich on May 11, 1859) cancelled his master's certificate for a 12 month period. Maxton was permitted to sit an examination to regain his certificate, when that year expired. We thank Ed Ironside, of Australia, for his assistance re the above. I read (in red) that two French Customs officers were each awarded a silver medal for their 'gallant services to the crew of' Rose of Sharon. Can you provide anything additional? #1845 WILSON, SPENCE and TODD So far as I can see, Wilson, Spence & Todd, built just two vessels, one in 1840 & the other in 1841. It would seem that they might be the successor to 'Wood & Spence', who built two vessels in 1839. I really know nothing about them except that the 'Spence' in the name was John Spence & they were clearly recently out of business prior to  Oct. 19, 1841, as per the announcement shown below. 1   Empress 291/297 later 294/238 & 287 tons 23661 1841 A snow or brig. Empress, which was completed in Oct. 1841, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1841/42 thru 1857/58 & not thereafter. It was owned, thru 1846/47 per LR, by Cragg & Co. of Stockton. With, again per LR, T. Strutt her captain thru 1846/47 (& indeed thru 1847/48). The vessel's service, per LR, while 'Craggs' owned? In 1841/42 for service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean. A Stockton coaster in 1842/43 & 1843/44. From Liverpool to Ichebon (Ichaboe, I think, an island off the coast of Namibia, noted for its guano deposits) in 1844/45, from the Clyde to Valparaiso, Chile, in 1845/46. In 1846/47, per LR, Empress became owned by Strutt & Co., of Stockton, for service ex Swansea, Wales, with T. Strutt her captain. In 1848/49, & thru 1852/53 per LR, the vessel was owned by Turnbull & Co. of Stockton, for service from Stockton to the Mediterranean with 'Dimond' her captain. I note that the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, in May 1848 data, lists her then owners as being Wm. Turnbull & Robert Craggs, both of Stockton & George W. Boulby & George Earle, both of Hull. Such entry makes one wonder about the accuracy of the LR listing data. 'Elliott' of Sunderland looks to have been the vessel's final owner - with 'Dimond' her captain thru 1854/55 then 'Johnson'. For service from Sunderland to America in 1853/54 & 1854/55 & from Sunderland to London in 1855/56. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5, in Mar. 1854 data, lists her then owners as being Thos. R. Elliott & Thos. Reed, both of Sunderland, with Nicholas Johnson her then captain. Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1856, in 1855 data, confirms such ownership, while TR of 1855 notes N. Johnson to be her then captain. What finally happened to Empress? The data in LRs of 1856/57 & 1857/58 is modest which suggests that Empress may have been lost. Line 131 on this U.K. Government wreck listing, tells us that on Jan. 02, 1857, Empress, in ballast, was dismasted in a gale & was driven ashore with the loss of six lives including her master. I read that massive storms had hit the U.K. E. coast & that as a result, a great many vessels were destroyed or damaged up & down the coast. Empress, 'Smith' in command, stranded on the Longscar Rocks, near Hartlepool, & became dismasted. And then, witnessed by thousands of spectators on shore, she was driven onto Seaton Beach. Of her crew of ten (maybe 12), only four were saved. A couple of contemporary news reports - 1 & 2. Can you tell us more? #2766 WOOD T. H. WOODS (THOMAS HENRY WOODS) The name of 'Wood' as a Sunderland shipbuilder, is new to the webmaster. The reference to the name comes from the 1869/70 edition of 'Lloyd's Register' - re a vessel long in these pages as being Sunderland built - but of builder unknown. But now known to have been built by 'Wood'. Can anybody help with the name? Which is not an easy WWW search term for obvious reasons. There was, it would seem, a 'Thomas Henry Woods', a timber merchant, shipbuilder & ship repairer, of Strand Slipway, Monkwearmouth, in 1858, as is confirmed by the following advertisement from the Post Office Directory of Cumberland (presumably found within this 1858 volume), published by Kelly & Co. of London. The name would seem to have been shortened by Lloyd's from 'Woods' to 'Wood', for a number of years, when there was ample space in the register column for the extra letter in the name. Thomas Henry Woods was in partnership with Alfred Simey, thru 1865 when the partnership ended, as you can read here - 'The London Gazette dated Dec. 05, 1865 gave Notice of the dissolution by mutual consent of Alfred's partnership with his brother-in-law, Thomas Henry Woods, in the shipbuilding and ship repairing business at Strand Slipway, Monkwearmouth Shore.' Perhaps, as time passes, more data will emerge. In the meantime, I have moved to this location, Sjomanden, a vessel built at Sunderland, in 1866, by 'Wood'. 1 Sjomanden 349 tons 1866 A 3-masted barque. Per 1 & 2 (Norwegian 'pdf', p#34, Sjomanden), 3 (image). Most of what I can tell you about the vessel is from a long expired eBay item. Also data contained in Lloyd's Register editions thru 1880/81. The webmaster has a few such editions after that date but Sjomanden seems not to be mentioned - possibly because of a change of vessel name? 117 ft. 8 in. long. Built for Monsen & Co. of Stavanger, Norway. Owned from 1868 by 'Monsen', which would seem to mean 'M. G. and E. S. Monsen', of Stavanger. The first 2 links refer, I believe, to the vessel's being involved, in 1873, in the guano trade from the W. coast of S. America, specifically from Peru. Such trade would seem to have typically been outbound with coal, returning to Europe with guano for use as a fertilizer. It would seem that the vessel was sold in 1892. A number of later owners but still Norwegian owned, it would appear. Out of register in about 1908. Now 'Monsen', owned a later vessel of the same name, built in 1913. Owned by 'D/S Sjomanden (Monsen)', of Stavanger, per Miramar. Which may or may not relate in some way. WWW data about the 1867 vessel is modest. I surely need help! WOODS & SPENCE WOODS, SPENCE & Co. of Deptford At this moment, the webmaster has no knowledge about these shipbuilders, who maybe should be separately listed. A list of Sunderland built vessels, available to the webmaster, records Woods & Spence as building just three vessels in the period of 1839 thru 1845. Re Woods, Spence & Co. it records five vessels built rather later, in 1856 & 1857. If any reader can tell us more about these shipbuilders, the webmaster would appreciate the info. Can you tell us anything about them? 1   Cowan 241/239, later 214 & 204 tons 2016 1839 Cowan, a snow or brig which was launched in Jun. 1839, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1839/40 thru 1878/79, with the exception of 1847/48. Per LR, the vessel was owned by Woods & Co., of Sunderland, thru 1851/52. With R. Booth her initial captain thru 1842/43, then 'Luckly' from 1842/43 thru 1843/44 or 1844/45, 'Pounder' from 1843/44 or 1844/45 thru 1846/47 & J. Hays from 1848/49 thru 1851/52. I note that 'Lloyd's Register Foundation' makes available a survey for the vessel, conducted when she was being constructed in Jun. 1839. A Sunderland shipping website, which website requests no links or recognition, tells us that that her initial owners were Wiilliam Wood & Thomas Hood Harrison, both of Newcastle, & Joseph Spence of Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland. Further that the vessel was first registered on Jun. 10, 1839. We thank such site for that data. Such initial owner looks clearly to have been the vessel's builder. Cowan's service, per LR, while 'Woods' owned? i) from Sunderland to London in 1839/40, ii) from Shields to the Mediterranean in 1840/41 & 1841/42, iii) from Bristol to Quebec, Canada, in 1842/43, iv) from Bristol to Africa in the period of 1843/44 thru 1846/47 (at least). I note, however, that on Jun. 15, 1839, the vessel left Sunderland, with 'Booth' in command, for Quebec. It later, on Nov. 27, 1839, arrived back at Wisbeach, Cambridgeshire, via the Pentland Firth, with a cargo of timber & deals. In view of the LR data, the webmaster was surprised to see that from Mar. 03, 1840 thru Mar. 19, 1840, that Cowan, lying at Blackwall, London, was offered for private sale. One of the announcements. It looks like it may not have then sold. A little later, on May 17, 1840, the vessel left Dartmouth, Devon, for Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada. And on Aug. 18, 1840 it arrived back at Gloucester, likely with a cargo of timber, with 'Luckley' noted to be in command. From 1848/49 thru 1855/56, per LR, Cowan was owned by 'Wawn' of Shields (Wawn thru 1851/52 & C. Wawn thereafter) for service from Shields to London with E. Taylor serving as the vessel's captain. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9 records the vessel, on Jul. 24, 1848, as registered at Shields & owned by T. W. Wawn of South Shields & G. Harrison of Wall (W. of Newcastle). While the equivalent directory of 1854/5, in 1854 data, records Christopher A. Wawn of South Shields (the 'A', I read, means 'Akenhead') as her owner with Ephraim Taylor her captain. Such ownership is confirmed by Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1855 with, however, Wm. Green her then captain. J. Young of Shields, per LR, became the owner of the now 214 ton Cowan in 1856/57. He is recorded as her owner indeed in TR of 1856. The Sunderland site referred to above notes that he had become the vessel's owner on Sep. 07, 1855. 'Young' would seem to have owned the vessel for the rest of its lifetime. As is confirmed by the Mercantile Navy List which confirms James Young to have been the 204 ton vessel's owner from 1865 thru 1879. And by TR of 1874. With a number of captains per LR - J. Halcrow from 1856/57 thru 1862/63, W. Payne for a short period, W. Wilford from 1864/65 thru 1867/68, 'Gaze' from 1867/68 thru 1875/76, W. Morrison from 1875/76 thru 1877/78 & J. Dennier from 1877/78 thru 1878/79. On May 01, 1862, the vessel, 'Halcrow' in command, came upon a dismasted & abandoned vessel. Cowan put a couple of men aboard her & later such vessel was brought into Shields by a tug. The derelict was Apollo, of Christiania, en route from Arendal (S. coast of Norway nr. Kristiansand) to Leith (Edinburgh), Scotland, with a cargo of battens & 'Jensen' in command. It had sprung a leak on Apl. 22, 1862 & her crew had abandoned her, when in the North Sea about 190 miles off the U.K. coast, roughly due east of Edinburgh, full of water - to be rescued, by Neptunus, Nielsen in command, also of Christiania. And landed at Stockton on Apl. 28, 1862. I presume that Apollo had stayed afloat because of her cargo. As per these 'Lloyd's List' reports. On Dec. 28, 1864, with 'Wilford' in command, & en route from Shields to London, the vessel struck on the Barber Sand (off Caister, Norfolk). It was assisted off by boatmen & seemed to have suffered minimal damage. From the above, the reader might suppose that the webmaster has researched the operational history of Cowan - but that is not true. He has, however, recorded such notable Cowan related items that he has happened to come across. 83.6 ft long, per the 1839 Lloyd's survey referred to above, but 98.0 ft. long, per LRs from 1863/64, 214 tons in 1856/57 & then 204 tons in 1875/76, many crew lists are available via this, page. What finally happened to Cowan? LR of 1878/79 notes that the vessel had 'Stranded'. On Dec. 17, 1878, the vessel, John Dennies in command, left Rouen, France, for South Shields, with a cargo of chalk. At 3.15 p.m. on Dec. 30, 1878, Cowan struck & then passed over the Kentish Knock (a dangerous shoal lying about 32 miles E. of the Essex coast, in the outer Thames Estuary). The vessel became leaky to an extent that the pumps could not control. When off Orford Ness (near Aldeburgh. Suffolk), the crew of a Ramsgate smack helped with the pumps but to no avail. The vessel became totally unmanageable & had to be run on shore near Southwold, Suffolk, It ended up stuck 200 yards off the beach. Six hours later, a boat from shore rescued the entire crew. On Jan. 06, 1879, the wreck was sold for £10, but a gale & high seas on the night of the sale date caused the vessel to break up next morning. Debris from the vessel apparently covered the nearby beach. Some contemporary news reports - 1, 2 & 3. Can you add to or correct in any way, the above listing? #2865 WORTHY, GEORGE of Southwick At this moment, the webmaster has no knowledge about George Worthy a shipbuilder based at Southwick. Have also read that he was of Pallion. Hopefully in the future such situation will be rectified. This section has been added to include one vessel that George Worthy built, i.e. Sultan built in 1853. I have read that George Worthy built ships from 1836 thru 1857 - maybe 32 vessels in total. 1   Sultan 400/453, later 440 tons 15065 1853 A barque. The launch of the vessel on Oct. 4, 1853 for Lawson of South Shields. Of an extreme length of 116 ft, intended for the East India trade. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1854/55 thru 1865/66. Was always registered at Shields (though the Mercantile Navy List of 1864 lists South Shields) & owned by Lawson of Shields. Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of 1854 lists Henry Lawson jun. of South Shields as the vessel's then owner with William Appleby her then captain. Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1856 lists her then owner as being H. Lawson, jun. of South Shields which owner name Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 clarifies as meaning Henry Lawson. The vessel became of 440 tons in 1860/61. 115.0 ft. long. LR of 1865/66 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. The circumstances of the vessel's loss are not yet to hand, however a site visitor has advised me that he has read elsewhere that the vessel sank on Mar. 17, 1866 at Alexandria, Egypt, after having arrived there from Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It was probably lost without any loss of life. Can you tell us about the circumstances of her loss, or otherwise add anything? #1928. 2   William Leckie 405/469 later 416 & 423/411 tons 14163 Orion Twee Gebroeders 1855 A barque. I wonder who William Leckie was? William Leckie, which was launched on Feb. 20, 1855, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1855/56 thru 1887/88, a 2 year LR silence, & again from 1890/91 thru 1893/94. It was owned, per LR, thru 1876/77, by 'Nichlsn & Co.' of Sunderland (W. Nicholson & Sons in LR of 1876/77). The meaning of such names is well documented. Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1856 tells us that William Leckie was then owned by W. Nicholson, W. Nicholson, jun., J. Nicholson & C. Taylor, all of Sunderland. Which names are clarified by Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 to mean William, William, Jun., & John Nicholson & Chas. Taylor. This is as good a place as any to note that TR of 1874 advises that the vessel was then owned by W. Nicholson, jun. & by J. Nicholson, with, respectively, 25 & 39 shares in the vessel. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') lists the vessel as Sunderland registered from 1857 thru 1878 (actually thru to 1888), with her managing owner i) in 1865 being William Nicholson, sen., of Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, ii) William Nicholson, jun., of Sunderland from 1866 thru 1876, & iii) just William Nicholson of Sunderland from 1877 thru 1879. The vessel's captains, per LR, while 'Nicholson' owned? There were many of them! J. Shaw thru 1856/57, J. Walters in 1857/58, 'Forbes' in 1858/59 & 1859/60, R. Pennell from 1860/61 thru 1863/64, G. Best from 1863/64 thru 1866/67, 'Sanderson' from 1866/67 thru 1868/69, W. Stevens from 1868/69 thru 1872/73, W. Smith from 1872/73 to 1873/74, L. Fletcher from 1873/74 thru 1875/76 & 'Welton' in 1876/77. And those are only the captains that LR referenced! William Leckie's service, per LR, while 'Nicholson' owned? From Sunderland to the West Indies in 1855/56 & 1856/57. Ex Swansea, Wales for the next 6 years - to the West Indies in 1857/58 & from 1860/61 thru 1862/63, & to South America in 1858/59 & 1859/60. From Sunderland to Caldera (northern Chile) in 1863/64 & 1864/65. From Swansea to South America from 1865/66 thru 1870/71, from Sunderland to the Mediterranean in 1871/72 & 1872/73, & from Sunderland to Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, in 1873/74. In 1876/77, per LR, the vessel, now of 416 tons, became owned by L. Brown of Sunderland. With W. Dickman the vessel's captain thru 1878/79, then L. Fletcher again. Per LR, 'Brown' owned the vessel thru 1879/80. Which ownership is not confirmed by MNL as already stated above. From 1879/80 thru 1882/83, per LR, J. Bambrough of Sunderland owned William Leckie - MNLs of 1880 thru 1882 confirm (James Bambrough). With 'Welton' her captain from 1879/80 thru 1882/83. Many more changes in ownership to come! LR of 1882/83 states that M. I. Wilson had become the vessel's owner - Matthew I. Wilson of Liverpool, per MNL of 1883. And finally, so far as British owners are concerned, the vessel, still Sunderland registered, became owned by Peter Johansen, of Liverpool, as per LRs of 1883/84 thru 1887/88 & MNLs of 1884 thru 1888. P. Johansen was, per LR, the vessel's captain thru 1886/87 & then 'Schenk'. Some 'best-efforts' operational history while British owned. On Apl. 8, 1855, William Leckie (Shaw) was at Deal, Kent, en route to Cuba. Later that year, on Oct. 19, 1855, the vessel arrived at San Francisco ex Swansea. Voyages to Cuba in 1856 & 1857. On Nov. 15, 1857, the vessel was at the Bahamas (Bird Rock, Crooked Island), leaky & with crew sick, while en route from St. Jago de Cuba to Swansea. On Feb. 7, 1860 the vessel arrived at Swansea ex Caldera & soon left for Cuba again. On Jul. 3, 1860 the vessel left Swansea for Madiera. In the summer of 1863, the vessel, en route from Callao, Peru, to Queenstown, Ireland, was reported to have suffered damage when hit by a heavy sea when 500 miles NE of the Falkland Islands. On Nov. 17, 1868, the vessel arrived at Queenstown, ex Coquimbo, Chile, where it had been damaged by earthquakes which had hit the W. coast of South America. On Jul. 4, 1872 the vessel left Gravesend for Cape Town, South Africa. On Oct. 5, 1873, the vessel (Smith) arrived at Quebec, Canada, ex Swansea. It had left Swansea in ballast for Montreal, Canada, in late Aug. 1873. On Dec. 29, 1873, the vessel (Fletcher) was entered out of Cardiff for Fray Bentos, Uruguay. On Jun. 20, 1877, Robert Vest, a sailor aboard William Leckie, murdered John Wallace, a pilot, when the vessel was in Sunderland Roads. 'Vest' was later found guilty & was executed at Durham on Jul. 30, 1878. On Jun. 29, 1883 the vessel (Johansen) was entered out from Swansea for Campana (near Buenos Aires, Argentine) with 644 tons of coal. On Sep. 18, 1883 the vessel arrived at Buenos Aires. As indicated above, G. Best was the vessel's captain, per LR, from 1863/64 thru 1866/67. His full name was, I learn, George Edward Best. Later he became captain of Caswell (built at Dumbarton in 1875) & while on board Caswell, he was brutally murdered on Jan. 4, 1876. 'The Caswell Mutiny' was the headline. Relative to such mutiny & to 'Best', Edward Warner, a seaman, wrote a letter relating his experiences aboard William Leckie in 1864 when 'Best' was the vessel's captain. The letter is not pleasant reading. I provide it, since it gives a perspective upon the conditions that existed aboard British vessls at that time in history.  So far as the webmaster can see, the vessel was not listed in LRs of 1888/89 & 1889/90. LRs of 1890/91 thru 1892/93, however, record the vessel, renamed Orion thru 1890/91 & then Twee Gebroeders (means Two Brothers) from 1891/92, as owned by G. G. Albers, sen., of Farsum, soon Gerret G. Albers of Groningen, both Netherlands, with H. Velhuis her captain. I must note that such ownership data seems to be incorrect. This fine 'Museum Veendam' page (& this related page) tells us that from 1886 thru 1888, the vessel (renamed Orion) was owned by Freerk Liefkes Drenth, of Oude Pekela, Netherlands, with W. W. Schenk & Johann Heinrich Carl Schrader her captains. From 1888 thru 1892, Gerrit G. Albers, sen., was the vessel's owner having bought the vessel on Sep. 26, 1888 for 6,425 Dutch florins. With Hendrik Veldhuis now her captain. It was sold again on Feb. 19, 1892, for 6,300 Dutch florins to H. G. Albers of Werkendam, who owned it from 1892 thru 1893. Renamed Twee Gebroeders, with Geert Egberts Olthof serving as her captain. Moving on, the webmaster has two LR editions for 1893/94. Both record H. G. Albers, of Werkendam, Netherlands, as the vessel's then owner with G. E. Olthof now her captain. of 423/411 tons. One of the editions notes that the vessel had been wrecked - in Dec. 1893. 117.5 ft. long, signal letters LMBF, later PNLK & PVKC, many U.K. crew lists are available via here. What happened to Twee Gebroeders in late 1893? The second 'Museum Veendam' link above, has a detailed account of the vessel's activities from Mar. 1887. And extensively covers the vessel's loss in Dec. 1893. The vessel was, on Dec. 8, 1893, off the coast of Norway. A violent storm arose from the south, became a hurricane, & drove the vessel onto cliffs near Larvik, Norway. The vessel found itself in a gap in the cliffs which permitted 6 crew members, including 'Olthof' her captain, to escape the ship & reach safety. Three crew members, however, died that day, including the helmsman. Can you tell us anything additional? #2595 WORTHY W. The webmaster has no knowledge about this builder, which, so far as the webmaster can see, built a single vessel - the vessel now listed below. 1   Margaret Macdonald 130 later 118 tons 7329 1850 A schooner, later a snow or brig. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1851/52 thru 1869/70, then a gap of 4 years, & again from 1874/75 thru 1876/77. Margaret Macdonald, initially a schooner but from 1857/58 a brig, was owned thru 1865/66, per LR, by A. Macdonald of Sunderland, with, serving as the vessel's captain, 'Stephenson' from 1851/52 thru 1856/57 & E. Smith from 1857/58 thru 1869/70. Such ownership is confirmed by The North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/55, which in Mar 1854 records Alex. Macdonald of Sunderland as the vessel's owner, with Henry Davis (& not Stephenson) her then captain. Turnbull's Shipping Registers ('TR') of 1855 & 1856 & Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 all confirm A. (Alexander) Macdonald as the vessel's owner - the 1855 edition of TR recording J. Mann as the vessel's then captain. Her service under 'Macdonald' ownership? - thru 1856/57 from Sunderland to the Baltic, in 1857/58 & 1858/59 for service from Cardiff, Wales, to the Baltic, & for service as a Sunderland coaster thereafter. No owner name is listed in LRs of 1866/67 thru 1869/70 which suggests that the vessel may well have been sold. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') seem to have been confused as to the vessel's correct name - & name the vessel as 'Marg. or Margaret McDonald', thru 1866 & as 'Margaret Macdonald' only from & after 1867. The webmaster is not really sure whether the 'd' should be capitalized & should rather be 'D'. MNL does however clarify the owner names. MNL of 1865 reports Alexr. McDonald of Monkwearmouth Shore, Sunderland, as the 118 ton vessel's then owner, while MNL of 1866 records Wm. McDonald. MNLs of 1867 thru 1875 (1870) all record John Raine of North Hylton, Durham, as the vessel's owner. LRs of 1874/75 & 1875/76 report that the 118 ton brig was then owned by J. Raine of Sunderland. LR of 1876/77 lists H. Bloomfield, also of Sunderland, as the brig's new owner. Such ownership is confirmed by MNL of 1876 which clarifies the name to mean Henry Bloomfield. 71.5 ft. long, later 73.0 ft., signal letters JSMN. Many crew lists are available here. What happened to Margaret Macdonald? LR of 1876/77 notes that the vessel had gone 'Missing'. I learn that on Apl. 13, 1876, the vessel left Sunderland for Treport (NE of Dieppe, France) with a cargo of about 200 tons of coal & a crew of 5. The vessel was never heard from again. Then owned by H. Bloomfield of Sunderland. As per item 330 here. And here also. This report notes that 'Bloomfield' was the vessel's captain at the time of her loss. It would seem that the vessel may have run into bad weather soon after leaving Sunderland. Is there anything you can add? Or correct? #2523 WREATHLY LAWRENCE WHEATLEY WHEATLEY BLANCH OF CHILTON SIDGWICK and C0. As I have indicated re Columbine below, the builder names above are added to the site as a result of data received from Rod Gain (thank you Rod!). Who advises that a ledger at the Tyne & Wear Archives in Newcastle contains a page for 'Wreathly' of, per Rod, just downriver from North Hylton. We need your help to learn if 'Wreathly', indeed the above three names, are correct. And, if not, what is, in fact, correct. That said, my inclination, having seen the Lloyd's Register entries that I have available re Columbine (below), is that the Archives data must be incorrect. An early typo perhaps? Lloyd's lists the builder of Columbine as 'Wheatly' no less than 7 times & for the first listing, that of 1869/70, they list 'Wheatl'y' i.e. with the apostrophe. I can find no WWW references for 'Wreathly' but there are a few references to Lawrence Wheatley, who built wooden ships on the north bank of the Wear at North Hylton - and would seem to have gone bankrupt in 1869. Per 1 (near page bottom, Lawrence Wheatley re 1863 thru 1869), 2 (shipbuilder reference), 3 (bankruptcy, 1869), 4 (maybe unrelated, a Lawrence Wheatley born in 1826, in panel 9, & indeed many others named Wheatley). And there are a few more references to Lawrence Wheatley also. Wheatley Blanch & Chilton Sidgwick? Here 1. Your input would be welcomed. 1 Columbine 56 (later 78) tons 62499 1868 A 2 masted wooden schooner. Per 1 (1876 aground). 65 ft. 4 in. long, later 81 ft. 1 in. Per the Lloyd's Registers I have available, (at left), the vessel was built for Storey & Co. of Sunderland, for the coastal trade. By 1873/74 the vessel was owned by W. L. Gammie ('Gammie'), her port of registration being Banff, Moray, Scotland. On the night of May 23, 1876, the vessel, then said to be of Cullen (Moray, NE Scotland), en route from Methil (Firth of Forth) to Port Gordon or Portgordon (also Moray) with a cargo of coal, ran aground 'at the back of Port Gordon'. Part of the cargo & materials were saved & the vessel was considered likely to be a total loss. But clearly not! In the 1878/79 register, the vessel must have been rebuilt, in 1877, & her length & tonnage was increased to 81 ft. 1 in. & 78 tons respectively - then owned by 'A. (Alexander) Scott' of Byres, Banffshire, & registered at Banff. And still at that port in 1887/88 when J. (James) Storm, of Findhorn, Moray, became the owner. The vessel is not listed in the 1889/90 Lloyd's Register, but what happened to her & when is unknown to the webmaster. This listing comes about as a result of the family research data of Rod Gair. Who advises i) that the vessel was built at Wreathly's yard at North Hylton & ii) that Charles Gair of Invergordon, Scotland, Rod's great grandfather, was her Captain in 1871 & later a part owner of the vessel & iii) Gammie was of Aberdeen, Scotland. Ian Whittaker has advised (thanks Ian!) that the vessel was indeed rebuilt after the 1876 stranding. And that on Nov. 21, 1898, the vessel, under the command of Captain Storm, was stranded 'at the back of East Pier, Banff.' Can you add anything additional? 2 Daylight 330/345 tons 62557 1870 A barque - which clearly had a very short life. Daylight, which was launched on Oct. 24, 1869, would seem to have been first registered, at Sunderland, only in Jan. 1870 - as per this page (lower section). It is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1869/70 thru 1875/76 only. Owned, per LR, by 'W. Rawell' of Sunderland thru 1874/75 which became 'W. Rowell' in LR of 1875/76. 'Rowell', i.e. with an 'o', looks to have been correct - Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1874 lists W. Rowell as owning 48 shares in the vessel & J. G. Rowell the other 16 shares. While the Mercantile Navy Lists of 1871 thru 1876 list William Rowell, of Sunderland, as her owner or managing owner. Per LR, Daylight served from Sunderland to the Mediterannean from 1869/70 thru 1871/72 & from Sunderland to the Black Sea in 1872/73 & 1873/74. Just one captain it would appear - J. Reed was, per LR, the vessel's sole captain. I read that on Oct. 16, 1870 a Sunderland barque named Daylight drove ashore on Lymington Spit (Hampshire). Was it this Daylight? I cannot tell you. There were two Sunderland registered vessels named Daylight at the time. The other is site listed here. On Sep. 1, 1875, Daylight, Reed in command, was in collision with Victory (MNL stated to be 'foreign' built with no build date indicated), an Aberdeen registered ship, off South Foreland (near Dover, Kent), while en route to Alicante (Mediterranean coast of Spain), & Odessa (Black Sea, Ukraine). Daylight is stated to have lost her mizzenmast, sails & gear, also her anchor & chain, etc. in the collision. As per this report & by this modest later reference, both kindly provided by Wilson & Doreen Cotton. The webmaster is unable to locate any later references to the vessel. Maybe it could not be repaired after its collision with Victory? 120.7 ft. long, signal letters JSDH, crew lists thru 1874 are available here. Can you tell us more about Daylight's loss or otherwise add anything? #2399 YOUNG, R. YOUNG & PEARSON So far as I can see, R. Young built 12 vessels during the period from 1832 to 1840. Just one of those vessels is, so far, listed below. And that vessel is also referenced elsewhere as having been built by 'Young & Pearson'. If you have any data about the shipbuilder, do consider being in touch with the webmaster. 1   Athelstan 293 later 295 & 276 tons 24968 1834 Athelstan, a barque, later a snow or brig, is only intermittently Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed - from 1834 thru 1841/42, then a gap of two years, from 1844/45 thru 1847/48, a gap of 26 years, & from 1874/75 thru 1883/84. A Sunderland build list, available to the webmaster, records the vessel's builder as being R. Young. However, the two websites referred to in the next paragraph rather refer to Young & Pearson, which builder name is also recorded on this Lloyd's Survey document for the vessel, dated Apl. 23, 1834. The vessel's initial owner, per LR thru 1836/37, was Brown & Co. of Newcastle for service from Sunderland to London with J. W. Bell serving as the vessel's captain. Now two sites - this Hartlepool site & a Sunderland shipping website which website requests no links or recognition, have pages re Athelstan with much data that was otherwise unavailable to the webmaster. Such websites tell us that the vessel's initial owners, registered on Mar. 26, 1834, were Thomas and Robert Brown of Jarrow. We thank such websites. It would seem, however, that 'Brown' only owned the vessel for 3 days! On Mar. 29, 1834 the vessel is noted to have become owned by George Burdis, of Newcastle. In 1836/37, per LR, the vessel became owned by 'Richardson' of Stockton, for service ex Sunderland with 'Dymond' her captain thru 1839/40 & 'Emerson' in 1840/41 & 1841/42. Thomas Richardson, registered on Feb. 16, 1835, I have read. The Sunderland website above noted further advises that on Mar. 26, 1835 Athelstan became owned by Thomas Rowell of Hartlepool. I am glad to have read that because it explains why, from Apl. 30, 1844 thru May 28, 1844, the vessel, now a snow, was one of seven vessels offered for sale at a public auction to be held at Hartlepool on May 30, 1844 - by order of the Hartlepool General Shipping Company of Hartlepool. One (in red) of the many such advertisements. The Hartlepool site tells us rather that in Mar. 1837 the vessel had been acquired by Hartlepool General Shipping Company of Hartlepool (or by General Shipping Company of Hartlepool) - for £2,600. A couple of events in the life of Athelstan. a) In the spring of 1843, the vessel sailed to Archangel, Russia, with 'Burgess' in command. In a letter written by Captain Burgess from Archangel on Jun. 27, 1843, he advised that Athelstan had, when near North Cape (far N. of Norway, I believe), come upon a vessel that was flying signals of distress. The vessel proved to be Falcon, which had struck a sunken rock & was noted to be a 150 ton brig, registered at London, under the command of 'Cairns'. The webmaster notes that Falcon, per LR, was rather a snow of 248/242 tons, built at Sunderland in 1837 & captained by C. Cairns. Athelstan threw ropes to Falcon when she was about to sink, but was unable in the conditions to rescue Falcon's crew other than one crew member who managed to get aboard Athelstan. Falcon had a crew of 13, so the other twelve, incl. captain 'Cairns', were all lost. Per this contemporary report. b) On Jan. 11 or 12, 1847, the vessel, en route from Quebec, Canada, to Swansea, Wales, with 'Peck' in command, was driven up the channel, leaky & with crew completely exhausted. By gales from the south. The vessel put into Portsmouth, or (per the Liverpool Mail) into Holyhead, N. Wales. The webmaster would be remiss if he did not note that there is uncertainty as to the identity of the vessel named Falcon lost in 1843 as above. The webmaster invites site visitors to read the site listing for the vessel named Falcon built at Sunderland in 1837. To understand such uncertainty. I had thought that T. Barker must have acquired the vessel at the May 30, 1844 auction noted above. Since from 1844/45, again per LR, Athelstan was owned by the 'Barker' family of Shields - T. Barker from 1844/45 thru 1847/48 & T. B. Barker from 1874/75 thru 1883/84. However the Hartlepool site tells us that 'Cooper' of Shields bought the vessel for £1,070 & registered his ownership on Mar. 30, 1844. Thomas Barker of North Shields became the vessel's registered owner on Mar. 14, 1845. The vessel's service in the limited period of 1844/45 thru 1845/47 was per LR from Shields to America with T. Robson her captain. From Oct. 25, 1855 thru Nov. 01, 1855, Athelstan was one of seven colliers that were offered for sale at an auction at South Shields on Nov. 07, 1855 (in red). It sems likely that it did not sell. In none of the years from 1874/75 thru 1883/84 does LR name the vessel's captain. But the Hartlepool site provides a list of her captains as follows:- Mar. 1834 James Watson Bell, 1843 Burgess, Apl. 1846 William Peck, Jan. 1847 Robert Thomas, Mar. 1847 George Dining, Apl. 1847 - 1863 Alexander Benny. Great data - thanks! Athelstan is not listed as registered at any NE port in the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9. It is listed in the equivalent directory of 1854/5, in 1854 data, registered at Shields & owned by Thomas Barker - with Alex. Benny noted to be her then captain. Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1856 (Athelston) & Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 confirm such ownership data. TR of 1855 also - but it notes A. Benney to be the vessel's then captain. We should note what the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') has to say. It lists Athelstan from 1857 thru 1875, always registered at Shields. Owned from 1865 thru 1870 by Thomas Barker of North Shields. And from 1871 thru 1875 by Thomas B. Barker of Westoe, South Shields. In late 1874, Thos. Barker & Sons offered for sale, at a public auction held at North Shields on Dec. 15, 1874 (in red), three company vessels - Hercules, Gemini, & Athelstan. A 'going out of Shipping' sale, the notices stated. The first two vessels were amazingly old - Hercules was built at Stockton in 1781 & Gemini at Blyth in 1788. 93.7 ft. long, signal letters PDBM, per LR a barque thru 1841/42 & thereafter a snow or a brig, of 276 tons from LR of 1874/75, some crew lists are available via this page. What finally happened to Athelstan? Per the websites referred to above, the vessel's register was closed on Nov. 17, 1878 - the vessel being 'used as a coal hulk'. Can you add anything additional? Or correct the above text in any way? #2900 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. [ ] £ á è é ö ô ú ü To the Special Pages Index. A SITE SEARCH FACILITY Search This Site for Get a Free Search Engine for Your Web Site THE GUEST BOOK - GO HERE E-MAIL THIS LINK Enter recipient's e-mail: