THE SUNDERLAND SITE - PAGE 097
SHIPBUILDERS - PAGE 30

May I suggest that you navigate the site re Sunderland data via the index on page 001. Do you want to make a comment? A site guestbook is here. On this page I will continue to advise such data as I have located about the shipbuilders of Sunderland, U.K. and expand upon the data presently available on site. A list of the Sunderland built vessels referenced in these pages is at the top of page 040. A list of the Sunderland shipbuilders referenced in these pages is a little lower on page 040. Copyright? (22 = 22) Test. Corrections in any of the material which follows, however tiny, would be most welcome. And additions, of course! VESSELS BUILT IN SUNDERLAND - BUT THE SHIPBUILDER NAME IS PRESENTLY UNKNOWN. The following will be moved to the appropriate spot in these pages if and when the name of the shipbuilder becomes known. In most cases, I have been able to find the shipbuilder name via the WWW. But not re these particular vessels. 1 Cornelius 266 or 287 tons 1837 A snow. Per 1 (Cornelius 1838-1839). Listings ex Lloyd's Registers are available at left - the vessel is not recorded in the 1847/48 or 1848/49 editions of Lloyd's. I have very little data about this vessel, which would seem however, thru its lifetime, to have been owned by W. Potts of Sunderland. Paul Hilton, advises (thanks Paul!) that the vessel, in 1837, brought immigrants to Saint John, New Brunswick ('NB'), one of the 4 founding provinces that formed the Dominion of Canada on Jul. 1, 1867. Those immigrants went on to Harvey Station, SE of Fredericton, NB. Harvey Station was, I read, established in 1837, so perhaps these immigrants founded the community. Who built the vessel, I wonder? And what later happened to it? Paul Hilton adds, re that matter, that 'it was about 1847 when the Cornelius sailed around the Great Barrier reef off Australia and it may have sunk there about that time.' #1844 2 Sheraton Grange 261 tons 1838 A brigantine. Per 1 (data), 2 (3rd item), 3 (part of an 1890 postcard image of Herrington, the lifeboat coxswain), 4 (Harriet). Owned by Thomas Sharer of Hartlepool. Registered, for part of its life at least, at Stockton. On May 3, 1853, en route from Bahia, (Brazil I presume), to Falmouth, came upon the schooner Harriet, damaged in a storm & with her Captain confined to his bed by illness. Sheraton Grange stood by for 3 or 4 days & then took Harriet in tow & delivered her safely 15 or 16 days & 1,000 miles later at Plymouth. The High Court of the Admiralty awarded Sheraton Grange £800 for her services. Did it sink in 1853? I presume so. Was described as a grounded wreck. It drifted towards land in a gale in the late afternoon of Nov. 29, 1853, after earlier going aground on Aldboro' Napes on the Suffolk coast. Link 2, which relates to the Southwold Lifeboat Society lifeboat station at Southwold, Suffolk, records the issue of silver lifesaving medals to Coxswain Benjamin (Benicks) Herrington & Second Coxswain William Waters 'for rescuing nine crew from the brigantine Sheraton Grange on 29 November 1853'. It would seem that the crew of Sheraton Grange had abandoned the ship & taken to their long-boat. Sheraton Grange was bound from Sunderland to London loaded with coal. The lifeboat was the brand new Harriett, which I read, despite the report at the thumbnail, performed so poorly that the lifeboat crew refused to go to sea in her again. (I cannot find that reference again). That's all I can locate via the WWW. There is a brief reference here to Thomas Brandswell, who travelled to Malta from Alexandria on the Sheraton Grange. No date but Brandswell died Jan. 25, 1845. But who built the vessel, I wonder? 3   Dundee 288 tons (or 305 using new measurements) 1840 A barque. Per 1 (sole data source). Owned by 'Borrie', maybe 1852/54, & registered Dundee. Repaired in 1847, 1849 & 1853. Sailed 1853-54 for Melbourne, Australia. Need help! 4   Iö 286 or 307 tons 1840 A snow-rigged vessel.  Per 1 (sole data source), 2 ('snow' re rigging). A 2 masted sailing ship carrying square sails & a trysail on a small jackmast. Owned by Moore 1855/57. Repaired in 1850, 1853 & 1855. In service in the Mediterranean perhaps (1855/56). 5 Brenda 1840s ?? A brig. Per I cannot be sure that Brenda is, in fact, a Sunderland built ship. But it looks like it is. The work, entitled 'Brenda of Sunderland' is by Nicholas S. Cammillieri (1798/1856 or maybe 1860), & shows the vessel entering the port of Malta on Jan. 20, 1846. Flying a Canadian flag. 17 3/4" x 22 3/4" in size, pencil signed. Nicholas S. Cammillieri is either Maltese, French or Italian (data differs), but Maltese seems to be correct. (39 listings at Artprice). The most extensive data I have found is 1. Some think that there may have been 2 Cammillieri's, both marine artists, at that time, one based in Malta & the other in Marseilles, but 1 says that is incorrect. Just one. Data is however confusing, to the webmaster at least. Need help! 6 Waterloo 796/898 tons 1848 A 3-masted fully rigged ship, not a 'clipper' ship. Per 1 (Duncan Dunbar history), 2 (data), 3 & 4 (Dec. 11, 1848 arrival at Sydney), 5 (1862 auction sale of vessel, ex 6), 7 (oil painting of the vessel, by D. Macfarlane). The vessel is not listed at Miramar. A 'frigate' style ship, with a white band painted down each side with imitation gun ports intended to ward off pirates, with passenger accommodations 'very superior' or 'spacious & elegant'. It carried 'an experienced surgeon', a sales feature mentioned in advertisements! Registered at London. Some selected listings ex Lloyd's Registers are available at left. The vessel, 145.5 ft. long, was built, of teak, at the cost of £18,000, for Duncan Dunbar & Sons ('DDS'), of Limehouse, London, Devitt & Moore likely the managers. Duncan Dunbar (1803/1862), the ship owner, inherited in 1825, at age 22, a brewery & a wine & spirit business from his father of the same name. In 1827, Duncan Dunbar acquired his first ship, actually a half interest in a barque, & in the following decades built what was then the largest fleet of vessels in the world. He even owned a ship-building yard, at Moulmein, Burma, (now Mawlamyine, Myanmar) & many of his ships were built there due to the ready availability of teak. The name? Many of the fleet vessels were named after famous battles. There was an earlier vessel of the name, not however a fleet vessel. It was built at Bristol in 1815, and, carrying convicts, was driven ashore & wrecked in Aug. 1842, with the loss of 190 lives, at Table Bay, South Africa. I read, re Duncan Dunbar, that 'His ships were employed as troopships in the Crimean War, carrying convicts to Australia, emigrants to New Zealand and Australia, tea home from China and spices and many other things from India'. Waterloo was engaged on passenger & cargo service to Australia, & indeed was built 'expressly for the Sydney trade'. The vessel was owned as to 1/3 (likely an approximation) by Captain Henry Neatby (1805/1862), a most famous DDS captain indeed, who achieved 18 years of fleet service. It would seem that the vessel's maiden voyage left London on Aug. 29, 1848 for Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. On Dec. 11, 1848, the vessel, Neatby in command, arrived at Sydney, ex London & Portsmouth, with 49 passengers. You can read, via the links above, interesting detail of its cargo, which included two thorough-bred racehorses. On its return voyages to London, the vessel would carry passengers & wool. On Mar. 6, 1862, Duncan Dunbar, a bachelor, died & his fleet was auctioned off. As you can read via a link above, Waterloo was sold, for £4,555, to Montgomery & Fox, of Liverpool, per Lloyd's Registers thereafter 'Fox & Co', & registered at Liverpool. The vessel, not renamed, then traded to India it would seem. A Google snippet advises that the vessel was later sold to 'a native, Hajee N. Mohammed, of Bombay'. Do you know what finally happened to her? It is a puzzle to the webmaster that the name of the builder of such a prominent ship, a ship with such a famous owner, seems not to be known, or at least is not WWW named. Laing built many ships for Duncan Dunbar, but did not build Waterloo, as is confirmed here. We need help! We thank Sally Douglas for suggesting the inclusion of this vessel. Sally believes that her great grandfather John Broomfield (later of Ballarat), immigrated to Australia, arriving at Sydney aboard Waterloo, on Nov. 27, 1855. Some additional comments:- i) If Duncan Dunbar (1803/1862) never married, why was his firm named Duncan Dunbar & Sons? Maybe I have the firm name incorrectly & it should rather be Duncan Dunbar & Co.? ii) Neatby would seem to have owned about 1/3 of Waterloo. Was the sale price in 1962 for the entire ship or rather for 2/3 of it? Likely it was for the entire ship with 1/3 of the proceeds going to Neatby. iii) it would be good to learn what additional data S. Neal Gardner learned about the vessel since 2000. An image of the engraved pitcher that he referred to at 2 would be of considerable reader interest. I tried to make contact with Mr. Gardner but his e-mail address is no longer operative. #1838 7   Escape 248 tons 1849 A wooden sailing ship. 2 masts, snow rigged. An expired e-Bay item, 3 documents including a mortgage document, is my main source of data. Would seem to have been owned by Simon Reuter (1850), registered Liverpool. And in 1852/53 by Huntley of Sunderland for service to Archangel. And later (1857) by A. Jennings & possibly by S. Sichel. It is not likely that you will be able to provide more data about this vessel! But we can hope! 8 Ocean Wave 230 (later 184 & 185) tons 24159 1849 A wooden snow, a type of brig, i.e. 2 masts, both with square sails. Per 1 (Board of Trade inquiry into 1875 grounding & loss, ex 'Accounts and Papers', published 1876, a 'Google' book). 84 ft. 0 in. or later 85 ft. 2 in., signal letters N.V.P.L. The webmaster has a number of Lloyd's Registers available thru the period. The first such reference to the vessel appears to be in the 1852/53 edition when the vessel was owned by Fitzgibbon, of London, for service to the Dominicas. By 1856/57 the vessel was owned by 'Gethring &' of Newport, Wales, for service into the Mediterranean. By 1864/65 the vessel was owned by Hunter & Co., of London, for service to Copenhagen, Denmark. By 1874/75 the vessel was owned by 'J. Mackenzie' & registered at London. On Sep. 30, 1875, Ocean Wave, then owned by 'John McKenzie and two others', of Blyth, Northumberland, but registered at London, William Slater ('Slater') in command, left Riga, Latvia, for Leith, Scotland, with a cargo of deals, with a crew of 7 all told. The weather was very cold, so cold that ice accumulated at the bow are as a result of which the vessel was difficult to control & its head was down by 2 or 3 ft. At 2 p.m. on Dec. 5, 1875, the vessel sighted the island of Bornholm, in the Baltic, & then headed for Hammeren Point, intending to anchor between Hesler & Ronne. The vessel was hit by a sudden squall, & ran aground, on Dec. 5, 1875, on a shoal 1/2 to 3/4 miles from the shore of Bornholm Island. Heavy seas broke right over her, & the vessel, soon filled with water, began to break up. The crew was saved at 9 p.m. with the use of rocket apparatus & no lives were lost. Slater apparently did not use the lead, believing that he knew the coast well. The Court held that Slater had caused the loss by the non use of the lead & suspended his certificate for a period of 3 months. The Court said it did so with regret on account of Slater's high character, & granted him a mate's certificate during that 3 month suspension period. There are anomalies re this vessel, but that said I presently believe that the Lloyd's data, as at left above, is in order. Specifically i) Lloyd's 1874/75 identifies the vessel as built in 1847. I think that date was picked up by the Board of Trade, who also state, I believe incorrectly, that the vessel was #24519, which was (insert number) Black Diamond, (#24159 is correct) - however they use #24159 elsewhere in the book, ii) the vessel does not seem to be listed in the 1870/71 & 1873/74 registers, iii) the vessel still seems to be listed in later Lloyd's Registers, the last such register I have available is 1883/84 as per this image. Have I mixed up vessels named Ocean Wave? It surely looks to be possible but I did take care with the data above. Can you add to and/or correct the listing? 9 Rodney 877 tons 6127 1850 A fully rigged sailing ship. Per 1 (Dec. 20, 1851 arrival at Hobart, Tasmania, i.e. Van Diemen's Land), ex a 'pdf' available here), 2, 3 & 4 (data), 5 (1854/55 voyage to Port Adelaide, South Australia), 6 (wreck data, Rodney, 45% down). Not listed at Miramar. A 'frigate' style ship, i.e. with a white band painted down each side with imitation gun ports intended to ward off pirates, with passenger accommodations both 'spacious and elegant'. Registered at London. Built for Duncan Dunbar & Sons, of Limehouse, London, Devitt & Moore the managers, & engaged on passenger & cargo service to Tasmania & to mainland Australia. It would seem, from the Lloyd's Registers (left) that the vessel only had a single captain in its lifetime - A. (Alexander) M'Lean, (is writing that name as 'Mclean' or 'MacLean' correct?) but Messrs Frazer & Bissett were in command for later voyages, with Bissett in command when the ship was lost. The vessel made three 'convict' voyages, under hire to Her Majesty's Government, with convicts & pensioner guards to Van Diemen's Land i.e. Tasmania, in 1850, 1851, & 1852-53. 'Pensioner guards' were apparently ex British service men, many in the prime of life, fit & healthy & not 'pensioners' as we today understand the term. They supervised the convicts both during the voyage & afterwards, & left England in search of a better life. The first such voyage was from London to Tasmania via Portland, Dorset. It left Portland on Aug. 23, 1850 (maybe Cowes on Aug. 14) & arrived at Hobart on Nov. 28, 1850. Apparently 'The Public Record Office/The National Archives' at Kew, London, has a journal (ADM 101/64) re this voyage, written by Superintendent Frederick LeGrand RN, the ship's surgeon. The 2nd such voyage left Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland, on Dec. 20, 1851. While the 3rd voyage arrived at Hobart in Feb. 1853 with 342 convicts aboard. The convicts were, I read, mainly Irish. I am sure that is so, but the ship would surely have had to stop at Queenstown to pick them up. On Nov. 21, 1854, the vessel left Plymouth under the command of Captain Frazer for Port Adelaide, South Australia, where it arrived on Feb. 20, 1855. The vessel would appear to have been later re-rigged as a barque & also been owned by Green & Co. Both statements correct? I read that on Jan. 7, 1858 (or maybe on Jun. 7, 1858), Rodney, a barque owned by Green & Co, under the command of Captain Bissett, was totally wrecked on the Kenn Reef off the Queensland, Australia coast, while en route from Melbourne to Calcutta, India. Way off the Queensland coast! Kenn Reef is a largely submerged coral atoll, lying about 280 miles NE of Gladstone, Queensland, in the Coral Sea, way beyond the Great Barrier Reef. Rodney was wrecked a few hours after Oliver Van Noort was wrecked on the very same extensive reef. It would seem that the two ships, & also Northumberland, were sailing in company through the Torres Straight. When first Oliver Van Noort & then Rodney ran aground. The Rodney crew were rescued by Northumberland, but Bissett & a part of his crew were transferred to Sea Park, & landed at Calcutta. But can the Torres Strait reference be correct? Torres Strait lies between Australia & Borneo, far to the north. The wreck has not, I read, been located. Now early Lloyd's Registers (left) list where & when a ship was built, but do not list who built it. Such is the case with Rodney. But one of the links above states that the builder was 'Lainey', a Sunderland shipbuilder name new to me. Can you provide more data about this vessel? And an image? 10 Successor 280 (or 294) tons 1850 A snow rigged wooden sailing vessel, that had a very short life indeed, being both built & lost in the same calendar year. Per 1 ('Irish Shipwrecks', wreck & history data, Successor), 2 (wreck ref., Successor, about 45% down, Mutton Island). Likely about 90 ft. long. The vessel was listed in but a single edition of Lloyd's Register, that of 1850/51, see left. The vessel would seem to have been built for 'Culliford' of Sunderland, with G. Miller, also of Sunderland, her Captain. In Nov. 1850, the vessel, under the command of Captain Miller, left Liverpool with a cargo of oats. I presume that she was bound for an Irish port, Limerick perhaps. The vessel encountered a severe storm at sea, as a result of which the vessel lost her masts & it would seem the entire crew was swept overboard. On the morning of Nov. 19, 1850, the vessel was driven ashore at Clohaneinchy (or Clohaninchy), on the Atlantic coast of County Clare, opposite Mutton Island, & became a total wreck. At 52.47N/09.29W. Perhaps at a point between Seafield Point & Mutton Island.  Mutton Island (1, 2) is a private 185 acre island, for sale as this listing is created in Nov. 2011, located 20 miles S. of Galway Bay, & 1 mile off Seafield Harbour, County Clare. The bodies of the Captain, his wife, & three others, were washed ashore on Mutton Island & were buried there on Nov. 24, 1850. 1 indicates that the crew was 7 all told. The wreck was plundered by the local people, callously perhaps, & anything valuable was carried away, including, it would seem, every stitch of clothing of one poor crewman who was washed up on the beach. But ... I wonder how they were sure that his clothes were so removed - is it not possible that his clothes were lost either in the fury of the storm or when his body was battered on the shore? Only limited data about the vessel is WWW available. Can you possibly provide more? Which Sunderland ship builder built the vessel? The answer is not known today, at least to the webmaster. Perhaps you might assist in answering that question? 11 Wentworth Beaumont 272 or 276, became 255 tons 633 1850 A snow rigged wooden sailing vessel, later a brig (but a snow is a type of brig). Per 1 ('Irish Shipwrecks', wreck & history data, Wentworth Beaumont), 2 (1858 ownership data, Wentworth Beaumont, in 'Christies Shipping Register ...'), 3 (wreck ref., Wentworth, about 60% down), 4 (Tyne & Wear Archives, 1873 crew lists available), 5 ('wrecksite.eu', wreck ref., Wentworth Beaumont). 91.0 ft. long, signal letters HDQF. It is possible but really a guess that the vessel was named for Wentworth Beaumont, a Member of Parliament for Northumberland & Durham & owner of coal mines. The webmaster has Lloyd's Registers available ex Google books - see left. In all of the 1850/51 thru 1864/65 Lloyd's Registers, 'Clarke & C.' ('Clarke'), of Newcastle, was the listed owner. That it would seem means Clarke & others - in 1858 'Christies' records the vessel as then being owned by 'Clarke & Dunn' of Newcastle & by 'Thomas Todd' of London. The vessel served the Mediterranean & later the West Indies it would seem. In the 1865/66 edition of Lloyd's, the ownership changed, from Clarke to 'G. Eskdale', of Shields, with the owner George Eskdale becoming the Captain of the vessel - for the rest of the vessel's life in fact. The vessel served the Baltic & also Spain, it would appear. On Sep. 30, 1873, the vessel left Limerick, Ireland, for Shields in ballast. The vessel encountered fog & high winds & while trying to put the pilot ashore was driven onto rocks at Carrigaholt, on the S. coast of County Clare, near the mouth of the river Shannon. And wrecked. At 52.34N/09.42W. 1 says at Rinevilla Point, while 5 says off the Kilcredaun Head Light House. Perhaps 1 mile W. of the lighthouse. One life was lost, a cook who was drowned. The remainder of the crew including the Captain were all saved. 1 advises that the vessel was built of oak, which is interesting. Can you possibly provide more data? Which Sunderland ship builder built the vessel? The answer is not known today. Perhaps you might assist in answering that question? 12 Rose of Sharon 730/870 (later 788) tons 15896 1852 A wooden fully rigged sailing ship. Per 1 (data, thanks to Denis Wederell ('Denis') of New Zealand in 2001), 2 (arrival at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on Apl. 13, 1855, ex the Apl. 13, 1855 edition of The Sydney Morning Herald & the Apl. 18, 1855 edition of 'The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser'), 3 (passenger list re Sydney arrival), 4 (wreck data ex 'House of Commons Papers, Vol. 60', a 'Google' book). Vessel not listed at Miramar. Signal code L.V.F.Q. There is a fair amount of data available about this vessel, but that data does not include who built it! It would seem that the vessel was built for J. Miller, of Newcastle, & that he proved to be the ship's sole owner. Likely for service to Australia. On Jan. 10, 1855, the vessel 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. 7, 1855 & included stops at Rangoon (Burma, now Myanmar), Calcutta (India), & Mauritius, before arriving back in U.K., at Falmouth in Jul. 1856. David Row of Australia indicates (thanks!) that, per 'White Wings Vol. II',  on Oct. 1, 1856 the vessel left London & arrived at Wellington, New Zealand, on Jan. 19, 1857. With 100 passengers. On Dec. 16, 1858, the vessel left Calcutta for London, under the command of William Maston ('Maston'), 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 Carteret', on the French coast, a long way to the south. On Apl. 10, 1859, the vessel ran ashore near Rozel Bay, on the NE coast of Jersey, Channel Islands, & ended up a total loss. Denis advises 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. Matson admitted that repeated soundings would have saved the vessel & the Court determined to remove his certificate for a 12 month period. Indeed the Captain may have had to sit an examination to regain his certificate, when that year expired. We thank Ed Ironside, of Australia, for his assistance re the above. Can you provide anything more? #1845 13 Time & Truth 470/576 tons 1852 A (3-masted?) barque, 124.0 ft. long. Per 1 (the 1852 voyage, 45% down), 2 (an 1854 voyage with immigrants to Port Adelaide, Australia), 3 (wreck circumstances), 4 & 5 (newspaper reports ex 6 & 7), 8 (data, 75% down), 9 (Wreck Inquiry reference). The webmaster has a number of Lloyd's Registers available ex Google books - see left. But placing 100% reliance on such Registers may not be advisable. The vessel would seem to have been sunk in Jan. 1863, yet the vessel is Lloyd's Register listed thru 1869/90 with its listing data quite unchanged after 1863/64. Assuming, of course, that the vessel of the name lost in 1863 is this Time & Truth, which assumption looks to be so but is not fully proven to the webmaster's satisfaction at least. The vessel was built at Sunderland, by builder unknown, for 'Mitcheson' of London (note that Byers, of Sunderland, built a ship for Mitcheson, the Fanny Mitcheson). Intended for voyages to India. Justin Bartlett ('Justin'), of Brisbane, Australia, advises (thanks!) that Mitcheson likely means the partnership of Joseph John Mitcheson, Robert William Mitcheson & William Mitcheson, of Garford Street, Limehouse, Middlesex, (& maybe also of Sheffield) which partnership i) operated as 'J. Mitcheson & Sons', anchor smiths, ironmongers, ship chandlers & ship owners & ii) was dissolved in Mar. 1858. Anyway, the vessel's maiden voyage was ex Liverpool via Plymouth, Devon, which it left on Sep. 17, 1852 for Geelong, near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, James Dodds in command, carrying 281 immigrants. It arrived at Geelong on Jan. 5, 1853. On one voyage to Australia, the vessel was, I am advised, quarantined at Port Nepean, Melbourne, due to whooping cough. In the 1860/61 edition of Lloyd's, the owner became stated to be A. Brown, likely of Liverpool since the vessel was registered there. However, Justin advises that he understands that the vessel was sold to Australian owners in 1860. The vessel was likely mostly engaged in the shipment of coal. For example, in late Oct. 1862, the vessel arrived at Port Chalmers, Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand, with a cargo of 700 tons of coal ex Newcastle, New South Wales, & also with four houses & 8 cabin passengers. On Dec. 25, 1862, the vessel, then owned by 'Monroe', left  Williamstown, Melbourne, for Bluff, southern tip of South Island, New Zealand. The vessel, commanded by Captain Slater, carried 2,613 sheep & two passengers - Mr. & Mrs. Darton. The vessel made swift passage & arrived off the entrance to Bluff Harbour at 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 4, 1863. The vessel stood by, awaiting a pilot, intending to enter the harbour at 6:00 a.m. when the tide was slack. The weather turned bad - wind from the SW which rapidly became a heavy gale. It would seem that the Captain had a choice. He could have run to the east, likely with the loss of the sheep, or attempt to enter the port. He chose the latter. A pilot vessel approached but as the pilot was boarding Time & Truth, the vessel struck a rock a few yards off Stirling Point. The vessel was freed & the damage was initially thought to be minor. But the vessel took on water rapidly & it heeled over. Captain Thompson (or Thomson), the harbour master, came aboard with 20 men, & an attempt was made to tow the vessel & ground it in a safe place. The ship's pumps were manned for many hours. Aphrasia, a steamer, took off the crew & the two passengers & 450 (or 459) of the sheep, all the other sheep being drowned. By 1:00 p.m. that day, the vessel had sunk in 5 fathoms of water. The vessel later lost her main & mizen masts in the heavy seas & broke up. The wreck had to be removed being a danger to shipping. The vessel was insured, but likely not the sheep. An inquiry was held into the sinking & the master was not, I read, held to be at fault. Additional data or corrections to the above would be welcomed. The Wreck Inquiry report, perhaps? Which may prove the identity of the ship. It would be good also to to be able to read, in its entirety, 'The Barque Time and Truth', referred to 75% down on this page - an article written for a Cornish newsletter by A. T. Thomas. 14 Faerie Queene 398 (later 373) tons 1853 A wooden barque. 135.0 ft. long. The webmaster has a number of Lloyd's Registers available ex Google books - see left. The vessel was likely built for 'J. Kelson' of North Shields. For the Mediterranean trade, it would appear. In the 1860/61 edition of Lloyd's Register, 'Watson & Co.' of Glasgow, had become the vessel's owners, for service to South America. Glasgow registered. Watson & Co. continued to own the vessel, maybe thru 1864/65, & after that date the Lloyd's Register listings for the vessel omit stating an owner's name. The vessel is not listed in the 1870/71 edition of Lloyd's Register. WWW data is most limited. Can you possibly provide more data? I wonder what later happened to the vessel. 15   Irene 472 tons 1853 A wooden barque. Per 1 (1st listed of 2), 2 (David Bruce, para 3). Data most limited. Owned by Edward Mounsey of Newcastle & registered there. David Bruce her Captain for first 11 years until he assumed command of City of Adelaide. Last voyage to Australia would appear to be in 1863. Can you possibly provide more data? 16 Ariosto 278 tons 4667 1854 A snow rigged wooden sailing vessel, later a brig. Per 1 ('Irish Shipwrecks', wreck & history data, Ariosto, incl. contemporary newspaper articles), 2 (ownership data, Ariosto, in 'Christies Shipping Register ...' for 1858), 3 (Ariosto wreck ref. 40% down). Signal letters JDMC. The webmaster has Lloyd's Registers available ex Google books - see left. In all of the 1855/56 thru 1860/61 Lloyd's Registers, 'Cropton &' was the listed owner. That it would seem means 'Cropton & Co.' i.e. Cropton & others - in 1858 'Christies' records the vessel as then being owned by 'Thomas Bull of London & Thos. Cropton, of Sunderland. It would seem that the vessel traded with Oporto, Portugal. In late Feb. 1861 or early in Mar. 1961, the vessel, then described as a brig, left Limerick, Ireland, in ballast, bound for Philadelphia. Limerick is inland, & the vessel proceeded down the Shannon River towards the open sea. Encountering bad weather, it put into Scattery Roads for three days. Scattery Roads is a relatively sheltered anchorage off the coast of County Clare, Ireland, in the Shannon estuary, S. of Kilrush. William Tullock was in command, with a crew of 10 all told, one of whom was a 14 year old boy. Possibly that should be 11 - a deserter was found on board. The ship should have stayed longer at Scattery Roads! But it did not. It proceeded to sea, on Mar. 9, 1861, but did not make it very far. At 2 o'clock on Mar. 12, 1861, after battling thru appalling weather conditions, the vessel was driven onto rocks at Crane Point near Miltown, which seems to truly mean Cream Point, Miltown Malbay, located on the Atlantic coast of County Clare. At 52.52N/09.26W. 1 adds at 'White Strand'. 3 states at 'Little Creek'. Located about 20 miles N. of Scattery Roads, as the crow flies but 45 or so miles NE of the mouth of the Shannon. A giant sea swept the decks & the Captain was lost in the boiling surf. A heavy sea drove the ship over a rocky reef. She ended up on rocks surrounded by her spars, ribs & other assorted debris - a 'complete' or total shipwreck. Only six were left aboard at this point, including the 14 year old. The first mate jumped from the stern of the ship, almost perpendicular & maybe separated from the main hull, then high & dry 100 yards inland, & safely reached a rock. Via a rope thrown to him, the others made it one by one to shore, however the 14 year old lost his grip on the rope, fell into the boiling sea & was lost. So only 5 survived of the crew of 10. They made it to the warmth & safety of a nearby coastguard station. One of the 5, an American, had amazingly been wrecked 3 times in the previous 4 months. The wreck? Such as it was, it was sold within days, to 4 local citizens. Have I summarised the story correctly? WWW data about the vessel is quite limited. Can you provide more? Which Sunderland ship builder built the vessel? The answer is not known today. Perhaps you might assist in answering that question? 17 Norwood 804 (or 786) tons 57 1854 A fully rigged clipper ship. Per 1 (Norwood page in 'white Wings'), 2 (1862 voyage to Western Australia, with convicts), 3 (1867 'convict' voyage to Western Australia), 4 (1872 stranding, ex 'Nautical Magazine' for 1872). 160 ft. 0 in. long, a passenger ship, signal letters H.B.G.S. Not listed at Miramar. Early Lloyd's Registers list where & when a ship was built, but do not list who built it. Such is the case with Norwood, & the WWW has not so far identified the yard from which she came. Maybe in the fullness of time that data will emerge. But ... i) I am advised that the vessel was built by James Laing & that data is WWW available via a search for 'James Laing Sunderland' (if it is, I cannot find it), ii) but Norwood is not in the Laing build list that a friend of the site has kindly provided. The vessel was in the 1856/57 register stated to be owned by 'Lusc'mbe', of London, which means, I believe, 'Messrs J. H. Luscombe', & maybe J. H. Luscombe means 'John Henry Luscombe', who lived at Upper Norwood, in S. London. They were the owners thru to the early 1870s. It would appear that Frank Bristow was Norwood's captain for approx. 15 years, from about 1856 to 1870, when 'Glennie' became her captain. The vessel was chartered to Shaw Savill & Co. for a number of years, but I have read no specifics. The vessel would seem to have sailed many times to Australia & New Zealand but not only to that part of the world. As an example, on Mar. 10, 1860, the vessel left Hong Kong for Georgetown, Guyana, with 316 indentured immigrants (to work in the sugar cane fields), 14 of whom died on the passage, 'from, it is said, the excessive use of opium'. The vessel was, in 1860, converted at the last moment, to carry soldiers. And on Nov. 25, 1860, the vessel left Deal, Kent, for Auckland, New Zealand, with 281 people all told aboard, including Captain Mercer's company of artillery, with its seven Armstrong guns, (one of which was on display in Albert Park, Auckland), there to quell the Maoris. It arrived on Mar. 4, 1861 after a passage of 99 days. On Mar. 16, 1862, Norwood left Portland, Dorset, for Swan River Colony (Fremantle, Perth, Western Australia) with 92 passengers & 290 convicts. And arrived at Fremantle, on Jun. 9, 1862, after a passage of 85 days. Upon their arrival, the convicts worked on public works, building roads, bridges etc. The vessel arrived again at Auckland on Aug. 5, 1863, 112 days out of Spithead (River Solent, Portsmouth), with, amongst its passengers, 124 men of the 18th Royal Irish Regiment. And on Aug. 11, 1866 she again arrived at Auckland, with cargo & just 65 passengers, ex Gravesend (Apl. 28), after a voyage in which she struck a hurricane & was extensively damaged. She returned to Spithead & arrived there on Jan. 29, 1867 (70 days), with, amongst her passengers, men of the 1st Battery of the Royal Artillery. On Apl. 18, 1867, the vessel left Portland, for Swan River Colony, on its 2nd 'convict' voyage, with 81 passengers & 253 convicts - described as long-sentenced men, mainly from the gaols at Chatham. The vessel arrived at Fremantle on Jul. 13, 1867 after a voyage of 86 days. Do read the crimes for which those convicts were convicted - not all the crimes were major & many were guilty of merely being a pickpocket! But ... the subject is not that simple! On Mar. 20, 1872, a vessel named Norwood, of London, was stranded at Bombay, India. It most probably was this vessel. And survived the stranding. The webmaster has a number of Lloyd's Registers available from the period (but not all of them). In the 1873/74 register, T. & A. Carter, of London, was stated to be the owner. The vessel must have soon been sold because, in the 1874/75 edition, the owner had become H. Wake, of London. And in 1878/79 edition, the owner was J. Bonus & Sons, also of London. The first available register in which the vessel is not recorded is the 1880/81 edition. What happened to the ship? It would seem that it stranded, in 1878 perhaps, as per the final Lloyd's Register entry at left. Can anybody tell us exactly what happened? Another image of the ship? Is it possible that you can provide more data? 18   Northumbrian 555 (became 639 - new measure) tons 1855 Per 1 & 2 (same data). Those links the sole data source. Data most limited. 'Sheathed in felt and yellow metal in 1855; fastened with copper bolts.' Owned by Scott & Co., of Newcastle? (registered Newcastle). One voyage reference to India. That is all! Can you possibly provide more data? 19   Birch Grove 518 (or 543), later (hulked) 243 tons Birchgrove 1856 A wooden barque. A cargo ship. Which had a very long life, indeed. Per 1 (data, Birch Grove), 2 (in 1885 shipping record image), 3 (Birch Grove hulked), 4 (lighter), 5 ('pdf' Birchgrove, under Victoria), 6 (Sir John Grice, 'John Grice & Co.'). 136.5 ft. long. Repairs in both 1868 & 1870. 'Sheathed in felt and yellow metal in 1871; fastened with copper bolts.' Registered London. One voyage reference to Australia. In 1872, owned by Grice & Co. ('Grice'), & registered London. A Melbourne ship from 1871 it would seem & in 1885 Grice still the owner. In 1888, hulked (which is this case means converted to a lighter), at Melbourne, & became 243 tons only. De-registered then. Name changed to Birchgrove - earlier than 1910. Re-registered in 1919 as a lighter by 'Victorian Lighterage P/L'. On Feb. 12, 1932, was towed outside of Port Phillip (near to & S of Melbourne) & set on fire. Vessel did not sink, went ashore at Nobbies, Phillip Island, & broke up. Site 5 looks as though it may well relate (para. 2). Can you provide more data? The name of the shipbuilder? M. Negative 20 Faerie Queen 183 tons 16160 1856 A wooden barque or schooner, intermittently. Per 1 ('Irish Shipwrecks', wreck & history data, as Faerie Queene, incl. newspaper article re Board of Trade hearing), 2 (ownership data, ex 'Christies Shipping Register ...' for 1858, a 'Google' book, as Faerie Queene), 3 (Faerie Queen wreck ref. 40% down). 102.0 ft. long, signal letters LWHG. The webmaster has a number of Lloyd's Registers available ex Google books - see left. In the Lloyd's Registers of 1857/58 thru 1860/61, J. Kelso of North Shields was the listed owner. Which means 'John R. Kelso' or maybe John R. Kelso & Co., since 'Wm. Pile, Jun.' & 'Wm. Hay', both of Sunderland, were also owners in 1858. It would seem that the vessel traded with France. In the 1861/62 & later editions of Lloyd's Register the listings for the vessel omit stating an owner's name. 1 indicates that in 1867 the owner was Edward Hatton, of Liverpool, & that when wrecked, on Dec. 21, 1867, the owner was Messrs Hutton and Cookson, also of Liverpool. The vessel traded with Africa ex Liverpool. On Dec. 14, 1867, the vessel, then described as a schooner, left Liverpool with a general cargo that included 7 tons of dynamite & some lime, bound for Liberia, West Africa. 3 references muskets & powder. The vessel encountered bad weather, & put into Holyhead, Wales, from which the vessel departed on Dec. 19, 1867. Joseph Pearson was in command, with a crew of 14 all told & no passengers. Poor weather continued. At 7:00 p.m. on Dec. 21, 1867, the vessel stranded in a gale on rocks at Small Saltee Island, one of two islands located 5 miles off Kilmore Quay, County Wexford, Ireland, i.e. SE tip of Ireland. Uninhabited islands, bird sanctuaries today. Within 10 minutes there was 3 feet or so of water in the hold & 2 hours later there was smoke in the cabin, smoke that originated from one of the hatches. Fearful that an explosion might follow, the crew took to the boats & abandoned the ship. It would seem that there was no loss of life. The vessel, presumably badly holed, later broke up. WWW data about the vessel is quite limited. Can you provide more? The report of the Board of Trade Inquiry perhaps? Which Sunderland ship builder built the vessel? The answer is not known today, but, the webmaster thinks that it was likely built by 'W. Pile, Hay & Co.', of Sunderland, in view of their part ownership of the vessel in 1858. 21 Zoophite 161 tons 15787 1856 A wooden snow, a type of brig, i.e. 2 masts, both with square sails. Per 1 (Board of Trade inquiry into the 1875 grounding & loss, ex 'Accounts and Papers', published 1876, a 'Google' book). 91 ft. 0 in. & later 96 ft. 8 in., signal letters L.T.R.J. Vessel not Miramar listed. A zoophite? An animal that looks like a plant, more often spelled 'zoophyte'. The webmaster has a number of Lloyd's Registers available thru the period. The vessel is not listed in the 1856/57 edition. It is listed in the 1857/58 edition when the vessel was owned by 'G. Leslie', of Aberdeen, Scotland. Used as a coaster & later traded to the Baltic. The 1856/57 edition of the register notes that 'Read & Co.' of Portland, Dorset, had become the owners, still used on the Aberdeen to the Baltic service. By 1874/75, the vessel was owned by 'J. N. Read' of Weymouth, which data conforms to the vessel's final chapter, as next follows. In late Nov. 1875, Zoophite, then owned by 'John Northover Read of Portland, Albert John Bray Newman & Henry Newman', William A. (Athwool) Newman in command, with a crew of six, left Llanelly, (I think that means Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales), for Fécamp, Normandy, NE of Le Havre, France, with a cargo of 265 tons of coal. Soon after 1:00 a.m. on Nov. 28, 1875, the vessel was struck by Tagus, a 3,252 ton steamer owned by The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, en route from 'St. Thomas's' (Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands?) to Plymouth. At about 7 miles ESE of the Lizard (south Cornwall). The 2nd officer of Tagus, Maurice T. (Trenham) Stocker ('Stocker') was in command when the collision occurred, Thomas Woolward, the captain being below decks. The story of what happened is confusing to me. Tagus did not think it had hit anything, saw Zoophite some 40 or 50 ft. distant & continued on its way. Zoophite, however, had suffered major damage when hit at the stern. It soon filled with water & in about 1/2 hour had to be abandoned in a sinking condition. The entire crew took to a ship's boat & were picked up by a passing vessel & landed on the English coast. The Court determined that Stocker had caused the collision by neglecting to observe the 15th & 16th articles of the steering & sailing rules (whatever they are!) & his certificate was suspended for a 3 month period. Can you possibly provide more data? 22   Harvest Queen 532 tons 1866 A steamer it would seem. Per 1 (middle), 2 (low on page re Oct 09). All I can really tell you is what I am grateful to read at 1. Became a 'P. M. Duncan' (Gem Line) ship in 1869. 'Sold Derry, 1879', whatever those words mean. Sold to someone located in Derry, perhaps. I surely need help since I could find nothing that appears to relate except a 1871 report (2) of passenger casualties re ships arriving at New York. Does it in fact relate? Possibly built by Pile Spence, in 1860, hull #37. May I suggest that you navigate the site re Sunderland data via the index on page 001. 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. [ ] £ 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: