The Colonial Clippers

Notes on Passages to Australia in 1875.

In no year were so many magnificent iron clippers launched as in 1875, and of the ships which made the passage to Melbourne in under 80 days no less than five, namely, Salamis, Loch Garry, Loch Vennachar, Parthenope and Old Kensington, were on their maiden passages. Loch Garry’s best run in the 24 hours was 333 miles, and Loch Vennachar did a week’s work of 2065 miles, viz., 285, 290, 320, 320, 312, 268 and 270. Samuel Plimsoll, with 360 emigrants on board, left Plymouth on 6th August, at 11.15 p.m.; on the same day she ran into and sank the Italian barque Enrica, though without damage to herself. She saved the Italian’s crew and put into Falmouth to land them.

Captain Richards left the Thomas Stephens in order to tune up Parthenope. He made the latter travel, but as he returned to the Thomas Stephens in 1876 he evidently preferred his old clipper.

Thermopylae still maintained her wonderful reputation; on this trip she averaged 270 miles a day from 23° W. to 100° E.

The Old Kensington was a very fine ship with a good turn of speed, and she usually loaded home from Calcutta or San Francisco.

The Wasdale must not be confused with the later Wasdale, which was not launched until 1881. This one must have been a very fast ship, for on this passage she made five 24-hour runs over 300, her best being 332 miles.

Many well-known heelers were just over the 80 days; for instance, Miltiades was 81 days from the Start, Thessalus 83 from the Lizards, Theophane 83 from the Tuskar, Cassiope 81 from the Tuskar, Marpesia 83 from the Tuskar, Thyatira 80 from the Start, all to Melbourne, whilst Patriarch was 82 days from Torbay to Sydney.

Two writers to the Nautical Magazine, both of whom were serving on the Cutty Sark during her 1875-6 voyage, claim that she was 50 miles south of Melbourne on her 54th day out from the Channel, and that owing to strong head winds she was compelled to go round Australia.

As will be seen, she was 67 days from the Lizard to the S.W. Cape, Tasmania, and I fear that a mistake of ten days has been made. Captain Watson also stated in a personal letter to me that she ran 2163 miles in six days. I have 14 years of her abstract logs, and from what her logs tell me I consider that she was quite capable of accomplishing such a run with a strong steady breeze, but it is very rarely that you get such a breeze for six days on end even in the roaring forties. She left London on 20th November but collided with the Somersetshire off Gravesend, and lost her main topgallant mast, besides other damage, so that she had to put back to refit.

“Sir Walter Raleigh.”

The Sir Walter Raleigh, commanded by Captain W. Purvis, was a very well-known and regular wool clipper of the type of Romanoff. I do not think she was quite in the first flight, but she was never very far behind, and in 1880 she shared with Ben Voirlich the distinction of making the best outward run of the year.

The following extracts are from Patriarch’s log, when homeward bound in 1878, 79 days out from Sydney.

In the end Patriarch got home a day ahead, Sir Walter Raleigh making the best passage by a day. Sir Walter Raleigh was probably faster in light and moderate winds than in strong, as I can find no very big runs to her credit.

On the 10th November, 1888, she left Sydney for London, wool-laden, and was wrecked near Boulogne on 29th January, 1889, when only 80 days out and almost in sight of home. Five of her crew were drowned. It was a tragic end to what promised to be the best wool passage of her career.

“Loch Fyne” and “Loch Long.”

These two 1200-ton sister ships from Thomson’s yard, though fine wholesome ships, were not considered quite as fast as the earlier “Lochs,” though each of them put up a 75-day passage to Melbourne, Loch Fyne on her second voyage in 1877-8, and the Loch Long in 1884.

The Loch Fyne left Lyttelton, N.Z., on 4th May, 1883, under Captain T. H. Martin, with 15,000 bags of wheat bound for the Channel for orders and never arrived.

In January, 1903, Loch Long arrived in Hobson’s Bay from Glasgow, commanded by Captain Strachan. From Melbourne she was sent to New Caledonia to load nickel ore. She sailed on 29th April, but failed to arrive. Portions of wreckage, however, were washed up on the Chatham Islands, which made it only too certain that she had struck on the rocks and gone down with all hands.

“Aristides”—The Aberdeen White Star Flagship.

In March, 1876, Messrs. Hood launched the beautiful passenger clipper Aristides, the largest of all Thompson’s sailing ships. Captain R. Kemball of Thermopylae fame, the commodore of the Aberdeen White Star fleet, was given command of her, and she became the firm’s flagship.

On her maiden voyage she sailed from London on 6th July, and arrived in Port Phillip on 18th September—74 days out (69 days from the land). Leaving Melbourne on 28th November, she arrived in the Thames on 17th February, 81 days out, beating two such well-known clippers as Loch Maree and Collingwood, which had sailed on 27th November, by 18 days. The Aberdeen White Star ships invariably made fine maiden voyages. Their captains always left port with the firm intention of breaking the record, and they had every help from their owners, the ships being most carefully loaded with their Plimsoll marks well out of water. Crews also were picked men, and gear, of course, everything of the best.