British Duke

Official Number
70904

The British Duke was a full-rigged iron ship built by the Barrow Shipbuilding Company, Yard No. 19. She was their first sailing vessel, and was launched on the 21st January 1875, given her name by Lady Louisa Egerton. She had been built for the British Shipowners Company, of Liverpool. This company was managed by James Beazley, and the British Duke was their first iron sailing ship. Beazley bought the next ship launched by the Barrow Shipbuilding Company, the Falstaff, in his own right.

The British Duke, Capt.Butchart, arrived at Sydney from London in March 1876.

The British Duke was lost off the Cape of Good Hope on the 11th November 1888. All the crew and passengers were rescued.

The Times, Wednesday, 14th November 1888, page 9;

" Lloyd's agent at Mossel Bay telegraphs that the British Duke has gone ashore west of Cape Francis and has become a total wreck. Part of her cargo may be saved. Her crew were picked up by the Anglian, from Cape Town, and landed at Mossel Bay. The British Duke sailed from Calcutta Sept.2 for London. She was an iron vessel of 1,464 tons built at Barrow in 1875, and owned by the British Shipowners Company, of Liverpool."

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Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
British Duke
1875
 1464
 232.8
38.0 
 23.5
3
 
 
100 years A1, Special Survey 

Sources :

  1. "Portrait of a Shipbuilder: Barrow-Built Vessels since 1873", ed. Nigel Harris ISBN 0 947971 32 7 (published 1989).
  2. "A History of Local Sailing Ships" by H.Peck, an article in "The Proceedings of the Barrow Naturalists Field Club" Vol.7 (1951).
  3. Launch reported in the Lancaster Gazette, Saturday, 23rd January 1875.
  4. See Mariners and Ships in Australian Waters for crew list, March 1876
  5. Mystic Seaport Library Ship Register Search has shipping register details from 1876 to 1889.
  6. Lloyd's Register of Shiping 1878-9: British Duke, iron ship, 1464 grt, official no.70904, signal letters NRGD, owned by British Shipowners Co.Ltd., registered at Liverppol, master Capt.C.Butchart.
  7. Record of American and Foreign Shipping 1885: names master as Capt.Banks and owners as the British Shipowners Company. The vessel is described as a barque, formerly a ship,  of 1464 tons.
  8. "Shipwrecks on the Southern Cape Coast" website (link no longer active) described the vessel as a barque and named the master as Capt.T.Fairfield. It gave the date of the wreck as the 13th November 1888 and the position as 2.5 km W of Klippen Point (34° 11.02 S, 24° 34.50 E).