Mallowdale

Official Number
63289

The Mallowdale was an iron ship built by the Lune Shipbuilding Company at Lancaster. She was launched on Wednesday, 6th October 1869. The newspaper reporting the launch described the vessel as having "a straight sheer with the sharpest bows set off with a raking billet head, and clean counter". She had a poop deck aft, under which was a saloon, panelled with polished teak and birds-eye maple, and upholstered in green velvet, state rooms, passenger berths, steward's pantry, baths, etc., "leaving nothing for officers or passengers to desire in the way of sea-going luxury". Forward she had a round house fitted with berths, and a topgallant forecastle. The ship had not been sold at the time of the launch, but had been built for the Australian or East India trades. She was launched without masts, and was berthed at Lancaster's New Quay for rigging, which was only completed by the middle of March. She was towed out of the river on the 18th March, bound for Liverpool for loading. On the 18th September she departed from Liverpool on her first voyage, bound for Aden under the command of Capt.Melville. It seems she had finally been bought by an Irish owner, and she was registered at Dublin.

The Mallowdale was bought by a Scottish owner after her first voyage, and was registered at Greenock. On the 9th March 1875 she arrived at Port Chalmers from London (departed 18th December) with 37 passengers, 2500 tons of cargo and 111 Lincoln sheep. She was consigned to Shaw, Savill & Co., and the Otago Witness reported that this was the ship and her master's (Capt.Shapland) first visit to New Zealand, the vessel having previously been confined to the trade to Calcutta and India. She made several further voyages to New Zealand in the 1870's.

In about 1889 the Mallowdale was reduced from ship to barque rig, and was sold to a French owner. She was renamed Adolphe, and was registered at Dunkirk. In about 1904 the barque was bought by the Adelaide Steam Ship Company. Like the Jane Sprott, a Harrington-built vessel also owned by this company, she was used as a hulk, then eventually was scuttled in the Rottnest ships' graveyard in June or July, 1928.

Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
Mallowdale
1866
1334
211.8
37.4 
22.6
3
 
 
 

Sources :

  1. Launch of the Mallowdale reported in the Lancaster Gazette, Saturday, 9th October 1869, page 4.
  2. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1869-70 (Supplement): Mallowdale, iron ship, 1290 tons, two decks, owned by Lune Shipbuilding Company.
  3. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1871-2: Mallowdale, iron ship, 1290 tons, two decks, owned bt T.O.Hunter (V.O'Brien crossed out), registered at Dublin, then Greenock, master Capt.Melville, voyage Liverpool - India.
  4. Voyages to New Zealand from Papers Past (New Zealand newspaper archive).
  5. "Arrival of the Mallowdale" in the Otago Witness newspaper, 13th March 1875, page 12.
  6. A webpage at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~ourstuff/Mallowdale.htm gives a passenger list for a ship Mallowdale arriving at Lyttleton, New Zealand on the 13th December 1878 (departed London 4th September 1878), and citing from the "Lyttelton Times", 14th December 1878 - gives tonnage as 1289 tons, master as Capt.Dornan.
  7. Voyages to New Zealand from Papers Past (New Zealand newspaper archive).
  8. Mystic Seaport Library has a Ship Register Search facility. The Mallowdale is included in these American registers for the years 1871-1880 as a ship, and 1881-1889 as a bark. Masters are named as Capts.Melville, G.Seator, Shaplaud or Shapland, and W.Dornan. The vessel is then listed as Adolphe until 1900.
  9. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1889-90: Mallowdale, iron barque, 1334 tons, owned by Hunter, Brown & Co., registered at Greenock, master Capt.B.Dornan - annotated "now named Adolphe". In the Supplement it names the new owners as A.D.Bordes et fils, and the vessel was registered at Dunkirk.
  10. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1898-9: Adolphe, ex-Mallowdale, iron barque, 1313 tons, owned by Ant.Dom.Bordes & fils, registered at Dunkirk, signal letters HBTR.
  11. Ships' Graveyard, Rottnest (Western Australia Museum, Dept. of Archaeology)