Griqualand West

 Official Number
67851

The Griqualand West was the last merchant schooner built in the Isle of Man. She was a wooden three-masted schooner built by T.Watson at Peel, and launched into the harbour there on Saturday, 25th November 1893. As with the previous schooner built by Watson, the Phoebe, she was owned by Joseph Mylchreest, a Manxman who had made his fortune in the gold fields of Australia and South Africa. The first master of the vessel was Capt.William Collister.

The Griqualand West, bound from Cardiff to Youghal with a coal cargo, was wrecked in a westerly gale at Breaksea Point, Glamorgan coast, on the 16th February 1898. All five of her crew were saved.
 
Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
Griqualand West
1893
151
 106.4
 24.6
9.3
 3
 
 
 

Sources :

  1. Launch reported in the Isle of Man Times, Saturday, 9th December, 1893, page 4.
  2. Crew Lists for this vessel, for the years 1896-8, are held at the Manx National Heritage Library.
  3. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1896-7: Griqualand West, wood 3-masted schooner, 151 grt, official number 67851, built by T.Watson at Peel, IoM, owner J.Mylchreest, registered at Peel, master Capt.W.Callister.
  4. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1897-8: Griqualand West, entry as 1896, except signal letters NJPB, owner changed (but illegible), master Capt.W.O'Brien - annotated "Wrecked, '98".
  5. Loss reported in the Welsh Shipwrecks website, and in "Shipwreck Index of the British Isles, Volume 5" by Richard & Bridget Larn (ISBN 1 900839 61 X), which names the owners as E.T.Christian and A.Bruce.