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Official Number
89842 |
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Official Number
89842 |
The Auchencairn was built in October 1891 by Ritson & Co.
at Maryport. She was a four-masted steel barque rigged with royal sails
over double top- and topgallant sails. She was initially owned by her builders
and was registered at Maryport. Her first commander was Capt.William Nelson,
an experienced master who had previously commanded the William
Ritson, and was later to command Acamas
and Ladas, all built at the Ritson shipyard.
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The vessel survived a gale when under tow from
her builders to Cardiff, and she made her maiden voyage from Cardiff to
San Francisco, departing on the 24th Nov.1891 and arriving after a passage
of 118 days. Unfortunately British vessels were unable to compete with
subsidised foreign ships at this time, so the Auchencairn remained
at the American port for 18 months. It was only in August 1893 that she
could load a grain cargo and sail for Stockton-on-Tees. Subsequent voyages
in 1893-4 were from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Port Pirie, Australia with coal,
then Newcastle, NSW, to San Francisco, also with coal. The vessel remained
under the command of Capt.Nelson until May, 1897, when she discharged a
grain cargo at Limerick from San Francisco. The Auchencairn was
then sold out of British ownership.
The painting shows the Auchencairn rounding Cape Horn in 1893, returning from San Francisco after her enforced stay there following her maiden voyage - photo submitted by Ray Lloyd. Click on photo to enlarge in new window. |
The barque was renamed Nomia after being sold to Rhederei Visurgis
AG of Bremen, Germany. She was lost in a hurricane at 420 S
1600 E (Tasman Sea, 640 nm SSW of Sydney) on the 16th July 1912, bound for Antofagasta from the
Australian port of Newcastle, which she had left 6 days previously. The
master was Capt.Himme.
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