Elizabeth Archer

Official Number
10576

The Elizabeth Archer was a barque built at Maryport in 1846. She was built for John Archer & Co., Liverpool shipowners, and her builders were probably Kelsick Wood & Son, who built several other ships for this firm (see Pandora, Archer, Ursula and John Wood). Her first master was Capt.Cobb, probably the same man who later had command of the Ursula.

The Elizabeth Archer was registered at Liverpool and spent her career in a variety of trades. In November 1848 she was advertised as being ready to sail from London for Sydney, with goods and passengers, under the command of Capt.Charles Cobb. The barque left Sydney for San Francisco (at the height of the '49 gold rush) on the 17th July 1849 with 124 passengers, arriving on the 6th October via Honolulu.

The Elizabeth Archer, Capt.Lloyd, sailed from Colombo, Ceylon, for Liverpool on the 12th December 1857, and foundered shortly thereafter (see Source 8). At least some of the crew must have survived, as the 2nd mate, John Roberts, was discharged at Calcutta on the 11th February 1858 (see Welsh Mariners website).

Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
Elizabeth Archer
1846
 362 om, 338 nm
 
 
 
 3
 
 
12 years, A1 

Sources :

  1. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1845-6 (Supplement): barque, yellow-metalled at launch, 338 tons nm, owned by Archer & Co., registered at Liverpool, master Capt.Cobb.
  2. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1846-7 : barque, master named as Capt.Cobb.
  3. Advertisement in the Times newspaper, Wednesday, 29th November, 1848, page 1.
  4. Arrival at San Francisco from Maritime Heritage Project website - see also Eleanor Lancaster for a similar story.
  5. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1848-9 : barque, yellow-metalled in 1848, master named as Capt.Cothay (same information is in LR 1850-51).
  6. Official Number from Mercantile Navy List 1857 - registered at Liverpool, 338 tons, signal letters KPCB.
  7. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1857-8:  barque, yellow-metalled in 1857, reg.Liverpool, owned by J.Mondel, master named as Capt.O.Lloyd, voyage Liverpool - India.
  8. Wreck reported in the Liverpool Mercury newspaper, 15th January and 30th March 1858.