Crisis

Official Number
1203

The Crisis was a full-rigged ship built by Thomas & John Brocklebank at Bransty, Whitehaven, launched on the 27th December 1847. She made her maiden voyage to Calcutta under Capt.Gibson, but later she operated mostly in the China trade. Capt.J.Bell took command in 1853, and in March 1854 started his second voyage, which was from Liverpool to Bombay, then to Whampoa, Hong Kong and Amoy. She returned from China to Liverpool, arriving in 1855. Capt.Bell made two more passages to China before being succeeded by Capt.Black in 1857.

The Crisis was regarded as a fast ship and once made the return journey from Hong Kong to Liverpool in 95 days, a very good time which bears comparison with true tea clippers. She seems to have usually carried a crew of nineteen or twenty men.

Still owned by Brocklebanks, the Crisis had been on passage from Liverpool to Singapore with a general cargo when she was lost on Arklow Bank in the great storm of 16th January 1862. The crew abandoned ship in two boats. There are varying reports of the number of survivors - Hollett indicates that eight men and the master, Capt.Thompson, survived, some coming ashore at Clogher Head, seven miles from Drogheda,  in the ship's pinnace. However, newspaper reports name only eight survivors and state that the master (Capt.Thompson), the first mate and nine other crew were still missing. The named survivors, who reached Clogher Head on the morning after the vessel foundered, were : William Carson (2nd mate),  Patrick M'Donnell (steward), John Bentley (carpenter), Andrew Hill, John Kelly, David O'Neele  (seamen), Frederick A.Hill and John W.White (apprentices).

Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
Crisis
1847
426 
111.9 
25.0 
18.6 
3 
 
 
11 years A1 

Sources :

  1. "Shipbuilding in Whitehaven - A Checklist" by Harry Fancy, Whitehaven Museum (1984)
  2. "From Cumberland to Cape Horn" by D.Hollett - ststes 8 men came ashore at Clogher Head, and that the master also was saved.
  3. Mercantile Navy List 1857: Crisis, 401 tons, official number 1203, signal letters HJBF, port of registry Liverpool.
  4. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1861-2: Crisis, barque, 366 tons om, 426 tons nm, built at Whitehaven in 1847, F&YM in 1861, owned by Brocklebank, registered at Liverpool, masters Capts.J.Black and Woof, voyage Liverpool - Singapore, annotated "Foundered".
  5. Wreck reported in the Liverpool Mercury newspaper, 20th and 22nd January 1862 - loss estimated at £80,000, of which £50,000 was for the cargo. Gives destination as Shanghai.