Everest

Official Number
48768

The Everest was a full-rigged ship built by Thos. & Jno. Brocklebank at Bransty, Whitehaven. She was launched on the 14th October 1863, and only two other ships were built after her at the Brocklebank shipyard, the Bowfell and the Mahanada, both very much larger. Though small by the standards of the time, the Everest was considered to be one of the finest ships built at the Brocklebank yard, and also one of the fastest.

In a ten year career with the Brocklebank Line the Everest traded to Hong Kong, Foo Chow and Shanghai, under the command of Capts.Curwen, John Clarke and Thomas Jones. MacGregor describes the Everest as "Brocklebank's finest-lined ship", and in the 1870-1 tea season she beat the celebrated China clipper Wylo on her return passage to England.

The Everest, under the command of Capt.Thomas Jones, was wrecked in the China Sea on the 5th September 1873. She had left Manila on the 24th August, bound for Cork or Falmouth to receive orders, carrying a full cargo of 400 tons of sugar and 2556 bales of hemp, 756 tons in all. She struck on the North Danger Reef, and despite throwing her cargo overboard, the vessel could not be kedged off. When she began to ship water the twenty crew abandoned the vessel in three boats, and, failing to row to the nearest land, shaped a course for Hong Kong. After six days in the boats they were sighted by a steamer near the Macclesfield Bank and were picked up and taken to Singapore.

Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
Everest
1863
571 
171.8 
30.0 
19.2
3 
 
 
14 years A1, Special Survey 

Sources :

  1. "From Cumberland to Cape Horn" by D.Hollett.
  2. "The Tea Clippers" by David R.MacGregor (Conway Maritime Press, 1972). ISBN 0 85177 059 2.
  3. Mercantile Navy List 1867: Everest, 572 tons, official number 48768, signal letters VWFD, registered at Liverpool, owned by Thomas Brocklebank, of Liverpool.
  4. Information on the 1870-1 tea race from "The China Bird: The History of Captain Killick, and the Firm he Founded,: Killick, Martin & Co.", by David R.MacGregor (2nd ed., 1986), ISBN 0 85177 381 8.
  5. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1873-4: Everest, ship, 571 tons, built by Brocklebank at Whitehaven in October 1863, official no.48768, owned by Brocklebank, registered at Liverpool, master Capt.J.Clarke, voyage London - China,
  6. Report of the Wreck Inquiry held at Singapore is included in the Straits Times Overland Journal, 4th October 1873, page 7 (see National Library of Singapore newspaper archive).