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St.Croix | Official Number
23478 |
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St.Croix | Official Number
23478 |
The St.Croix was a full-rigged ship built at Jersey in 1827. She was owned by P.St.Croix and registered at Jersey until 1869, when she was sold to T.Middleton, of Whitehaven (probably Thomas Middleton, who also owned the Beckermet). By now reduced to a barque rig, the St.Croix was registered at Whitehaven until her loss in the Atlantic, about 500 nm E of Newfoundland, in September 1877. Her story below was researched and written by Peter Klein.
Built as a square-rigger in Jersey, 1827, for P. St.Croix, her home port being Jersey, the St.Croix had the same owners for over forty years, until she changed hands in 1869. She first appears in the Lloyd’s Register supplement for 1828, and then was said to be 8 years old, although this was amended in later editions to give 1827 as her build year. Rated at 413 tons, single deck, with beams. Length 111.1 feet; breadth 29.0 feet; depth 19.2 feet. Her tonnage was given as 432 from 1859/60, and 435 from 1862/63. Her alteration to barque rig was first indicated in 1866/67.
A late insertion in Lloyd’s Register for 1869/70 shows her transfer to a new owner, T. Middleton, and in subsequent editions her home port is shown as Whitehaven. Coppered in 1827, 1837, & 1842. Felted & Yellow Metalled in 1850 & 1854. Yellow Metalled in 1852 & 1862. Felted & Yellow Metalled in 1864, 1871, & 1873. A mishap is suggested by “thorough repairs” being made in 1837, and the note that she had been “Restored” in the same year; and “some repairs” were made in 1858. In August 1870 she suffered further mishap, and the Glasgow Herald for the 3rd September noted:
“NewYork, Aug. 31. The St.Croix, from Quebec for Maryport, reported, on Aug. 29, as on shore at Green Island, has been got off and proceeded”.
This probably accounts for the note in the Register of “damage repaired” in 1871.
On the 12th January 1875, the Daily News reported:
“Queenstown, Jan. 11. The St.Croix, from Newport to Rio de Janeiro, with coal, has put in here leaky”.
On the 22nd January the same paper reported,:
“Queenstown, Jan. 20. The St.Croix, barque, and the Anastasia Vucetich, Austrian barque, fouled each other to-day during a squall; the former had foretopmast backstay carried away; the latter had bowsprit damaged”.
St.Croix’s end came in September 1877 in the North Atlantic.
The Daily News, 10th October 1877;
" Queentown, Oct. 8. The Giovanni D. [sic] Austrian barque, from Montreal,
has landed the master, his wife, and the crew of the barque St.Croix, of Whitehaven, which vessel was abandoned, in a dismasted
and sinking condition, on Sept. 28, in lat. 47 N. long. 39 W. "
St.Croix’s destinations were noted over the years: Cowes to Sicily 1829; London to Honduras 1830. Liverpool to St. Vincent and Honduras 1831-33, and Jersey to Honduras 1836-39. She operated out of London 1839-1848, to Honduras and Jamaica. During the 1850's and early 1860's she was sailing from London to India, and in 1866/67 to the West Indies. After her transfer to Whitehaven, she sailed from Swansea to Cape Verde, but subsequently was used for coastal duties during the early 1870's. She was back on the Atlantic run in the mid-1870's, to Quebec from Swansea and Cardiff, up to the time of her final voyage.
Her succession of masters was noted as follows: R. Bradley 1828-1840; J. Blampied 1840-1858; H. Bradley 1858-1866; E. Le Feuvre 1866-1869; T. Williams 1869-1873; and T. Naile 1873- ?1877.
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