Capella

Official Number
9250

The Capella was a brig launched at Whitehaven on Saturday, 3rd November,1838, by Lumley Kennedy & Co. She was the first vessel built at the shipyard to undergo the Kyanising process (refer to the Kyanite). The brig was registered at Whitehaven and was initially owned by her master, Capt.Anthony Candlish, and others. In 1865 the vessel was described as a brigantine, owned by William Wilson and commanded by Capt.Head. The Capella was lost near Howth, Ireland, on or about the 12th October 1870.

From a newspaper cutting dated October 1870;

"FOUNDERING OF THE CAPELLA, OF WHITEHAVEN - The Capella, of this port, owned by Mr.W.Wilson and others, Captain Looney, sailed hence for Newport on Tuesday week. On her voyage she encountered the full force of the gale that has prevailed since soon after she left, and a telegram has been received from her captain stating that she sprung a leak when in Dublin Bay and foundered off the Bailey. No mention is made of the crew, but it is presumed they were all saved."

The Times, Friday, 14th October 1870, page 5;

" HOWTH, NEAR DUBLIN,OCT.12 - This morning the fishing boats returning to harbour brought word that a schooner had been seen between Ireland's Eye and Lambay Island, with both masts carried away, and a signal of distress flying. It was then blowing a gale from the south. The lifeboat belonging to the Lifeboat Society was at once launched, and proceeded out in the direction indicated, but no appearance of the wreck was anywhere visible. It is feared the vessel has gone down, and the lifeboat had to return without being able to render any assistance."

The Capella had left Newport on Tuesday 11th October. Whilst the vessel seen near Howth was not necessarily the Capella, if she had left Newport early on the Tuesday morning and had been caught in a southerly gale then she could have been in this location by the following day. And a dismasted brigantine would have had much the same appearance as a dismasted schooner. Possibly the crew took to their boat when they saw the Bailey lighthouse on the South side of the Howth peninsula, the abandoned vessel then being carried North by the gale until it eventually foundered in the vicinity of Lambray.

The Capella had been insured by the Whitehaven Mutual Ship Insurance Society. Capt.Looney had to give up his certificate to them whilst the loss of the brig was investigated. The certificate was returned on the 11th November, with a letter exonerating him from any blame for the loss (see letter).

Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
 Capella
1838
121 nm, 117 om
 
 
 
2
 
 
 

Sources :

  1. "Shipbuilding in Whitehaven - A Checklist" by Harry Fancy, Whitehaven Museum (1984) - states that the vessel was lost off Howth, Ireland.
  2. Launch report in the Cumberland Pacquet newspaper, 6th november 1838.
  3. "A List of the Cumberland Shipping corrected to February 1840" by William Sawyers, Comptroller of Her Majesty's Customs at the Port of Whitehaven, republished by Michael Moon (Whitehaven, 1975, ISBN 0-904131-09-2).
  4. 1857 Mercantile Navy List gives port of registry as Whitehaven, official number and signal letters KGNQ, tonnage 117.
  5. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1859-60: vessel registered at Whitehaven, 106 tons, Capt.E.Head, owner Wilson.
  6. Clayton's Register of Shipping 1865: Capella, brigantine, 106 tons, owned by William Wilson and commanded by Capt.Head, vessel registered at Whitehaven.
  7. The cutting describing the loss from an un-named Whitehaven newspaper was sent by Martin Gandy, great grandson of Captain James Looney. Possibly it is from the Cumberland Pacquet, which was always published on a Tuesday. Since the cutting refers to the wreck of the schooner Alice at Walney, which is known to have occured on Sunday 16th October 1870, and to that of the Nimble, Richard, and others, it appears that the Capella left Newport on Tuesday 11th October.