Champion

Official Number 24371

The Champion was built at Whitehaven by Lumley Kennedy & Co. and was launched on the 5th February 1840. She was a 241(new measurement) 220 (old measurement) ton barque and her first master/owner was Joseph Steel (Sources 1 & 2). From Source 3, she is described as having one and a break deck, three masts, standing bowsprit, square stern, carvel built, no galleries, man figurehead, framework and planking of wood.

In 1850 the registry of the Champion was moved from Whitehaven to Dumfries, her new owners being William Turner & Co. In 1857, her owners were A.Buick & Co., and her registry was moved to Arbroath. By 1860, the barque was owned in Dundee by W.Moon.

Various voyage destinations are mentioned in Lloyds Register of Shipping, including Spain (1840, master J.Steel), Liverpool/Valparaiso (1852, master J.Redmond), Baltic, West Indies, India (1857 to 60). From 1860 she appears to have traded from Dundee to the West Indies (Source 4).

The Champion was wrecked in about 1864.
 

Sources :

1. "Shipbuilding in Whitehaven - A Checklist" by Harry Fancy, Whitehaven Museum (1984)
2. "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)
3. Dumfries Port Books, research by John D.Stevenson
4. Lloyd's Register of Shipping, research by John D. Stevenson, A.M.I.Mar.E.(Trinity Research Services, Scottish Maritime History Research).
5. Lloyds Register of Shipping 1864-5: barque, 222 tons, Felted and yellow-metalled in 1864, owned by W.Moon, registerd at Dundee - annotated "wrecked".