John Dugdale

Official Number
16164

The John Dugdale was a full-rigged ship built at Whitehaven by Robert Hardy, and launched on the 20th August 1834. She was owned in Liverpool by Little & Co., and later by John Dugdale, who was probably a partner in that company. The ship operated in the trade to the Far East for most of her career. She was lengthened and substantially rebuilt in 1842.

The John Dugdale was commanded by Captain James Killick in the period from May 1845 to 1851. He operated in the China trade, and MacGregor in his book "The China Bird" records a passage in 1848-9 from Woosung to London in 129 days, and in 1851 from Shanghai to London, in 119 days.  On this final trip Capt.Killick was caught trying to defraud the Chinese authorities of customs duties, and was fined by the British consul. After Capt.Killick left the John Dugdale he supervised the building, then took command, of the Challenger, a famous tea clipper built at Blackwall expressly to compete with the American clipper Challenge.

The John Dugdale continued in the trade to China, Singapore, Manilla and Hong Kong. She sailed from Hong Kong under the command of Capt.Henry Williams on the 24th August 1857, and was not heard of again.

Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
John Dugdale
1834
314, then 371 om
 102.7
  26.1
  19.2
3 
 
 
10 years A1 

Sources :

  1. "Shipbuilding in Whitehaven - A Checklist" by Harry Fancy, Whitehaven Museum (1984) - 314 tons.
  2. "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.
  3. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1835-6: John Dugdale, ship, 313 tons, built at Whitehaven in 1834, sheathed in bronze in 1834, owned by Little & Co., registered at Liverpool, master Capt.M'Dowell, voyage Whitehaven - Cape Horn.
  4. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1840-1: John Dugdale, ship, 313 tons, built at Whitehaven in 1834, coppered 1839, owned by Little & Co., registered at Liverpool, master Capts.Harrison & Milwood, voyage Liverpool - Singapore.
  5. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1845-6: John Dugdale, ship, 371 om, 407 nm tons, built at Whitehaven in 1834, lengthened and almost rebuilt in 1842, felted and yellow-metalled in 1846, owned by Little & Co., registered at Liverpool, master Capts.Milwood & Killick, voyages Liverpool - Singapore, Liverpool - China.
  6. Smuggling in 1851 recorded in "The International Relations of the Chinese Empire" by Hosea Ballou Morse (Google Books).
  7. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1851-2: John Dugdale, ship, 371 tons, owner John Dugdale, registered at Liverpool, master Capt.Killick, China trade.
  8. Official Number from the 1857 Mercantile Navy List: John Dugdale, registered at Liverpool, 407 tons, signal letters LWHN.
  9. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1858-9:  John Dugdale, ship, 371 tons, owner John Dugdale, registered at Liverpool, master H.Williams, Manilla-London trade.
  10. Mercantile Navy List 1860 - obituaries (John Hubert Leffier, Robert Watson and Henry Williams).