Rydalmere

Official Number 70908

The Rydalmere was an iron ship built by the Whitehaven Ship Building Company and launched in February 1875 for Fisher & Sprott of Liverpool.

From the Cumberland Pacquet newspaper, Thursday, 9th February, 1875 page 2:

" SHIPLAUNCH AT WHITEHAVEN:- Another fine iron ship, the Rydalmere, was launched from the yard of the Whitehaven Ship Building Company, on Saturday morning. The Rydalmere has been built for Messrs.Fisher and Sprott, of Liverpool, and will be commanded by Capt.M'Williams, of Maryport. The Rydalmere is 224 feet in length, 36 feet in breadth, and 22 feet in depth, and has a tonnage register of 1,300. She will, after the necessary fitting up, proceed to Liverpool, and thence will sail with a general cargo to Melbourne. After the launch, a number of friends assembled in the directors' room at the yard, where the usual complimentary toasts were drunk. Mr.J.Jackson, one of the directors of the company, occupied the chair. "

" THE LOSS OF THE RYDALMERE.- Judgement was given this week by the Liverpool stipendiary (who was assisted by Captains Anderson and Dyer, R.N.) in the case of the sailing ship Rydalmere, which was lost, with a crew of 25, last March. The inquiry began on Tuesday, when Mr.Paxton, for the Board of Trade, stated that the vessel was a barque-rigged ship of 1,166 tons register, built at Whitehaven in 1875, and owned by Messrs. William Lowden and Co., of Liverpool. She left Marseilles for Melbourne on March 7, with about 1,800 tons of tiles and 120 tons of ballast. On the afternoon of the 19th she was sighted on her beam ends about 20 miles south of the Cape de Gata, at which time there was a heavy sea and strong westerly gale. The waves were breaking over her, and her crew were partly on the forecastle head and partly on the poop on the weather side. The vessel sighting her was the steamer Robert Harrowing, to which those on the Rydalmere signaled a desire to abandon her. The captain of the Robert Harrowing obtained sufficient volunteers to attempt a rescue, but in the circumstances it was deemed better to wait awhile to see if the weather would moderate. An hour later the Rydalmere signalled for immediate help, but as it was becoming dark, without improvement in the weather, only one man volunteered. The captain of the Robert Harrowing signalled he would stand by. A light was seen on the Rydalmere until about 8 p.m., when it disappeared, and at daylight there was no sign of the Rydalmere. Thinking she might have drifted away the captain of the steamer cruised about for some 15 miles, but nothing could be seen of her. After hearing the evidence the magistrate found that the vessel was in good and seaworthy condition as regards hull and equipment when she left Marseilles, and was supplied with the boats and life-saving apparatus required by the statute. The reason of the vessel's going over on her beam ends was that the tiles in the 'tween decks were broken through the rolling of the vessel and shifted. The cargo shifted through not being properly stowed and secured. "

Sources :

1. "Shipbuilding in Whitehaven - A Checklist" by Harry Fancy, Whitehaven Museum (1984).
2. Mystic Seaport Library Ship Register Search has shipping register details from 1876 to 1900.
3. Record of American and Foreign Shipping, 1885 :  names master as Capt.J.Denny, owners as Fisher & Sprott of Liverpool.
4. There is a painting of the Rydalmere at the Beacon museum, Whitehaven.