Aigburth

Official Number
86222

Like the Grassendale and Garston, the Aigburth was built by R.Williamson & Son at Workington for the Liverpool firm of R.W.Leyland & Co. She was launched in August 1882 and was an iron full-rigged ship, equipped with royals over single topgallant and double top-sails.

The Aigburth arrived at Sydney from Iquique in ballast in April 1904, under the command of Capt.John Henry Reid. She was painted and overhauled in dry dock, then towed to Newcastle to load 2704 tons of coal from the East Greta colliery. On the 21st June she left Newcastle bound for Samarang and Sourabaya in Java, but struck an uncharted reef off Rooke Island, German New Guinea, on the 10th July 1904. The crew abandoned ship in four boats, three of which were fairly quickly picked up. The fourth boat, commanded by second mate G.Patterson, and with seven others aboard, landed on Rook Island, and the crew made contact with some natives, who took them to a Chinese trader on another island, and then eventually to Friedrich Wilhelm Haven. They were taken to Pinkenba by the steamer Prinz Sigismund, arriving on the 20th October. The Inquiry into the wreck had already been held in Sydney, the loss being ascribed to the negligence of the master, who had not taken adequate notice of the strong current in the area where the vessel was wrecked.

Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
Aigburth
1882
1838 
266.7 
39.0 
23.6 
3 
 
 
100 years A1, Special Survey 

Sources :

  1. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1882-3 (Supplement): Aigburth, iron ship, 1838 grt, 1798 nrt, built by R.Williamson & Son at Workington in August 1882, owned by R.W.Leyland & Co., registered at Liverpool, master Capt.T.Withers.
  2. Refer to the website of the National Library of Australia for photograph and newspaper reports of this ship.
  3. "Champion of Sail - R.W. Leyland and his Shipping Line" by David Walker, pub.Conway Maritime Press, London (1986) - states that after the wreck the fourth boat, commanded by the second mate and with seven men, was lost.
  4. Wreck, inquiry and aftermath reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, 2nd August 1904, the Brisbane Courier, 24th August and 21st October 1904, and numerous other Australian newspapers.
  5. The Times newspaper, 3rd August, 16th August and 22nd August, 1904 - states that the master and seven men were brought to Brisbane by the steamer Prinz Sigismund, and that 16 seamen were picked up by the German warship Moewe and the New Guinea Government steamer Seestern, and that this accounted for the whole of the crew (which could not have been correct).