Workington & Harrington Sailing Ships

The Banian was a full-rigged ship built by Peile, Scott and Co. at Workington in 1856. She was owned by J.H.Bushby of Liverpool, who also owned the Workington-built clippers Belted Will, Carricks, Invincible, Corea, Kamehameha the Fourth, Clymene, Volunteer and Dunmail. In September 1872 the Banian arrived at Sydney from Liverpool under the command of Capt. Richard Alleyne. Capt.Owen H. Williams as master of the Banian from 1879 to 1882, and states "ship lost off Rio". Capt.Williams had previously been master and owner of the Duchess of Lancaster, also built at Workington.

Name: Banian
Year Built: 1856
Gross Tons: 760
Length (feet): 186
Breadth (feet): 30.5
Depth (feet): 20.8
Masts: 3

The Blenheim was an iron barque built by R. Williamson & Sons at Harrington in January, 1869. She was initially owned by A. Morgan of Liverpool. By 1879 she had been acquired by another Liverpool owner, S.Martin, and her master was Capt.J.W.Garner. By 1889 the Blenheim had been bought for £ 3540 by Carl August Banck & Co. of Helsingborg, Sweden. In 1901 she was bought by Italian owners, and in 1905 was sold to owners in Genoa for conversion to a coal barge.

Name: Blenheim
Year Built: 1869
Gross Tons: 575
Length (feet): 170.1
Breadth (feet): 28.3
Depth (feet): 17.3
Masts: 3

Six vessels were built at Workington for the Lamport & Holt line. Their first vessel was the barque Christabel, built by James Alexander in 1845, and then five others were built by Charles Lamport himself, namely the Cathaya, Blencathra, Coniston, Glaramara and Chalgrove.

Name: Christabel
Year Built: 1845
Gross Tons: 335
Masts: 3

The Eastern Chief was a wooden barque built by Williamson at Harrington in July 1861. She was originally owned by S.Martin and was registered at Liverpool. The Times newspaper reported in April 1890 that the Eastern Chief had been wrecked on the Ortez Bank in the River Plate, whilst bound from Rosario for Falmouth. The crew had abandoned the vessel without loss of life. The wreck was towed into Montevideo.

Name: Eastern Chief
Year Built: 1861
Gross Tons: 401
Length (feet): 128.3
Breadth (feet): 29.9
Depth (feet): 17.9
Masts: 3

The Florence Nightingale was a full-rigged ship of 447 tons, built at Workington in 1855. She was owned by Girvin and registered at Liverpool, and sailed on her maiden voyage to South America under Capt. J.Gales. In the 1857 Mercantile Navy List Official Notices (page 269) the master of the Florence Nightingale, Capt. James Gales, is commended for his "excellent" meteorological observations - the vessel owner is named as R.Girvan of Liverpool.

Name: Florence Nightingale
Year Built: 1855
Gross Tons: 447

Six vessels were built at Workington for the Lamport & Holt line. Their first vessel was the Christabel, built by James Alexander in 1845, and then five others were built by Charles Lamport himself, namely the Cathaya, Blencathra, Coniston, Glaramara and Chalgrove. The Glaramara was a 475 ton barque built by Charles Lamport at Workington on the 23rd July1857.

Name: Glaramara
Year Built: 1857
Gross Tons: 478
Length (feet): 156
Breadth (feet): 27
Depth (feet): 18
Masts: 3

InglewoodThe Inglewood was an iron barque built by R.Williamson & Son at Harrington and launched in July 1875. The Inglewood was reputedly a sister ship of the Mallsgate and Geltwood, and was owned initially by Fisher & Sprott of Liverpool and was registered at Workington. The vessel was sold back to her builders in 1889 and was managed by R.Williamson & Son until 1899. As with many of the large iron sailing ships, she was sold to Norwegian owners. In 1900 the Inglewood was registered at Laurvig (Larvik), Norway, owned by C.H.Neilson. On the 28th March 1908 the Inglewood exploded in Mandal harbour, killing her whole crew of 14. She was bound from New York to Stockholm with a naphtha cargo

Name: Inglewood
Year Built: 1875
Gross Tons: 1077
Length (feet): 215.0
Breadth (feet): 34.1
Depth (feet): 21.1
Masts: 3

The Jonathon Fell was built at Workington by Peile, Scott & Co., and was launched on the 25th March 1841. She was wrecked at Buenos Ayres in August 1845. Under the command of Capt.Tate she had struck a sunken rock off the Great Costellos and had been run ashore. The ship was then plundered by people from the shore, and ultimately was declared a total wreck, and sold. The vessel had been registered at Harrington.

Name: Jonathon Fell
Year Built: 1841
Gross Tons: 143

The Lowther Castle was one of five large vessels built at the Williamson shipyard at Workington for the Lancaster Shipowners Company (the others were Greystoke Castle, Lancaster Castle, Wray Castle and Pendragon Castle). The Lowther Castle was the second, an iron four-master launched in January, 1886. The Lowther Castle was sold to German owners in 1897, and was renamed Marie before being broken-up in the same year.

Name: Lowther Castle
Year Built: 1886
Gross Tons: 1782
Length (feet): 262.1
Breadth (feet): 39.0
Depth (feet): 23.3
Masts: 4

The Michael Hutchinson was an iron barque built at Harrington in November 1867, owned by John Bell & Co. and registered at Liverpool. The Michael Hutchinson, Liverpool for Iquique, with coal and railway iron, caught fire off Cape Horn (lat.52 S. and long.84 W) on the 6th October 1891. The crew of 18 were rescued by the German barque Plus. This vessel landed the master and six of the crew at Scilly on the 20th December, the rest of the crew being transferred to the Liverpool ship Micronesia and the County Antrim, which landed them at Queenstown (17th and 20th December respectively).

Name: Michael Hutchinson
Year Built: 1867
Gross Tons: 685
Length (feet): 175.2
Breadth (feet): 30.1
Depth (feet): 19.3
Masts: 3

The Salterbeck was a barque built at Workington in June, 1869. The Salterbeck was wrecked on the Long Strand, Catlefreke Bay, Co.Cork on the 14th January 1900. She was bound from Barry, Wales, to Kilrush with a cargo of coal. She was carrying a crew of six, under the command of Capt.W.Reynolds, and all survived the wreck.

Name: Salterbeck
Year Built: 1869
Gross Tons: 186
Length (feet): 104.8
Breadth (feet): 23.7
Depth (feet): 12
Masts: 3

Geltwood