Corea

Official Number 21333

The Corea was a full-rigged ship built at Workington, Cumberland, first registered in August 1859. She was owned in Liverpool by Bushby & Edwards.

Two voyages in the Corea are described in the autobiography of Capt.Thomas Garry Fraser (see Source 1), a Harrington-born seaman who started his career in her as an apprentice, eventually rising to command a variety of Liverpool ships. He joined the Corea on the 19th May 1865, as an apprentice to the Liverpool shipping firm of Bushby & Edwards, who owned her and other Workington-built vessels such as Belted Will, Dunmail, Banian and Carricks. Fraser describes her as a 581 ton clipper, and his first voyage was from Liverpool to Hong Kong and Whampoa. They left Liverpool Prince's Dock on the 22nd May, and the crew comprised master, three mates, bosun, carpenter, sailmaker, cook, steward, twelve AB's, two OS's and six apprentices. One of the AB's was lost during the voyage, after falling from the rigging. The outward voyage took the Corea past Madeira, Tenerife, Tristan da Cunha, Christmas Island, Java, Sumatra and Borneo before the ship reached Pedders Wharf, Hong Kong on  the 7th September, a passage of 107 days. After discharging the ship sailed for FooChow to load a cargo of tea for London, and at that port anchored amongst such famous tea clippers as Taeping, Fiery Cross, and Belted Will. The voyage to London passed through the Sunda Straights, then Madagascar, around the Cape of Good Hope to a stop at St.Helena for replenishing food and water.

Fraser's second voyage in the Corea started on the 16th May 1866, when the ship left London's South Dock bound for Kanagawa and Yokohama, Japan. The route this time took the ship inside the Cape Verdes, before rounding the Cape and then proceeding on her previous route, then passing to the east of Formosa (Taiwan), arriving at Yokohama after a 120 day passage on the 18th September. The ship stayed in Japan for four months, and the return voyage to London was uneventful. The master of the Corea on both these voyages was Capt.J.Garry, a relative of Fraser's, and both men were transferred to the newly-built Carricks for their next voyage.

Fraser returned to the Corea, as second mate, in 1870. They sailed from London to Whampoa, under the command of Capt.Can, then returned from Macao to London with tea, the round voyage lasting eight months and ten days. The next passage was from London to Hong Kong (101 days), picking up a part cargo of tea and silk from Whampoa, then returning from Macao to London. In 1872 the Corea sailed to Australia, because she was not available early enough in the season to re-enter the tea trade. She sailed under Capt.Can and with Fraser as first mate to Adelaide, and made the passage in 71 days. The return cargo was coal loaded at Newcastle NSW, for Nagasaki, Japan. The Corea then sailed for New York with tea and silk, and returned to London with a crew of West Indians. In 1873 Fraser left the Corea to take command of the Doriga.
 

Sources :

1. "Captain Fraser's Voyages" by Marjorie Gee (Stanford Maritime Limited, 1979) ISBN 0 540 07180 3. - Capt.Fraser wrote that the Corea was a sister ship to the Invincible.
2. Official Number from "Mercantile Navy List, 1861" - gives signal flag code as NFVD.
3. Mariners & Ships in Australian Waters gives a crew and passenger list for the Corea, when she arrived at Sydney from Calcutta on the 7th April 1863 (citing from State Records Authority of New South Wales: Shipping Masters Office; CGS 13278, Passengers Arriving 1855 - 1922; X127, SR Reel 427). The master is named as Capt.John Garry, the mate as Joseph Frazer of Workington, and there were nineteen other crew, including seven apprentices. There were sixteen passengers, including one stowaway.
4. The Hudson's Bay Co. Archives hold the 1861 log of the "Corea". She left Liverpool for China on the 2nd Sept.1860 and returned to London on the 9th July 1861, Capt. John Garry. Information thanks to Mike Galbraith.
5. American Lloyd's Register of American and Foreign Shipping, 1865 names owners as Bushby & Edwards, the vessel belonging to Workington, master as Capt.J.Garry, and gives dimensions listed in table above.