Dunmail

Official Number
21332

The Dunmail was a wooden full-rigged ship built at Workington under Lloyd's Special Survey in 1859 by Jonathon Fell (of the Workington & Harrington Shipbuilding Co.). Bushby & Edwards, her Liverpool owners, had bought many ships from this same Workington shipyard, and the Dunmail was soon  followed by the Corea and the Volunteer.  The Dunmail, Capt.Bowman, departed Liverpool on her maiden voyage, bound for Calcutta, on the 14th June 1859. She spent the rest of her career in the trade to India and China, but made no fast passages. Capt.Bowman was succeeded after the maiden voyage by Capt.J.Dindey, and after he had made four of five voyages, Capt.Peter Thompson took command.

At 5pm on the 8th May 1870 the Dunmail, Captain Peter Thompson, was entering Hong Kong harbour through the Lyeemoon, having been unable to find a pilot. She was consigned to Gilman & Co. with a general cargo, and had made the passage from London to Hong Kong in 110 days. The weather was thick and unsettled. Sailing with the flow and at some speed, she struck hard on a submerged rock off Dock Bay. She immediately filled and sank in 13 fathoms of water. The crew were able to save their clothing, and the master his chronometers, before they abandoned the vessel, without loss of life. Subsequently divers were able to recover some of the vessel's cargo, about £18,000 of a cargo worth about £100,000.

Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
Dunmail
1859
 772
 184.6
31.5
21.3
3 
 
 
14 years A1 

Sources :

    1. Departure on maiden voyage reported in the Liverpool Mercury, 15th June 1859.
    2. "The Tea Clippers" by David R.MacGregor (Conway Maritime Press, 1972). ISBN 0 85177 059 2.
    3. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1859-60:  Dunmail, ship. FYM 1859, 771, built under Special Survey, owner Bushby & Co., master Capt.Bowman, no voyage given.
    4. Clayton's Register of Shipping 1865: Dunmail, ship, 772 tons, 14 years A1, master Capt.W.B.Bowman, owned by Bushby & Edwards, registered at Workington.
    5. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1866-7: Dunmail, ship, FYM 1866, owner Bushby & Co., master Capt.P.Thompson, voyage London - China.
    6. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1869-70:  Dunmail, ship. FYM 1869, 771 tons, 184.6 x 31.5 x 21.3, built Workington 1859 by Wrktn & Harrington Shipbuilding Co., owned by Bushby & Co., registered at Workington, master Captain P.Thompson, voyage London - China, 14 years A1.
    7. Mercantile Navy List 1867: Dunmail, ON 21332, registered at Workington, signal letters NFVC, 772 tons, registered owner Bushby & Edwards, King Street, Liverpool.
    8. "The Loss of the Ship Dunmail" in the Glasgow Herald, Thursday, 30th June 1870 (citing a report from Hong Kong, dated 12th May). Subsequent reports of recovery of the cargo in the Glasgow Herald, Leeds Mercury and Liverpool Mercury newspapers.