Eastern Chief

Official Number
42622

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. She departed Liverpool on her maiden voyage on the 28th August 1861, bound for San Francisco with manufactured goods. She returned to Liverpool via Cape Horn, arriving on the 2nd October 1862.

On 2nd July 1864 the Eastern Chief, Capt.Fraser, arrived at Otago, New Zealand, from London with passengers and cargo.

Newspapers reported in August 1890 that the Eastern Chief had been stranded on the Ortez (Ortiz ?) 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.

The Eastern Chief must have been recovered and sold, for in 1905 she was registered at Montevideo, re-named Francisca Nadal.

Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
Eastern Chief
1861
 401
128.3
26.7
17.9
3
3/4 Man
 
14 years A1 

Sources :

  1. Surprisingly, not listed in "Shipbuilding at Workington - a Checklist" by Harry Fancy, pub. Whitehaven Museum (1985).
  2. The Scarrows of Cumberland website - the career of Capt.Thomas Scarrow.
  3. American Lloyd's Register of American and Foreign Shipping, 1862 - names master as Capt.W.Fearon, owner as S.Martin, registered at Liverpool.
  4. Otago Witness newspaper, 9th July 1864.
  5. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1865-6: owned by S.Martin, master Capt.H.Frazer, voyage London - New Zealand.
  6. Mystic Seaport Library Ship Register Search has shipping register details from 1862 to 1891.
  7. Record of American and Foreign Shipping, 1885 - names master as Capt.F.M.Young, owner as J.Carr.
  8. Record of American and Foreign Shipping, 1890 -  names master as Capt.Brien, owner as J.McClelland, still registered at Liverpool.
  9. Wreck reported in the Times newspaper, 9th August, page 8 and 11th August 1890, page 10, also Liverpool Mercury, 19th and 21st August 1890.
  10. Vida Marítima