Pendragon Castle

Official Number
97843

The Pendragon Castle was the last 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 Lowther Castle). She was also one of the large four-masted barques built at Workington known as the "Six Sisters" (see Eusemere). The Pendragon Castle was a barque of 2453 tons, launched in 1891. Her maiden voyage was to Calcutta, and she returned from there to the Humber in 113 days, stranding on the Halle Sands in a blizzard. After being towed off she suffered a collision with an American schooner whilst on passage from Hull to Cardiff to pick up her next cargo. After repair she loaded a cargo of coal and headed from Cardiff for Colombo in February 1892. Some crew members died of cholera on the return passage, and her master, Capt.Wood, died shortly after the vessel reached the UK. The next voyage for the Pendragon Castle was from Hamburg to Calcutta (107 days), and she returned to Hamburg in 119 days.

The Pendragon Castle was sold to German owners (H.H.Schmidt, of Hamburg) in 1909, and was renamed Lisbeth. She entered the nitrate trade and continued to sail until 1928, when she was sent to the breakers' yard at Port Glasgow.

Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
Pendragon Castle
1891
2453 
 303.9
42.2 
 24.6
4 
 
 
 100 years A1, Special Survey

Sources :

  1. "Ships of West Cumberland" by Desmond G.Sythes (first published 1969, republished by The Friends of Whitehaven Museum, 1992) - information from Sheila Cartwright.
  2. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1893-4: Pendragon Castle, steel 4-masted barque, 2510 tons, built by R.Williamson & Son at Workington in January 1891, official number 97843, owned by J.Chambers & Co., registered at Liverpool, master Capt.N.Richardson.
  3. The figurehead of the Pendragon Castle has survived and has been restored. It was on sale for £29,000 in 2007 !