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.
 

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. Record of American and Foreign Shipping, 1898 - names master as N.Richardson, owners as J.Chambers & Co.
3. The figurehead of the Pendragon Castle has survived and has been restored. It was on sale for £29,000 in 2007 !