Baron of Renfrew (ship)

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The Baron of Renfrew was a four-masted barque of 5,294 GRT, built of wood in 1825 by Charles Wood, Anse du Fort, Quebec, Canada, on his own account. It was a very large clipper ship built to transport timber from the New World to Europe and, to avoid taxes, intended to subsequently be disassembled after discharging the timber cargo to sell the tax-free ship-timber, because the timber used to build the ship was free of taxes.

On August 23rd, 1825 under the command of captain Matthew Walker the ship left Quebec with a crew of 25 men and a cargo of 9000 ts timber (probably ship and cargo weight, both timber) bound to London, England. On October 21st of the same year the ship appeared in the Channel but stranded the day after on the Goodwin Sands near Long Sound Head in the English Channel already under tow of two tugs and a pilot on bord. It is reported that parts of the ship and its timber cargo were found on the French coast near Dunkirk and Gravelines, according to other sources the ship, broken in three parts, were found near Calais.

The huge ship had a length overall of 92.65 meters with bowsprit and jibboom: 110,8 metres (363 feet)), 18.59 metres wide and 10.36 metres tall (304 feet × 61 feet × 34 feet). It had a kind of four-masted barque rigging with the square-rigged masts fitted with just three square sails (course, top, and topgallant sails) and the spanker mast with a spanker sail and a spanker topsail. Three foresails were fitted to the stays to the jibboom making 14 sails all in all. Instead of a bobstay the end of the bowsprit was supported by an extra spar (bar) resting on the cutwater above the waterline.

21st: Octr: 1825, at the time the Captain, Officers & remaining 22 of her crew left her, off Gravelines. - She left Quebec Augt. 23rd & filled with water 650 Miles from land, drew 33 ft. & had 31 ft. water in her Hold, was waterlogged & went ashore in 3 pieces 24th Octr: near Calais. Her 4 Anchors wd. 192 cwt. Chain 2 1/4 In. diamr: 130 fathoms long, wt. 14 Tons Hemp cable 26 In. Circume: got on the Long sands off Margate 16th & off 18th Octr: Cargo consisted of 9000 Tons of Timber. — Printed & Pubd. 27th Octr: 1825. By S. Vowles, 3, St. Michael's Alley, Cornhill, London. l.l.; Dra[wn] [illegible word ending in "ity"] / M. Young. l.r.; S. Vowles Lith. [hardly legible]; in pen and ink, verso. u.l.; C. Richardson [sic?] / Limehouse.

It is classified as a disposable ship, or timber ship (timber drogher). It was not particularly seaworthy:

She left Quebec Augt. 23rd & filled with water 650 Miles from land, drew 33 ft. & had 31 ft. water in her Hold, was waterlogged & went ashore in 3 pieces 24th Octr: near Calais.^[1]

and had to be towed from Quebec to Calais.

Due to a change in the timber tax census disposable or timber ships have no longer been built.

1 Further reading
2 See also
3 Notes
4 External links

[edit] Further reading

Wallace, Fredrick William: Wooden Ships and Iron Men. White Lion, London, 1973/1924.
Williams, David M.: Bulk Carriers and Timber Imports: The British North American Trade and the Shipping Boom of 1824-5. The Mariner's Mirror Vol. 54, London, 1968. pp 373-382
Wood, Charles: Ballast. John Clark, Glasgow, 1836.

[edit] See also

Baron of Renfrew, a subsidiary title of the Duke of Rothesay (current holder: HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay; in 1825 the title was vacant)