Goolwa (clipper ship)

Goolwa was a clipper ship built for trade between England and South Australia.

History

Goolwa was built by Hall & Co. of Footdee, Aberdeen in 1864 for Anderson, Thompson & Co., for their Orient line of clippers on the London to Adelaide run.

She was of composite construction (iron frame and timber planking), 717 tons register, length 178.5 feet (54.4 m), breadth 30.6 feet (9.3 m) x depth 18.8 feet (5.7 m)[1] Her sail plan was reduced from full-rigged to barque configuration sometime before 1877, presumably to enable her to operate with a smaller crew.

Her first master was Captain Adam Johnston,[2] followed by John T. Thorkeldson or Torkelson 1877–1885.

Her last voyage

She left Penarth, Wales under Captain Cornwall on 23 December 1887 with a cargo of pig iron and coke bound for San Francisco. She experienced heavy weather in the Channel, and sprang a couple of leaks, with which two manual pumps were unable to cope. Meanwhile the ship was rolling heavily, hatches were carried away by the waves and masses of water poured into the hold and she began sinking hopelessly. The lifeboats had been wrecked in the storm; one of the pumps failed and all but five of the crew were incapacitated. Distress rockets were fired and after two days the crew were picked up by the steamer Cato and Goolwa was abandoned on 5 January 1888 to sink in the Bay of Biscay.[3]

Some other clippers on the England to Adelaide service

References

  1. ↑ "Aberdeen Ships". Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  2. ↑ Adam Johnston (c. 1824 – 16 March 1891) previously had Travancore 1862; Aurora (sister ship to Hesperus) 1875, destroyed by fire August 1875; Harbinger 1876–1878. He was part owner of Harbinger and lost heavily due to lack of business, became marine surveyor. Johnston married Marian Annie Dalcam (c. 1837–1914), had son Adam Dalcam Johnstone (!) (1874–1944), daughter Isabel Claire Johnston, later Siekmann.
  3. ↑ "SV Goolwa (The Goolwa) (+1888)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
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