The Missing: Tales of those who never came home.

By Paul W Simpson

EVERYONE LOVES A GOOD SHIPWRECK STORY - The world’s oceans are filled with mysteries beyond counting. Amongst the many are ship’s that disappear leaving few if any traces of their passing. The brave souls aboard these vessels have rarely had their stories told. Grief and loss confront family members when a loved one goes missing. In the days before satellite communications and GPS when a sailing ship ventured out over the horizon, there would be no further contact unless signalled by a passing vessel. It could be weeks or months before Lloyd’s of London recorded the ship’s safe arrival in Lloyd’s List. Some however never arrived and would eventually be listed as overdue. Then telegrams would be sent out by agents and owners enquiring at ports around the globe asking if the missing ship had arrived or been heard of. Eventually, there would be an inquiry conducted by Boards of Trade or Trinity House Masters as Lloyds now listed the vessel as ‘Missing – presumed lost with all hands’. For the shipping trade, this would be an end to the matter as underwriters paid out on marine insurance policies and merchants had their lost goods replaced. For families and loved ones there would be no formal closure, no memorial, no grave, just endless grief and mourning. Here at least a few of their stories are now told – The tales of those who never came home. The stories of the lost vessels told in this volume include the barque West Ridge, discovered in the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, the wool clipper ships Loch Long, Loch Laggan, Loch Maree, the iron hulled sailing ships; Marlborough, Mysore, Dunedin, Inchcape Rock, Seatoller, and Deanfield. the loss of the Archduke Johann Salvator von Habsburg and his wife Mili Stubel after they had run away to sea aboard the clipper Saint Margaret. Then finally the stories of Captain Nicholas Rutter who lost the barque Kohinoor, the ships Knight Errant, and the Foundling of Liverpool, before disappearing when the ship British King was lost without trace.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Apr 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9781008975569

Book preview

Index

The Barque that Never Came Home

The Loch Long

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Postcard of Broughty Ferry Beach, Dundee circa 1893.

Able Seaman John Bisset gazed out of the grimy front window of his seaside cottage looking out over Barry Sands. A light drizzle fell across Broughty Ferry. The smoke from a hundred cooking fires filled the air with peat smoke and the smells of frying fish and eggs. The son of a fisherman, 52-year-old Bissett had returned home for a spell having been at sea for the previous 18 months. A lifelong sailor and fisherman with saltwater in his veins John Bisset could never stay anywhere for long. He knew as the money ran out, he would return to Glasgow and an outbound vessel. John had started in sail but had then spent much of his time aboard Liverpool steamers. His wife Isabella was resigned to the fact that her husband would soon be gone. She had accepted this as her lot but had never truly become used to John’s absence. When he donned his sea rig and walked off down the road to catch the train to Dundee she never knew if he would return home.                   The train to Dundee ran through the town and made daily runs from Dundee to Arbroath. After a tearful farewell, John hugged his wife, four children and two grandchildren before boarding the train. It was a misty September morning as the train pulled into Dundee 40 minutes later. The grey skies of autumn gave way to wan sunlight as Bisset boarded another carriage bound for Stirling and thence to Glasgow. A little over 4 hours later John

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Prince’s Dock from Mavisbank Quay, circa 1900.

Glasgow City Archives.

was standing before the offices of Aitken, Lilburn & Co in Buchannan Street reading their notice board for vessels requiring crew. He had sailed with the company before. Now there was just one vessel upon the berth, the Loch Long bound for Australia with Captain Strachan as master.                   The company’s recruitment agent had John sign articles only after his previous discharge certificate had been inspected and endorsed. He was to head down to Prince’s Dock with his kit and report to the first mate, Alex Strachan as soon as possible. The ship had almost completed loading and was scheduled to clear out for Greenock in just a few days. It was a short walk to the River Clyde and then a ferry ride to Govan. The dirty hustle and bustle of the docks was a shock to the senses after the relatively clean and quiet streets of Broughty. Checking in at the harbourmaster’s office Bisset discovered that the Loch Long had been shifted downriver to take on freshwater for her tanks.       Most of her crew were already aboard and hard at work as John approached the gangway. With his ticket in hand, he boarded the Loch Long and was soon standing before Captain Strachan in the saloon going over bills of lading. Bisset’s arrival rounded out the ship’s crew of 25 men and boys. After a short interview about his previous engagements, sobriety and religious affiliations with the ‘Wee Free’ Church of Scotland, John was told to report in his work clothes to the second officer Charles Walsey.                  September 25th 1902 saw the Glasgow Shipping Company tug Flying Scotsman tow the clipper downriver to the Gourock basin to allow Captain Strachan to set the barque’s twin compasses.  From there she was hauled out to the magazine barge to allow 20 tons of gunpowder to be loaded into the main hatch. The clipper’s hold was filled with ironware from Henderson’s foundries as well as the usual assortment of pig-iron, railway tracks, firebricks, beers, wines and spirits, housewares, foodstuffs and personal belongings of her two passengers John L Ballantyne, and J.F. Gordon. Both men were taking passage to Melbourne as cabin passengers. They were currently staying at the quayside hotel in Greenock awaiting the Loch Long’s arrival from the Gourock powder buoys just below the Tail o’ the Bank anchorage.                                                 First mate Alex Strachan, the captain’s younger brother, kept the crew hard at work making sure that the powder was safely stowed. Once finished the hatch boards were laid down and then covered with heavy tarpaulins and tied down inch-thick cables. The last of the heavy weather

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The Glasgow Shipping Company Tug – Flying Scotsman.

tynetugs.co.uk

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Chicken Rock Light, Calf of Man Island.

Unknown Artist.

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The 866 ton, steel barque Orellana under full sail.

State Library of South Australia.

sails were being sent aloft as the apprentices were above overhauling gaskets, blocks and running rigging. Both anchors were lifted out and shackled to their cables. Charles Walsey was left to oversee the embarkation of their passengers along with the steward Robert Topping who was there to see to their needs when aboard. At 5’8", the blonde-haired blue-eyed second mate had only just gained his ticket having spent the last few years working out of Liverpool steamers sailing the Western Ocean. This was his first time in sail since he had first gone to sea aboard the E.J. Spicer back in 1895.            With light north easterlies wafting across the Firth of the Clyde the Flying Scotsman and her charge steamed on out past Lamlash Island in the late evening of September 28th. Sea fog prevented the pair from making much headway throughout the day and the pilot determined they should sail onwards until the winds cleared away the mists. It was not until 10:00 pm on the evening of the 29th that the tug was farewelled a mile southwest of Chicken Rock Light. Conditions were hazy and seas moderate as the Loch Long set sail down through St Georges Channel and the Irish Sea. Dense fog patches continued to dog their progress down the channel. Lookouts were atop the fo’c’sle-head 24 hours a day keeping the hand-cranked foghorn going.                                                       From the youngest polliwog, 15-year-old apprentice George Gilmour, to the oldest shellback, John Bisset, the entire crew revelled in the ideal sailing conditions The Loch Long romped on south into the balmy climes off the North African Coast. Light to moderate east to northeast winds and smooth seas saw most of the crew put on day work. Alex Strachan had both watches working to send up the lighter canvas tropical sails as they made the run to Madeira.                                           The northeast trade winds were lost just north of the Canary Islands. Chasing every cat’s-paw of breeze Captain Strachan set his course to pass west of Isla de la Palma. It was as they were 75 miles east northeast of the island that a steamer sailing north closed in on the Loch Long. She turned out to be the SS Cametense bound from Para to Liverpool with coffee, hides and sugar. The two vessels exchanged signals as the Cametense sounded her whistle several times as the Loch Long dipped her ensign. The steamer soon disappeared in the gloaming of nightfall as the barque continued south.            Winds continued light and fickle as they sailed south. The aging tea-clipper Black Adder, now barque-rigged, was passed on October 14th, as she stood on towards the middle of the Atlantic. As a brilliant orange sun appeared upon the morning of the 15th the canvas clouds of two vessels appeared hull down upon the horizon. To experienced sailors aboard the

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The 2192 ton ship Milverton, built in South Hampton in 1885.

State Library of South Australia.

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The four-masted iron barque Loch Torridon, 2081 tons.

State Library of South Australia.

The barque Torrisdale

Samuel Hood Collection, Australian National Maritime Museum.

Loch Long, it appeared that they had every stitch of canvas aloft and yet were making almost no headway. Master of the Loch Long, James Strachan, immediately recognised the approaching problem, wind, or more precisely the lack of it. As the day progressed it was obvious that neither vessel was moving as seas smoothed and the breeze began to fail.                         By sunset, those aboard the barque found themselves just a mile or two from the 866-ton barque Orellana bound for Adelaide, and the massive four-masted steel barque Torrisdale bound for Algoa Bay with a load of Barry coal. All three vessels ghosted along upon an oily swell at 15º north, 26º for several days. At times the vessels were close enough for conversations via speaking trumpets and signal flags to take place.  The small flotilla was threaded by a British steamer sailing north on October 20th, her master signalled that he would report them ‘All Well!" once he arrived in Liverpool. The trio meandered south until 2º north, 28º west when the southeast trades appeared. The Torrisdale with her greater length and sail area soon galloped away leaving the Orellana and Loch Long well behind.       With all sails set, including an old fashioned ‘Jimmy Green’ on the bowsprit, Captain Strachan pushed his vessel and crew to squeeze every last quarter-knot out of the barque to catch the Torrisdale. He would not risk his vessel but the winds were fresh and the weather fine so he could afford to let the vessel run. During this time of easy sailing when the braces were rarely touched, the apprentices, George Gilmour, Peter McCallum and Everard Stobie were given lessons by Captain Strachan in the arts of navigation and ship handling.                   As these boys were receiving the education their parents had paid £200 for, ordinary seaman and first-tripper, Peter Laird was getting a much rougher education of his own. At 16 the Glasgow wharf-rat was the same age as the apprentices and yet from a very different world. Instead of navigation Peter was handed a mop and shovel with orders to clean out the heads and pigsty located under the fo’c’sle. He had also been made ‘Peggy’, or ship’s boy and was given the meanest tasks. All the while he still had to pulley-haul, go aloft to work the sails and take his tricks at the wheel with men twice his strength and stature.                                                 The trades petered out as the Loch Long passed 28º south, 28º west. A week later as the Loch Long began her run towards the Cape of Good Hope they ran down the sparkling, white-hulled, 2192 ton, Milverton, sailing from Hamburg to Sydney. She made a glorious sight to those aboard the Loch Long and should have easily outpaced the smaller barque. Nevertheless, they soon caught up to the Liverpool flagged vessel and eventually left her hull-down. Captain Strachan set his course to run their easting down along the 42nd parallel, a place where he felt the westerlies were at their most manageable. The line of the Cape of Good Hope was being passed on November 29th just as the Torrisdale was rounding Cape Agulhas for Port Elizabeth, two days ahead of the Milverton. Unbeknownst to the master of either vessel, the Loch Torridon, commanded by master mariner Robert Pattman, was sliding beneath both having left the Thames on October 7th.                         Ahead of all was the Loch Broom, another four-masted barque also sailing for Port Adelaide. Averaging 9 to 10 knots the Loch Long crossed the Indian Ocean at a good clip, pushed along by squally west to northwest winds. The line of Cape Leeuwin was crossed 30 days from the Cape at 42º south, having averaged 201 miles a day for the entire crossing. From there until she passed Cape Borda lighthouse at 1:00 am on December 23rd, the Loch Long was battered by a series of summer storms and slashing rain squalls.  Turning north up Spencer Gulf, the Loch Long joined the barques Loch Torridon, and Castle Holme in a race to the Semaphore roadstead.                         The first to drop anchor was the Castle Holme, she had made a rather laborious passage of  117 days from London. The second to arrive was the Loch Long having completed her voyage in a respectable 84 days. The so-called ‘whipper-in’ was the Loch Torridon. She dropped anchor at 3:30 am on Christmas Eve, having been overtaken going up the gulf by the other two vessels. The Loch Torridon had made the passage from London in just 77 days. James Strachan was mighty pleased with his vessel and her crew. They had performed admirably in some trying conditions and brought the Loch Long in with little damage. The Loch Long was taken under tow by the tug Euro and was soon berthed alongside McLaren Wharf to begin the discharge of her cargo.                                                They were only going to stay in port for a few days and the two passengers took the opportunity to stretch their legs ashore. The crew when not on day work or anchor watch were allowed limited shore leave and made the most of the dockside pubs and other delights that Port Adelaide had to offer. The portside pubs were filled with sailors; those from the Loch Long and Loch Torridon joined their fellows from the Castle Holme for Christmas Day celebrations.  James and Alex Strachan joined Robert Pattman, and Captain Hurst of the Castle Holme, for a well-earned repast ashore at the Mission to Seamen where Edward Hounslow hosted the masters and mates of those vessels currently in port. It was here that they learnt of the recent loss of the barque Inverlochy that had gone ashore near Barwon Heads a week earlier.

The 1261-ton barque Loch Long, built in 1876 by J.& G. Thomson at Port Adelaide.

State Library of South Australia.

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Port Melbourne, circa 1900-1910.

State Library of Victoria.

The crew were given Boxing Day off as a holiday where they and many others attended the Christmas Dinner at the Seamen’s Mission. The evening meal was put on for sailors by the many ladies of the local committee. Afterwards, a concert was held where invited members of various crews performed for the highly appreciative crowd. Amongst the performers were Edward Hounslow’s daughter Grace, and William Low, a sailor from the Loch Long who had a fine baritone voice. The two sang several numbers together whilst a Miss A. Williams accompanied them on the piano. The concert was a resounding success and set the crew at ease before they had to resume their labours the following morning.

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The Port Melbourne Sailors Home, circa 1908.

Museum of Victoria Archives.

December 27th 1902 saw those aboard the Loch Long set to work by the cavernous bellow of Charles Walsey. The young officer had at first struggled with the square-rigger’s many idiosyncrasies, however knew how to handle men. Thus, he was placed in charge of the crew during their time in port. The gunpowder was first out, lifted carefully from the hold by stevedores after the barque had been shifted out to North Arm reach. The Loch Long was then hauled back into the inner harbour where the Adelaide part of her cargo was removed from the hold and placed in the care of her local agents, George Wills & Co’.                                                The Loch Long’s stay in port was brief with the hatches being again battened down by the crew as they recovered from some rather raucous New Year’s celebrations. The Loch Long was towed out to the Semaphore Anchorage on the afternoon of January 2nd 1903, passing the Orellana that had arrived the previous Saturday.  They lay in wait for Captain Strachan and shipping reporter Spencer Skipper with a bundle of mail and papers for agents in Melbourne. They set sail in the early hours of the following morning. After a week of intense heat, humidity and thunderstorms the crew of the Loch Long were happy to put back to sea as southwest to southeast winds brought cooler conditions to the coast. Having cleared Backstairs Passage the barque continued southeast towards Port Phillip Bay, the winds had backed around to the northeast and seas flattened.                               There had been no outgoing cargo from Adelaide and the barque was riding rather higher than her captain would have liked. On the third day out a nasty Southerly Buster rolled up from the southwest, bringing blustery winds and heavy seas. The cold front passed quickly leaving behind light airs and lumpy seas. Despite the winds, they made their number off Queenscliff on January 8th as the pilot guided the vessel through The Rip and up through the southern channel into the Bay. The day after her arrival the Loch Long was towed by steamer to the outer buoys alongside the barque General Gordon to await pratique inspection. Once cleared, both vessels were then shifted up the Yarra River to their discharge berths in the heart of Port Melbourne. There the Loch Long joined her sisters; Loch Lomond, Loch Garry, Loch Vennachar, Loch Ryan and Loch Tay. They and a dozen other vessels were there to collect the wool clip, which owing to drought was in very short supply.                                                      Bob Pattman, master of the Loch Torridon, had already decided to bypass Melbourne. he had elected to take on a load of chaff for Newcastle, before loading up his barque with coal for San Francisco. The Loch Broom too had missed the Melbourne regatta, her master William Martin had sailed the barque up to Port Pirie, to load 1900 tons of loose lead and silver ore, and 615 bales of wool for London. The story was the same for the other Loch Liners arriving late to the party. The Loch Lomond already had 2200 bales of wool aboard, the Lochs Garry and Ryan were similarly loaded. The Loch Vennachar, as the flag carrier of the fleet, was deeply laden with over 5000 bales of fine merino wool, whilst the smaller Loch Tay was stuffed with 4900 bales and other general cargo. Other vessels of the wool fleet like the clipper Mermerus left similarly loaded.

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The Melbourne based tug Euro, circa 1900-1954.

State Library of Victoria.

To Captain Strachan’s alarm and frustration, his agents in Melbourne, John Sanderson & Co, had failed to secure an outward cargo. Instead after telegraphing Glasgow for confirmation James Strachan informed his brother Alex that they had been chartered to sail to New Caledonia, in ballast, to take on a load of chromium ore. Despite his protests, Aitken & Lilburn back in Glasgow were insistent that the Loch Long sail for New Caledonia at soon as practicable. Her charter required the ship to sail to Noumea for orders and then onto the first available port to load of nickel ore for Glasgow, Dunkirk or Le Havre. With few options Captain Strachan had the barque entered out on February 5th 1903. The vessel was towed back down to Hobson’s Bay by the tug Euro to anchor for the night.                              They were scheduled to sail within 24 hours yet his brother Alex was still ashore trying to round up the last of the crew. For even though they had arrived in Melbourne with a full crew, 5 men had either been paid off or deserted. Alex was back at the Sailor’s Home with Mr Lambert, a local boarding house runner, rounding up the few sailors willing to sign on to the Loch Long. More seasoned mariners flatly refused to sail on a vessel carrying nickel ore. Many considered such voyages as certain death, even worse than carrying coal to South America.       In the end, three Able Seamen, Magnus Nelson from Sweden, Halvor Naess from Norway, and Harry (Schmidt) Smith from Holland agreed to sign articles. Alex Strachan was somewhat dubious about their credentials but was happy to have experienced hands in the fo’c’sle. He was less worried about two eager young British boys who were happy to work their passages home. Signing on as Ordinary Seamen were Hamish McGregor, a 21-year-old Scott, and 19-year-old Frank Tucker originally from Somerset. With these five men, the Loch Long had her crew.      Reporting back aboard with the five new hands in tow, Alex was disappointed that he could not have brought the eight AB’s that his brother had asked for. Still, with so many British sailors transferring across to steamers, beggars could not be choosers. Besides Captain Strachan knew that within weeks any laggards would soon enough be whipped into prime seamen via the lesson dished out by his brother and Charlie Walsey. The additional hands were soon put to work having found quarters in the fo’c’sle. There was little enough time to learn the rope for Tucker and McGregor as the Loch Long was slated to depart in the early hours of February 6th. Delays in departure gave the crew a brief reprieve allowing John Geddie, the ship’s carpenter time to finish setting up the shifting boards below in preparation for receiving the loose cargo of nickel ore.                                The ship’s cook, Emmanuel Walcott, hailed from Demerara, he had his work cut out keeping the crew fed. He had little time for intruders in the galley and the apprentices and ship’s boys were his constant bane. It was considered a rite of passage to pilfer food from the galley, and cabin stores from the pantry as the cook, and the steward Robert Topping waged a war of attrition against the juvenile sneak-thieves. Getting caught and bawled out by the mate or captain were considered acceptable risks, and the Strachan boys had been no different.                                           The Loch Long was cleared out on February 9th and towed to the outer markers in readiness for her departure. The Euro steamed up to the Loch Long just before midnight on the evening of the 10th and a heavy tow hawser was taken over the bow of the barque. The pilot boarded to discuss their imminent departure. High water through The Rip, was at 1:27 am. There was little time to lose as the second mate’s watch were sent aloft to loosen gaskets on the fore and main lower topsails. The inner jib was run-up as the Euro began to get under weigh. Just then the mooring line was let go as the tow rope grew taught. Reefed topsails were let drop as the tug and her charge began their trip out towards Port Phillip Heads.                        After a series of blisteringly hot days, with temperatures topping 40º Celsius, a squally south-westerly change pushed in across Port Phillip Bay bringing strong winds, driving rain and rough seas. The pilot knew that at this time of year the cold front would pass quickly bringing cool, cloudy conditions and light to moderate southwest to southeast winds.                    It made for a lumpy and uncomfortable tow down to Queenscliff where they were forced to anchor until the storm blew itself out. The Euro and Loch Long passed out through the Heads just after 5:00 am on the morning of February 12th 1903. Steering by the wind James Strachan set his course southeast by south to clear Rodondo Island off Wilson’s Promontory. Winds were light from the west southwest allowing Captain Strachan to set all plain sail, the barque cruising along at 8-9 knots in the lumpy swells.  Rain showers followed the Loch Long as she cleared the Kent Islands. Captain Strachan was happy to leave his brother in command, for lengthy periods after all Alex had held a Masters Certificate for the last four years. The following nine days saw the Loch Long bowling along with the yards just off the stays as she sailed north towards New Caledonia. With a quartering breeze, the southeast trade winds