Sea Park (ship)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Sea Park |
| Owner | Duncan Dunbar |
| Builder | Laing, South Shields |
| Launched | May 1844 |
| Identification | Official number 14738 |
| Fate | Lost at sea 13 July 1864 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 835 NRT |
| Tons burthen | 682 |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 30.0 feet |
| Draught | 22.4 feet |
| Propulsion | Sail |
Sea Park was a sailing ship of 835 Net register tons, built by James Laing & Co at Deptford Yard near South Shields, England, in 1845.[1][2] The ship took its name from an estate in Morayshire which the owner's brother, John Dunbar, had purchased in 1838.[3] In 1853, the vessel undertook a contract for the British Government, transporting 305 male convicts from London to Western Australia.[4][5][6]
In 1854, the ship's owner was Duncan Dunbar, of London.[7] It also operated as an emigrant ship, as its journey to South Australia in 1855 shows. Notably, on this voyage, the ship carried 165 single female passengers, out of the total of 278 passengers embarked.[8][9] Later journeys are designated as normal without any specific purpose.[10][11]
Loss[edit]
Sea Park was purchased by Hargrove, Fergusson & Co., of Liverpool in 1863 and, following repairs in a graving dock, set off on what was to be its final voyage, transporting coal from Cardiff to Chile. The ship started taking in water soon after leaving Cardiff and had to put into Falmouth, where it was beached for repairs to the hull. Sea Park then continued its journey without major incident until it reached the South Atlantic, where the master became concerned about the rate at which water was seeping into the hull and decided to divert to Brazil.[12][13] However, before it could reach land, the ship's pumps could not keep it afloat and so, on 13 July 1864, the ship was abandoned(25°13′S 40°58′W / 25.217°S 40.967°W). Her crew took to three boats. The pinnace, commanded by the ship's mate, landed at Paranaguá, Brazil on 17 July. The twelve crew in the longboat and lifeboat were rescued by the Brazilian barque Fraternidade. News of the loss of the ship, and of the escape of the men in the pinnace, reached Liverpool before the fate of the other men, including the ship's master, were known.[14][15][16]
The loss of the Sea Park was the subject of a court case in Liverpool in April 1865. One of the insurers had refused to pay their share of the insured loss on the grounds that the ship had not been seaworthy for a voyage to Chile with a cargo of coal. After considering evidence from numerous expert witnesses over two days, the jury rejected this argument and decided that the Sea Park had been seaworthy when it left England.[17]
References[edit]
- ^ "Sea Park". tynebuiltships.co.uk. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ^ "Lloyd's Register of Shipping". Internet Archive. Lloyd's Register Foundation. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Dunbar-Nasmith, David. "Duncan Dunbar and his ships". Merchant Networks. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ^ "Sea Park voyage to Western Australia, Australia in 1853 with 305 passengers". Convict Records. State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Great Britain. Home Office; State Library of Queensland (1948), Thomas Maiers, one of 304 convicts transported on the Sea Park, 30 December 1853, Australian Joint Copying Project, retrieved 5 November 2021
- ^ Sea Park, Journal of Joseph Caldwell, surgeon, December 1853 to April 1854, (File (TNA: Adm 101/253/1E)), (from Journals of General Surgeons (as filmed by the AJCP)), 1853, retrieved 5 November 2021
- ^ "Lloyd's Register of Shipping". Internet Archive. Lloyd's Register Foundation. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ "THE SEA PARK". South Australian Register. Vol. XIX, no. 2732. South Australia. 26 June 1855. p. 2. Retrieved 5 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "LATE ENGLISH NEWS". Adelaide Times. Vol. X, no. 1523. South Australia. 26 June 1855. p. 2. Retrieved 5 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE". The Kyneton Observer. Vol. 4, no. 48. Victoria, Australia. 23 March 1858. p. 2. Retrieved 5 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE". South Australian Register. Vol. XVII, no. 1966. South Australia. 3 January 1853. p. 2. Retrieved 5 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Nisi Prius Court, Liverpool, Tuesday 4 April 1865". British Library Newspapers. Liverpool Mercury, 5 April 1865 (#5360). Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ "Loss of a Liverpool Ship". British Library Newspapers. Liverpool Daily Post, Monday 5 September 1864 (#2879). Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ "Shipping Intelligence". Liverpool Mercury. No. 5178. Liverpool. 6 September 1864.
- ^ "Disasters to Liverpool Shipping". Liverpool Mercury. No. 5178. Liverpool. 6 September 1864.
- ^ "Shipping Intelligence". Caledonian Mercury. No. 23468. Edinburgh. 19 August 1864.
- ^ "Nisi Prius Court, Liverpool, Tuesday 4 April 1865". British Library Newspapers. Liverpool Mercury, 5 April 1865 (#5360). Retrieved 9 November 2021.