Hurricane

An iron full-rigged ship built in 1853 by Alexander Stephen & Sons, Kelvinhaugh, as Yard No. 3. Dimensions: 214'9"×30'7"×20'0" and tonnage: 979 tons OM, 1110 NM; ___ GRT, ___ NRT and ____ tons under deck. Equipped with a Brown and Harfield's patent capstan and three Porter's patent bower anchors.

Originally planned to be equipped with pole iron masts and bowsprit but seems instead to have been traditional wooden masts.

1853 April 26: Launched at the shipyard of Alexander Stephen & Sons, Kelvinhaugh, for Clyde & Australian Shipping Co., Glasgow. Assigned the official British Reg. No. ____ and signal ____. Employed in the Australian passenger trade. Captain R. Tait was given command of the ship.
1853 June 15 - September 10: Sailed from Glasgow to Melbourne on her maiden voyage in 87 days.
1853 November 3 - January 25: Sailed from the Melbourne Heads to the Isle of White in 83 days. 54.000 oz of gold dust in the cargo.
1854 May 12: Sailed from Greenock to Melbourne in 74 days from the Tuskar Lights to Cape Otway.
1855: Sold to Swayne & Bovill, London, for £ 14.000. An auxiliary steam engine and screw propeller was installed by Stephen's at a cost of £ 761.
1860: LR 1860: Owner Martin & Co., London. Captain H. Looke, master.
1865: LR 1865: Owner Martin & Co., London. Captain McIlwrath, master.
1867: Sailed to Melbourne in 96 days.

The largest iron ship perhaps ever built is the one at present near completion under the shed near completion under the shed at Kelvinhaugh. Messrs. Stephen and SOns were the first in Scotland, we believe, to build their ships under cover, which apart from the increased comfort to the shipwrights is considered favourable […] as to rank one year extra at Lloyd's.
[…] an iron ship of upwards of 1300 tons is really worth seeing on the stocks or afloat.
The model of the Hurricane is far sharper than is usual in mercantile ships. Her rise of floor is greater than in most men-of-war; whilst her greater length in proportion to beam gives her a much sharper entrance and finer run than are to be seen in any frigate afloat […]
The stem […] terminates in one of the finest figureheads we have seen. We presume the good-looking he-deity is intended to represent the Spirit of the Storm with his locks blown back and his "eye in a fine frenzy rolling" […] We were struck with the elaborate and carving of the whole figure, which would have done credit to the atelier of a sculptor; and very different indeed from the ordinary run of figureheads. It was sculptured by one of Messrs. Stephen and Sons' workmen, and deserves more than a mere passing encomium.

Glasgow Herald, 1853 April 4 quoting the [North British Daily] Mail.

References:

Clipper ships, general references.
Square-rigged ships, general references.

Updated 1999-04-14 by Lars Bruzelius

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