Loch Vennachar

An iron fullrigged ship built in 1875 by Thomson, Glasgow. Dimensions: 250'1"×38'3"×22'4" and tonnage: 1557 GRT, 1485 NRT and 1362 tons under deck. Orginally rigged with short topgallant masts with fiddled royal and skysail masts, crossing double topgallant, royal and skysail yards.

Sistership to the same owner's Loch Garry (1875).

1875 August: Launched at the shipyard of Thomson, Glasgow, for Glasgow Shipping Co., Glasgow. Assigned the official British Reg. No. 71748 and signal PCVQ. Employed in the Australian wool trade.
1875 September 6 - November 19: Sailed from Inistrahull to Melbourne in 74 days.
1876 January 13 - April 11: Sailed from Melbourne to London in 88 days.
1876 November 8 - February 9: Sailed from Melbourne to London in 93 days.
1877 April 7 - June 22: Sailed from the Channel to Melbourne in 75 days.
1878: Captain J.S. Ozanne succeeded Captain Robertson who had died.
1878 July 10 - September 23: Sailed from the Smalls to Melbourne in 75 days.
1879 July 4 - September 23: Sailed from the Clyde to Melbourne in 81 days.
1880 June 1 - August 12: Sailed from Tuskar to Melbourne in 72 days.
1880 January 16 - April 19: Sailed from Geelong to London in 93 days.
1881 December 9 - March 3: Sailed from Melbourne to London in 84 days.
1882 November 8 - February 15: Sailed from Melbourne to London in 99 days.
1883 November 3 - February 25: Sailed from Melbourne to London in 114 days.
1884 December 27 - March 29: Sailed from Melbourne to London in 92 days.
1885 October 14 - January 7: Sailed from Melbourne to London in 85 days.
1886 October 21 - January 20: Sailed from Melbourne to London in 91 days.
1887 October 17 - January 5: Sailed from Melbourne to London in 80 days.
1888 October 27 - January 19: Sailed from Melbourne to London in 84 days.
1889 October 21 - January 15: Sailed from Melbourne to London in 86 days.
c1892 - 1904: Captain Bennet.
1892 June 4: Dis-masted in a north-east gale at 39°55'S, 27°21'E, only the mizzen lower mast was standing after a gigantic wave had swept the ship. The Aberdeen White Star Line iron clipper Patriarch, which was only 70 miles away, managed to weather the cyclone with only the loss of a lifeboat. With a fore jury mast rigged the Loch Vennachar reached Port Louis, Mauritius, after five weeks. After five months new masts and spars arrived from Enland and Captain Bennet and the crew re-rigged the ship in ten days. The cost for the refit was £ 9071. Captain Bennet was later awarded Lloyd's Medal for saving the ship.
1901 November: Run into and was sunk by the steam ship Cato while at anchor on Thameshaven. The Loch Vennachar was raied a month later and the repairs amounted to £ 17.000.
1904: Captain Hawkins late of the Loch Ness.
1905 September: Was wrecked on the Young Rocks, Kangaroo Island, trying to navigate the Backstairs Passage.

References:

Square-rigged ships, general references.
Lubbock, Basil: The Colonial Clippers.
Brown, Ferguson & Son, Glasgow, 1948 (2nd).

Updated 1997-04-27 by Lars Bruzelius

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