Melbourne

An iron full-rigged ship built in 1875 by R. & H. Green, Blackwall, London, at a cost of £ 46.500. [Lubbock give £ 42.000 or £ 22 10s per ton]. Dimensions: 269'8"×40'1"×23'7" and tonnage: 1965 GRT, 1857 NRT and 1852 tons under deck. She was equipped with two decks and had a forecastle of 42 feet and a poop of 69 feet.

The figurehead was a likeness of Queen Victoria.

1875 June: Launched at the shipyard of R. & H. Green, Blackwall, London, for R. & H. Green's Blackwall Line. Assigned the official British Reg. No. 70749 and signal PCGL. Employed in the Australian trade. The first master of the ship was Captain R. Marsden late of Green's Agamemnon.
1875 August 16 - November 16: Left London for her maiden voyage to Melbourne but was dis-masted in the NE trades 25 days out. The lost fore topmast and main topgallant masts were replaced by the carpenter from spare spars in nine days. Melbourne was reached in 84 days out from London.
1876: Sailed from London to Melbourne in 77 days.
1878 November 18 - February 16: Sailed from Melbourne to Prawle Point in 90 days with a cargo of wool.
1880 October 29 - January 31: Sailed from Melbourne to London in 94 days with a cargo of wool.
1882 November 14 - March 27: Sailed from Melbourne to London in 103 days with a cargo of wool.
1883 December 12 - March 18: Sailed from Melbourne to London in 96 days with a cargo of wool.
1887: Sold to Devitt & Moore, London, and put on the London to Sydney run.
1887-1896: In command of Captain William Goddard late of the same owner's full-rigged ship Parramatta.
1887 June 16 - December 27: Sailed from London to Melbourne in 94 days with 50 passengers.
1888: Was renamed Macquarie.
1896 September 11 - December 18: Sailed from London to Sydney in 98 days.
1897: Sailed from Melbourne to London in 95 days with a cargo of 5555 bales of wool under command of Captain Corvasso late of the La Hogue.
1897: Took over Harbinger's role as a sail training ship.
1897-1903: In command of Captain F.W. Corner late of the same owner's full-rigged ship Harbinger.
1903-1904: In command of Captain J.B. Rugg.
1904: Sold to J. Bryde, Sandefjord, Norway, for £ 4500 and was renamed Fortuna.
1906: Sailed from Fredrikstad to Melbourne in 100 days.
1909 July: Sold to Wallarah Coal Co. (Lund), Sydney, for £ 3500 to be used as a coal hulk.
1949: Converted into a coal carrying barge.
1953: Broken up by T. Carr & Co., Sydney.

References:

Square-rigged ships, general references.
Course, A.G.: Painted Ports. The story of the ships of Messrs Devitt and Moore.
Hollis & Carter, London, 1961. 8vo, x, 230 pp, 6 plates.
Lubbock, Basil: The Colonial Clippers.
Brown, Ferguson & Son, Glasgow, 1948 (2nd).
Lubbock, Basil: The Romance of the Clipper Ships.
Hennel Locke, London, 1948.

Updated 1998-06-15 by Lars Bruzelius

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