Shipping transit times

[Jaznjjj]

I am trying to find out fastest possible transit times for ships (particularly barques) travelling between the U.K. and NSW in the 1840s in order to try to solve a family history mystery.  A family travelled between NSW and the UK, then back to South Australia in 1849 in a maximum time frame of 214 days.  The ship they returned on, the Childe Harold, took about 103 days to travel from the UK to South Australia - leaving London on the 17th February, 1849.  The earliest date they could have left NSW was the 31st October, 1848 and I have not been able to locate a ship leaving Sydney in early November for the UK.  If they left Sydney on the 31st October and travelled by the fastest transit time I could find (90 days for a clipper ship) they were only in the UK for maximum of 21 days and probably much less.  That's the mystery, why?!   Regards,

[Billyblue]

If you go to Trove and look at the Sydney Morning Herald on any Saturday in october & November 1848 you will see numerous advertisements on the front page for 'fast clipper ships' direct to London.
Take your pick.
I note in October the "Sir Edward Paget" was advertising - this ship made many fast (for the time) voyages between UK and Australia.
But 3 - 4 months was the norm.
Try this one:  http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/1514284

Dawn M

[joboy]

I have a diarised record of the barque 'John' that left Gravesend 13 September 1839 and took '4 months and 27 days' to reach Adelaide with 196 passengers.
joboy

[Jaznjjj]

Thank you both.  I looked at the list on Ozships.net without finding ships leaving Sydney for the U.K. in November, 1848.  I will definitely investigate the Trove references.  For many years I and other researchers had assumed the family travelled on the Childe Harold from Sydney - the thought of a round trip NSW-UK-SA didn't occur.  Evidence indicates that the journey took place.  Richard Bruce, the father of the family being investigated, had been discharged from his regiment in Sydney on the 31st October with a 12 months gratuity for his long service - so there would have been funds to cover the trip. Their oldest child had been left in Ireland (later married there) and the the most likely scenario we can come up with is a reunion with that child who would have been about 20 years old in 1849. Still - for the effort outlaid, they stayed less than 3 weeks.  January/February 1849 would have been bleak winter in the U.K.  I have lots more work to do with this, yes?   Regards, Jennifer

[Billyblue]

I haven't used Ozships.net but their blurb says 'over 31000' entries spanning 1788-1968 which is 180 years, so you can see from that they must have listed only relatively few voyages.

The "Childe Harold" seems to be reported on Trove via South Australia more than NSW in that time frame
Dawn M

[Malcolm33]

   Looks like it took long enough just to get across the Bay.   There was a letter in the Geelong Advertiser in November 1848 complaining "Yesterday I was a passenger on board of the Aphraisia, from Melbourne to Geelong.  We left Melbourne at half-past ten a.m., had a head wind all the way, and did not arrive at Geelong until half-past ten p.m. ...What I complain of is, that this vessel did not carry a boat, in consequence of which neglect on the part of the owners, the captain was compelled to diverge from his course to borrow a boat from one of the vessels at Port Henry."

    Normal passage across the Bay from Melbourne to off Queenscliffe is about 2 hours.  I have done it a few times in the Oronsay, Orcades, Fairsky, Australis, and the QE2.

[Malcolm33]

    The Alice Maud took 102 days.     January Thursday 25 1849 - The Alice Maud arrived in the Bay yesterday evening after a remarkably good passage having left the Downs on the 12th and Lands End on the 15th October.  The cabin passengers are reported to be highly respectable and influential persons, and have brought a large amount of capital to the colony.

    The whole of the passengers have defrayed their own expenses, and are not bounty emigrants, as supposed.    A more respectable class of people never yet arrived in the province; they are principally mechanics from London, with a few mercantile clerks, and five or six labourers.  The kind attention of Captain Williams and his lady to the passengers is acknowledged by them with gratitude, and we are informed that it is their intention to present him with a piece of plate and an address expressive of their due appreciation of his kindness...."

[Malcolm33]

  Perhaps it should be noted that there were a few ships lost around this time, the Sophia, the Abeona, the Barque Tenasserim, the Brig Elizabeth, the Harriet,the Princess Royalfrom Hong Kong, and the Teazer.   Then there was fire on board the Hero in Geelong Harbour on 15th January 1849.   They think that wool on board ignited.

[Jaznjjj]

I have spent a little time on Trove looking at shipping departures from Sydney for London.  Haven't got to looking at the clipper advertisements yet but that is on my jobs list - particularly the Sir Edward Paget. 

ELHINSTONE barque 423 tons – departed 30th October (a little early but useful as a starting point)

GANGES  ship 430 tons – clearance 4th November – laid on for London 4th Nov. 
Will clear customs “this day or Monday” (7th Nov).  To sail on Wednesday morning (8th Nov).  Noted as leaving on the 8th. 

SERINGAPATAM  ship 360 tons – laid on for London 4th November.  Noted as following  the Ganges in about ten days (say 14th Nov) “after which there will not be a vessel for London for some weeks”. 

I need to look at these ships at the other end of their journey. 

Other ships I may need to find out something about are Brightman, Sir Edward Paget, Kelso, Cheapside, Agricola, Earl Grey and Woodlark which were noted in one newspaper entry as being laid on for London but which don't appear anywhere else within the time frame I was searching.  I think the Ganges and the Seringapatam are a good starting point. 

More later.  On a steep learning curve at present.    Thanks, J.