France

A five-masted steel barque built in 1890 by D&W Henderson & Son, Glasgow, for A.D. Bordes. Dimensions: 110,03×14,83×7,84 meters [361'0×48'8×25'9] and tonnage: 3784 GRT and 3624 NRT.

Rigged with royal sails over double topgallant and top sails. Equipped with double bottom tanks for water ballast.

1890 September 2: Launched at the shipyard of D. & W. Henderson & Son, Glasgow, for Ant. Dom. Bordes et fils, Dunkerque. Assigned the French signal JHFR. The first master was Captain Eugène Voisin.
1897 January 25: Run down by HMS Blenheim while at anchor at night in the Dungeness Roads. France was at the time carrying two riding lights instead of one as required by the Interantional Regulations.
1901 March 14: Left North Shields for Valparaiso with coal under command of Captain Forgeard.
1901 May 10: Was struck by a violent pampero off the South American coast and had to be abandoned due to shifting of the cargo at approx. 34° S 48° W. The crew was later picked up by the German four-masted barque Hebe. [Furrer has January 14].

Updated 1998-04-27 by Lars Bruzelius.

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