Archibald Russell

A four-masted steel barque built in 1905 by Scott Shipbuilding and Engineering Co., Greenock, at a cost of £20.750. Her dimensions were: 291'3×42'9×24'0 and tonnage: 2354 GRT, 2048 NRT and 3950 DWT. Equipped with two 120' long bilgekeels. Rigged with royal sails over double top-gallant sails.

1905 January 23

Launched at Scott Shipbuilding and Engineering Co., Greenock, as Yard No. 391 for John Hardie & Son, Glasgow. Assigned the Official British Reg. No. 121209.

1905 February 28

Left Greenock under tow for Port Talbot. Her master was Captain Charles Lowe of Fife, late of the same owner's fourmasted barque Hougomont.

1905 March 21 - July 2

Sailed with a cargo of coal from Port Talbot to Iquique in 103 days.

1905 November 10 - February 9

Sailed from Iquique to Sydney in ballast in 90 days.

1906 February 25 - May 29

Sailed from Sydney to Falmouth in 93 days with a cargo of 4000 tons of wheat. This was the best passage from Australia for the season. Six other sailing vessels which all have sailed from Australia before the Archibald Russel arrived to Falmouth on the same day, including the full-rigged ship Queen Elizabeth, 112 days out from Sydney, and the barque Invermay 146 days out.

1906 August 31 - December 16

Sailed from Hamburg to Sydney in 109 days.

1907 February 21 - June 6

Sailed from Sydney to Falmouth in 105 for orders to discharge at Antwerpen. On tow up the Scheldt sh collided with the German steamship Helgoland coming downstream.

1907

Captain Lowe left the Archibald Russell in Hamburg and Captain Swinton who had been in command of the fourmasted barque Dumfriesshire took over command.

1907 October 2 - February 24

Sailed from Hamburg to Santa Rosalia with a cargo of coal in 145 days.

1908 December 29 - June 23

Sailed from Tacoma [?] to Falmouth, with a cargo of grain in 175 days.

1909 June 22

Arrived to Dublin where Captain Swinton left the ship.

1909 August 20 -

In command of Captain McMillan, late of the same owner's four-masted barque Hougomont, assumed command when Captain Swinton left the ship in Dublin.

1909 September 5 - December 1

Sailed from Great Britain to Tocopilla with cargo of coal in 87 days.

1910 February 9 - June 4

Sailed from Tocopilla to Hamburg with a cargo of nitrate in 115 days.

1910 August 24 - December 4

Sailed from Hamburg to Melbourne in 102 days.

1911 February 12 - May 22

Sailed from Melbourne to Queenstown f.o. with a cargo of wheat in 99 days.

1911 August 31 - December 17

Sailed from Sundsvall to Geelong with a cargo of timber, in 107 days or 91 days from Start Point.

1912 February 24 - June 15

Sailed from Melbourne to Falmouth f.o. with a cargo of grain in 112 days.

1912 July 30 - September 13

Sailed from Cardiff to Rio de Janeiro with a cargo of coal in 45 days.

1913-1915

In command of Captain Robert Montgomery (1879-1951), late of the same owner's four-masted barque Chiltonford, replaced Captain McMillan.

1913 September 6 - November 5

Sailed from Barry to Buenos Ayres with a cargo of coal in 60 days.

1914 January 2 - March 17

Sailed in ballast from Buenos Ayres to Newcastle, NSW, in 74 days.

1914 May 13 - June 29

Sailed from Newcastle, NSW, to Antofagasta with a cargo of coal in 47 days. The same owner's four-masted barque Vimeira which left Newcastle at the same time as Archibald Russell, also arrived at the same time.

1914 December 2 - April 4

Sailed from Tocopilla to Queenstown f.o. with a cargo of nitrate in 123 days. The ship had been short of provisions already when leaving Tocopilla and the situation was seriouswhen just north of the Equator the SS Upo-mendi of Bilbao on March 1 shared what little they had with the crew of the Archiblad Russell which however did not last long. On March 10 the SS Lapland of Liverpool supplied two weeks rations.

1915-1920

In command of Captain Alexander Buchan (1864-)

1915 August 5 - September 2

Sailed in ballast from the Clyde to New York in 27 days.

1915 October 31 - February 1

Sailed from New York to Melbourne in 93 days.

1916 March 30 - July 2

Sailed from Melbourne to Queenstown f.o. with a cargo of wheat.

1916 September 21 - November 15

Sailed from Pauillac to New York in 55 days.

1917 January 9 - April 16

Sailed from New York to Fremantle with a cargo of case oil in 97 days.

1917 June 23 - August 14

Sailed from Fremantle to Cape Town in 52 days.

1917 September 21 - October 31

Sailed from Cape Town to Melbourne in 40 days.

1917 December 18 - March 18

Sailed from Melbourne to New York in 90 days.

1918 June 08 - September 22

Sailed from New York to Sydney with a general cargo in 106 days.

1918 November 17 - January 10

Sailed from Sydney to Callao with a cargo of grain in 54 days.

1919 April 20 - August 19

Sailed from Tocopilla to Liverpool with a cargo of nitrate in 113 days.

1919 November 11 - February 2

Sailedin ballast from Liverpool to Taltal in 81 days.

1920 April 08 - August 8

Sailed from Mejillones to Queenstown f.o. with a cargo of nitrate in 122 days. Was ordered to proceed to Terneuzen.

1920-1922

In command of Captain Auld, late of the same owner's Kilmeny.

1920 October 30 - May 23

Sailed in ballast from Terneuzen to Melbourne in 205 days, or 122 days out of St Vincent, Cape Verde Islands.

1921 July 25 - November 17

Sailed from Melbourne to Queenstown f.o. with a cargo of grain in 115 days. Was ordered to Cardiff to discarge.

1922

Laid up at Cardiff.

1923 December

Sold to Gustav Erikson, Mariehamn, for £ 5500. The first Finnish master was Captain Isidor Eriksson.

1924 March 8 - June 30

Sailed from Cardiff in ballast to Callao in 113 days.

1924 October 5

Arrived to Savannah, GA, with a cargo of guano at 43/2 per ton from Lobos de Tierra by way of the Panama canal.

1924 November 15 - March 25

Sailed in ballast from Savannah, GA, to Port Lincoln in 118 days.

1925 May 9 - September 16

Sailed from Port Lincoln to Queenstown f.o. with cargo of wheat in 130 days.

1926 May 25 - September 30

Sailed from Sundsvall to Melbourne with a cargo of timber at 86/- per standard after having been forced to spend the winter frozen in at Sundsvall. The passage occupied 126 days.

1927 January 8 - May 12

Sailed from Geelong to Queenstown f.o. with a cargo of grain at 35/- per ton. The passage occupied 124 days.

1927 August 6 - December 2

Sailed from Örnsköldsvik and Hudiksvall to Melbourne with a cargo of timber at 97/6 per standard. The passage occupied 118 days.

1928-1930

In command of Captain Karl Gerhard Sjögren.

1928 October 13 - January 15

Sailed from Larvik, Norway, to Melbourne with a cargo of timber in 94 days.

1929 March 4 - June 5

Sailed from Williamstown to Queenstown f.o. with a cargo of 3840 tons of wheat. The passage occupied 93 days.

1929 August 22 - January 10

Sailed from Kramfors, Sweden, to Adelaide with 1002 standards of timber at 98/6 per standard. The voyage took 110 days.

1930 March 15 - July 2

Sailed from Port Lincoln to Queenstown with a cargo of 3836 tons of wheat at 22/- per ton. The voyage took 110 days.

1930-1933

In command of Captain Harald Lindfors late of the same owner's barque Carmen.

1930 September 19 - December 21

Sailed from Copenhagen to Port Lincoln in 93 days.

1931 January 26 - May 4

Sailed from Port Lincoln to Falmouth f.o. with a cargo of 48.233 bags of wheat at 33/9 per ton. The passage occupied 98 days.

1931 August 7 - November 8

Sailed from Kotka, Finland, to East London with a cargo of timber. The passage from Copenhagen occupied 80 days.

1931 December - January 27

Sailed from Lourenço Marques in ballast to Port Lincoln in 36 days.

1932 March 12 - July 26

Sailed from Wallaroo to Falmouth f.o. with a cargo of wheat at 31/6 per ton. The passage occupied 136 days.

1932 September 4 - December 15

Sailed from London to Port Lincoln in 92 days.

1933 January 9 - May 8

Sailed from Wallaroo to Falmouth f.o. with a cargo of wheat at 27/3 per ton. The passage occupied 119 days.

1933-1938

In command of Captain Mikael Sjögren.

1933 October 3 - January 5

Sailed from the Scaw to Port Victoria in 94 days.

1934 February 15 - June 26

Sailed from Port Victoria to Falmouth f.o. with a cargo of 3827 tons of wheat at 25/6 per ton. The passage occupied 130 days.

1934 September 14 - January 9

Sailed from Mariehamn to Port Lincoln in 121 days from Copenhagen.

1935 March 21 - July 14

Sailed from Port Germain to Falmouth f.o. in 111 days.

1936

Sailed from Mariehamn to Port Victoria in 87 days from the Scaw.

1936 February 25 - June 8

Sailed from Port Victoria with a cargo of wheat to Falmouth f.o. in 104 days.

1936

Sailed from Gothenburg to the Spencer Gulf in 90 days.

1937

Sailed from Port Germain to Falmouth f.o. with a cargo of wheat in 98 days.

1937

Sailed from Kemi to Port Natal with a cargo of timber in 87 days from Copenhagen.

1938 February 17 - March 29

Sailed from Lourenço Marques to Port Lincoln in 31 days.

1938 May 10 - September 22

Sailed from Port Germain to Queenstown f.o. with a cargo of 47.977 bags of wheat at 35/- per ton. The passage occupied 130 days.

1938-1939

In command of Captain Paul Sommarlund.

1938 November 5 - February 2

Sailed from Falmouth to Port Lincoln in 89 days.

1939 April 3 - August 2

Sailed from Port Lincoln to Falmouth f.o. with a cargo of wheat at 25/- per ton. The passage occupied 121 days.

1939 August 27

Arrived to Hull where the cargo was discharged. Was not able to sail to South America as the crew could not get through to England from Mariehamn because of the German occupation of Norway.

1941 June

Detained by the British government but never taken as a prize. Taken over by the Ministry of Food and used as a store ship at Goole.

1947 March

Released by the Ministry of transport on temporary charter to Gustaf Erikson.

1948

Returned to the owner.

1949 [?]

Sold to the British Iron and Steel Corporation.

1949

Broken up by J.J. King & Co., Gateshead-on-Tyne.

References:

• Four- and five masted ships, general references.
• Bowness, Edward: The fourmasted barque.
  Percival Marshall, London, 1955. 8vo, (8), 128 pp, ill, 4 plans.
• Brandt, C.E.: Anteckningar från en resa med Lawhill.
  Longitude 15, Stockholm, 1979.
• Crabtree, Harold: My Affair with the Archibald Russell. Sea Breezes Vol. 59, Liverpool, 1985. pp 82-88, ill.
• Grönstrand, Lars: Archibald Russell.
  Ålands Sjöfart årg. 43, Mariehamn, 1981. pp 172-184, 44:24-30, 64-70, ill.
• Grönstrand, Lars: Tolv åländska seglare..
  Monitor, Mariehamn, 1990. 8vo, 158 pp, ill. Skeppsporträtten har tidigare publicerats i Ålands Sjöfart.
• Hall, Erik: A kiss in South Australia in 1932.
  Ålands Sjöfart årg. 46, Mariehamn, 1984. pp 282-283. Resan 1931-1932 Finland - Australien - Finland med Archibald Russel.
• Hall, Erik: En Kap Hornare, en svältresa och en albatross.
  Ålands Sjöfart årg. 48, Mariehamn, 1986. pp 192-193.
• Hall, Erik: Med Archibald Russell 1931-32.
  Ålands Sjöfart årg. 44, Mariehamn, 1982. pp 153-154, ill.
• Hall, Erik: Minnen från Archibald Russel.
  Longitude 11, Stockholm, 1976. pp 87-88. The author sailed on the Archibald Russel as an apprentice 1931-32 with deals Kotka - East London, then Wallaroo for wheat to Falmouth for orders.
• Kåhre, Karl: Archibald Russell.
  Ålands Sjöfart årg. 44, Mariehamn, 1982. p 146, ill.
• Lille, Sten: Möte med Archibald Russel.
  Longitude 12, Stockholm, 1977. pp 81-83, ill. Favells möte med Archibald Russell i Nordsjön sommaren 1927
• Mowat, H.G.: Lonely Ships. The Sailing Ships of J. Hardie & Co. and the Archibald Russel.
  New Cherwell Press, Oxford, 1995. 8vo, (14), 215 pp, ill.
• Wikström, John: Skeppskatt Jocke.
  Longitude 20, Stockholm, 1984. pp 78-79, ill.

Updated 1999-09-28 by Lars Bruzelius.

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