Loch Torridon

A four-masted iron barque built in 1881 by Barclay, Curle & Co., Glasgow. Dimensions: 87,57×12,95×7,31 meters [287'4"×42'6"×24'0"] and tonnage: 2081 GRT and 2000 NRT and 1931 tons under deck. The forecastle was 38 ft long and the poop 36 ft. Rigged with double topsails, single topgallant sails and royal sails.

Sistership to the same owner's four-masted barque Loch Moidart (1881).

1881 November: Launched at the shipyard of Barclay, Curle & Co., Glasgow, for Aitken, Lilburn, & Co., Glasgow. Assigned the Official British Reg. No. 85876 and signal WFKB. Built for the Indian jute trade. The first master was Captain Pinder.
1882: Sailed on her maiden voyage from Great Britain to Melbourne in 105 days,
1882 August 22: Left Calcutta with cargo of jute for Great Britain.
1882 October 9: Captain Pinder, the helmsman, the sailmaker and a boy was washed overboard by a freak wave during a storm off the Cape of Good Hope. The Mate was caught a rope around his foot and was saved.
1882 - 1909: Captain Robert Pattman, late of the County of Selkirk, served as the master of the ship for the next 26 years.
1882: Sailed from Glasgow to Melbourne in 74 days.
1883/84: Sailed from Glasgow to Melbourne in 79 days.
1891: Sailed from Sydney to London in 81 days with a cargo of wool.
1891/92: Sailed from London to Melbourne in ballast in 69 days.
1893: Sailed from Fredrikstad to Melbourne in 87 days with a cargo of deals.
1894: Sailed from Barry Docks to Port Pirie in 72 days with a cargo of railway tracks.
1896 January 1 - January 30: Sailed from Newcastle, NSW, for Valparaiso at the same time as the four-masted barque Wendur which latter ship reached its destination in the record time of 29½ days with Loch Torridon following six hours behind. The previous record was 32 days and was held by a steamer.
1896/1897: Sailed from Glasgow to Adelaide in 71 days.
1898/1898: Sailed from England to Sidney in 72 days.
1902: Sailed from London to Adelaide in 79 days.
1903: Sailed from Newcastle, NSW, to San Francisco in 45 days.
1904: Sailed from Glasgow to Sydney in 77 days.
1908: Sailed from Melbourne to London in 86 days.
1909: Sailed from Melbourne to London in 87 days.
1909 September 5: Captain R. Pattman left the ship after 26 years in command.
1912: Sold to partowners in Nystad, Finland, for FIM 130.000 (GBP 4400) with A.E. Blom as managing owner. The other partners were K. Erholm, A. Forsström, G. Lundström, W. Palen and H. WInter. Captain E.V. Johans became the new master of the barque.
1914 December 11: Sailed from Fredrikstad under command of Captain K. Rosenberg for Geelong with a cargo of 981,40 standards of timber.
1914 December 27: Dis-masted in the North-Atlantic. The fore- and mainmasts were the first to go and damaged the poop skylights which filled the cabin with water. Additional damage was done to the deck, helm and both compasses when the mizen and jigger masts went by the board five hours later.
1915 January 24: The entire crew together with the master's terrier were saved by the steamer Orduna of Liverpool on voyage from Halifax to Liverpool. Before the crew left the Loch Torridon, the cargo was set on fire and the ship sank in postion 52°N, 12°W.

Photographs:

Port broadside. Moored off Gravesend. [NMM G.338]
Port side. At anchor. [NMM P.411]
Port side. Moored off Gravesend. [NMM P.4456]

References:

Square-rigged ships, general references.
Dressel, Don: The Loch Torridon.
The Shipmodelers Association.
Heikkinen, Helge: Sanningen om Loch Torridons sista stunder.
Longitude 10, Stockholm, 1975. pp 56-59, ill.
Lille, Sten & Grönstrand, Lars: Finlands djupvattenseglare.
Etelä-soumen kustannus oy, Lieto, 1979. 4to, 224 pp, ill.

Updated 2002-02-04 by Lars Bruzelius.

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