Swanhilda

A four-masted steel barque built in 1890 by A. McMillan & Son, Dunbarton. Dimensions 83,21×12,87×7,31 meters [273'0"×42'3"×24'0"] and tonnage 2150 BRT and 1999 NRT. Rigged with royal sails over double top- and topgallant sails.

1890 July: Launched at the shipyard of A. McMillan & Son, Dunbarton, for J.W. Carmichael & Co., Nova Scotia. Captain Meikle was given command of the ship.
1894 February 12 — April 18: Sailed from Wallaroo to Queenstown f.o. in 66 days. This is the fastest Australian grain-passage on record.
1895: Sailed from Liverpool to Sydney in 82 days.
1902: Sold to W. Lewis & Co., Glasgow.
1905 January 14: Sailed from Hamburg with a cargo of coke for Coquimbo under command of Captain McDonald. After having been severly damaged in stormy weather she was driven in the vicinity of Greenland. By rigging a jury rudder Capt. McDonald was able to sail the ship back to the Clyde for repairs.
1905: Arrived at Rio De Janeiro after 135 days with rudder damage.
1910 March 15: Sailed from Cardiff with a cargo of coal [?] for the West Coast under Captain Pine.
1910 May 5: Wrecked in heavy weather at Cabo St Antonio, Staten Island, with a great loss of life including the master, Captain Colin Fraser and his young wife. Of a crew of total 29, only 14 survived.

References:

Four- and five masted ships, general references.
Orman, H.D.: The Butler Case. Sensational Career of a Notorius Killer.
Sea Breezes Vol. XVIII (1934), pp 194-196, 226-228.

Updated 1999-10-09 by Lars Bruzelius.

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