British Peer (ship)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2008) |
History | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Operator | British Shipowners Company |
Builder | Harland and Wolff, Belfast |
Launched | 31 January 1865 |
Christened | British Peer |
Acquired | 1883, Nourse Line |
Fate | Wrecked, 8 December 1896 at Saldanha Bay; 4 survivors |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Barque |
Displacement | 1428 tons |
Length |
|
Beam | 36.4 ft (11 m) |
Draught | 22.5 ft (7 m) |
Propulsion | Sail |
Crew | 22 |
Notes | Iron hull |
British Peer was a 1428-ton three-masted iron
On 13 March 1891, during the Great Blizzard of 1891, British Peer struck the 1222-ton steamer Roxburgh Castle, causing Roxburgh Castle to sink with the loss of 22 lives; there were two survivors.[2]
British Peer, like other Nourse Line ships, was involved in the
British Peer had first visited South Africa in 1886, while on a voyage carrying indentured labourers. In November 1894, she again stopped in at the Cape of Good Hope, carrying a cargo of salt and 471 Indian indentured labourers. On 8 December 1896, she struck a reef in Saldanha Bay, South Africa, and was destroyed; there were only four survivors. A Court of Enquiry, held on 7 January 1897, found that "the loss of the ship was occasioned by reckless navigation on the part of the master".[4] The wreck of British Peer itself still lies in about 9 metres (30 ft) of water in Saldanha Bay.
See also
- Indian Indenture Ships to Fiji
- Indian indenture system
Citations
- ISBN 0-87021-951-0.
- ^ The Blizzard in the West. Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co. 1891.
- ^ Cheddie, Richard B. (27 August 2000). "Updated List of Ships that transported E". GenForum.
- ^ "The Grave in the Dunes". Route 27 West Coast South Africa. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
References
- Lubbock, Basil (1981). Coolie Ships and Oil Sailors. Brown, Son & Ferguson. ISBN 0-85174-111-8.