Colonial Ship King George
Painting by John Lewin possibly showing King George with her yards lowered undergoing hull maintenance in Sydney Cove c.1808
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History | |
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Name | King George |
Builder | Underwood and Kable, Sydney, New South Wales |
Laid down | 1804 |
Launched | April 1805 |
Completed | May 1805 |
Fate | Hulk in 1820s |
General characteristics | |
Type | Whaler / cargo ship |
Tons burthen | 180, or 185, or 188, or 200 (bm) |
Length | 87 ft 6 in (26.67 m) o/a |
Beam | 22 ft 7 in (6.88 m) |
Depth of hold | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
Colonial Ship King George was the first ship, by virtue of having three masts, built in the colony of Sydney, New South Wales.
King George was described variously as a square-rigged ship and a three-masted schooner, known in America during the later 19th century as a "tern". The confusion is due to her being modeled on the Baltimore-built three-masted schooners that had sail plans which resembled the square-rigged ships. These ships came into use in the later half of the 18th century,
James Underwood undertook to build the ship with Messrs. Kable and Co. as partners and using a bond of £2,000 from Simeon Lord, a prominent colonial personality. One difficulty in securing permission to build the ship was due to the proclamation by Governor King of disallowing the building of any ship that could compete with the East India Company's trade in the Asian waters. Later Lord would try to get around the provisions by asking permission to send King George to Fiji for sandalwood, and then to China for "a cargo".[3]
Underwood and Kable were responsible for a number of smaller vessels and sloops, but fully-rigged King George would be their most ambitious construction. The keel was laid down in 1804, and she was completed with an overall length of 87 feet, a beam of 22 feet 7 inches and a 14 feet hold. Her burthen was computed at upwards of 200 tons but she is mentioned by other sources as having a burthen of 180 or 185 tons. Launched in April 1805,[4] she completed fit-out and was registered in May 1805. [5]
It is highly probable that Governor King recognised the need for the colony to have a substantial and fast ship in case of emergencies, and to maintain better communications with the rest of the British Empire from such a far outpost, but due to the considerations of the East India Company's monopoly King George was fitted out as a whaler "expected to proceed on the sperm fishery of the coast of New Zealand"[6] This was an entirely sound commercial decision due to the rapid development of the whaling industry off the Australian Eastern coast, with three whalers arriving in the Third Fleet, soon followed by more, including from America.
Indeed, her initial cruises were mostly in conducting whaling and seal trapping as
However, soon the colonial policy was relaxed, and she was reported returning from sailing under Captain L. Jones, "from the sperm whale fishery, having procured from 30 to 35 tons of oil; out 14 months.",[8] a cruise that would have taken her to many other ports around the Pacific Ocean.
Later in her history King George took on cargo and general trade cruises, when she "last returned from the Bay of Islands and Marquesas, laden with sandal wood and pork, the Colonial Ship, King George, Captain Beveridge."[9] This was one of her last cruises from Port Jackson. King George finished her life in Sydney as a hulk in the 1820s.
References
- ^ Chapelle, Howard I., The search for speed under sail, 1700-1855, Bonanza, New York, 1967, pp. 169–170
- ^ Building the Baltimore Pilot Schooner Arrow, Michael Higgins
- ^ G. J. Abbott, Noel Bede Nairn, Economic growth of Australia 1788-1821, 1969 p.297
- ^ Australian economic history review: Volumes 8-9, 1968
- Sydney Gazette, 21 Feb. 1805, p. 2 col. b.
- ^ The Sydney gazette and New South Wales advertiser: Volume 3 Public Library of New South Wales - 1805 Page xcviii
- ^ Margaret Steven, Merchant Campbell, 1769-1846: a study of colonial trade, 1965, p.145
- ^ The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842) Saturday 20 February 1813, page 2
- ^ William Charles Wentworth, A statistical, historical, and political description of the colony..., 1820, p.18