Denbigh (ship)
The Denbigh was a paddle steamer built in 1860 by John Laird, Son, and Company at Birkenhead. She initially sailed between Liverpool and Rhyl, north Wales but was later sold an used as a blockade runner before being destroyed in 1865.
History
Denbigh was constructed in 1860 at the shipyard of John Laird, Son, and Company at Birkenhead, England, at a cost of £10,150. She was a fast ship for her time, recording 13.7 knots (25.4 km/h) in her proving trials. She was delivered to her owner, Robert Gardner of Manchester, on 26 September 1860, after which she operated the route between Liverpool and Rhyl, north Wales, for the next three years.
In September 1863 the Denbigh was purchased by the European Trading Company – a partnership between the H.O. Brewer Company, a trading company of Mobile, Alabama, Confederate States of America, Emile Erlanger & Co., bankers from Paris, France, and J. H. Schröder & Co., bankers of Manchester. The company bought ships to run the United States' naval blockade of Southern ports.
The United States Consul in Liverpool, Thomas Dudley, immediately noted the Denbigh and sent a report to the State Department which included the description:
Schooner rigged, side wheel steamer "Denbigh" of Liverpool -- 162 tons. Captain McNevin Carriers -- Northe Dock for Bermuda & Havannah. Mose & Co. Cosignees. The following is her present description, subject to alteration:
Built of Iron. Marked draft of water -- 7 feet (2.1 m) fore & aft. Hull painted black. Artificial quarter galleries. Elliptic
painted white. Inside of bulwarks & c. painted cream color. On her trial trip she attained the speed of 10½ knots.Her crew consisted of Captain, two mates, two engineers, six seamen, seven firemen, cook and steward.
Sailed Monday Oct. 19, 1863
After almost two years of
Some members of Denbighs' crew
Francis McNevin
Although it has been widely believed that Edmund McNevin was the captain of the Denbigh, according to the Agreement and Account of Crew when the Denbigh sailed/steamed to Bermuda and Havana in October 1863, the master and captain was actually Francis McNevin. The master's certificate number shown on that document was 11250 and according to Index of Captains Registers of Lloyds of London had been issued to Francis McNevin, b. 1829,
Robert Railton
Railton was engineer of the Denbigh. He was born in Manchester on 11 December 1830. He emigrated to the United States in the 1840s, working in many factories including the Hinkly Locomotive Works in
Robert A. Horlock
Horlock was a cabin boy on the Denbigh. Born in 1849, he joined the Denbigh at Galveston when he was fifteen years old. It appears that he obtained his position through his father, who knew Captain Godfrey. A cabin boy's job was similar to a naval midshipman, learning the work of a ship's officer. Robert Horlock died in 1926.
William Young
A guard on the Denbigh, he was a member of Company B, First Texas Heavy Artillery, before transferring to the Texas Marine Department, and joined the Denbigh on 30 August 1864. He died on 1 May 1901.
William Fairweather
Occupation unknown, he was 34 years old when he drowned on 7 September 1864.
Notes
External links
- Denbigh: Archaeology of a Civil War blockade runner, Texas A&M University