James Craig (barque)
James Craig in Geelong in 2006
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History | |
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Name |
|
Owner |
|
Builder | Bartram, Haswell & Co, Sunderland, England |
Cost | £11,375 |
Yard number | 75 |
Launched | 18 February 1874 |
Maiden voyage | England to Peru |
In service | April,1874 |
Renamed | James Craig, 1905 |
Reclassified |
|
Reinstated | February 2001 |
Homeport | |
Identification |
|
Status | Museum ship since 1972 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Iron-hulled barque |
Tonnage | 671 gross tons |
Length |
|
Beam | 31.3 ft (9.5 m) |
Height | 108.2 ft (33.0 m) at mainmast |
Draught | 12.3 ft (3.7 m) |
Depth of hold | 18 ft (5.5 m) |
Sail plan | Barque rig, 21 sails |
Speed | 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
Capacity | 1,100 tons |
Complement | 16 |
James Craig is a three-masted, iron-hulled barque restored and sailed by the Sydney Heritage Fleet, Sydney, Australia.
History
Built in 1874 in
Like many other sailing ships of her modest size, she fell victim to the advance of steamships in the first decade of the twentieth century and in 1911 she was converted to a storage hulk in Port Moresby. However, with the world-wide shortage of shipping caused by the First World War, she was re-rigged and refitted for trade in the Pacific in 1918. The reprieve for sailing ships was short-lived. With the exception of the
Restoration
Part of the inspiration for preserving James Craig has been credited to Karl Kortum, then director of the
Current situation
James Craig is currently berthed at Wharf 7 of Darling Harbour, near the Australian National Maritime Museum. She is open to the public, and takes passengers out sailing on Sydney Harbour and beyond. She is crewed by volunteers from the Sydney Heritage Fleet. Maintenance is by paid staff, contractors and volunteers. The cost of maintaining her is over $1 million a year and the ship relies on generating income from visitors alongside, charters, events, and regular daysails with up to 80 passengers.
The ship has now made historic return voyages to Hobart (2005, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2019 and 2023) and to Port Philip (Melbourne and Williamstown) in 2006, 2008 and 2020. The voyages to Hobart to coincide with the Wooden Boat Festival, one of the largest in the world.[7][8]
In October 2013 James Craig participated in the International Fleet Review 2013 in Sydney, Australia.
Historical value
James Craig is of exceptional historical value[9][10] in that she is one of only four 19th century barques in the world that still go regularly to sea. In 2003 the World Ship Trust awarded the James Craig a Maritime Heritage Award for authentic restoration.[11] She is a working link to a time when such ships carried the bulk of global commerce in their holds. Thousands of similar ships plied the oceans in the 19th and early 20th centuries linking the old world, the new world, Asia and Oceania. She is sailed in the traditional 19th Century manner, mostly by volunteers. Her running rigging consists of 140 lines secured to belaying pins and spider bands. She achieved 11.3 knots on a return voyage from Melbourne in February 2006.[12]
Engineering heritage award
James Craig received an Engineering Heritage National Marker from Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program.[13]
Gallery
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James Craig during restoration at Darling Harbour in the 1980s
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Sydney Maritime Museum + James Craig under restoration, 1990
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James Craig leaving Forgacs Dockyard in 2007
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Line art of James Craig
References
- ISBN 0-589 50059 7.
- ^ Toghill (1978) p7
- ISBN 0-85835 281 8.
- ^ Toghill (1978) p10
- ^ Toghill (1978) p11
- ISBN 0-909710-22-8.
- ^ Wooden Boat Festival director Paul Cullen "said apart from a once-in-four-year festival in Brest, France, Hobart could lay claim to the world's largest wooden boat festival."
- ^ 2009 Hobart visit 2013 Hobart visit Archived 23 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "James Craig, Barque, Sydney 1873-". Engineering Heritage Register. Institute of Engineers Australia. 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ISBN 0-904614-46-8.
- ^ "Tall Ship: James Craig 1874". Our Fleet. Australian National Maritime Museum. 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ Melbourne Trip 2006 - voyage report Archived 26 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine Thursday 9 February
- ^ "James Craig, Barque, Sydney 1873-". Engineers Australia. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
Bibliography
- The James Craig: her history, recovery and restoration Jeff Toghill (1978, ISBN 0-589-50059-7)
- The James Craig story Jeff Toghill (2003, ISBN 0-9750227-0-9)
- Welcome Aboard James Craig. Flyer for visitors to the ship (self-guided tour), Sydney Heritage Fleet, Sydney, 2008. (copy obtained on 2009-03-07)
- All Hands on Deck, The Restoration of the James Craig, Michael York (2006 Citrus Press, ISBN 0-9751023-7-0)
Online sources
- The James Craig restoration - archived website from the James Craig Restoration Division, Sydney Heritage Fleet, 1999–2002
External links
- Tall Ship: James Craig – vessel page at the Australian National Maritime Museum