Napier

Completed July 1863; Official No. 47383; Code Letters RHGL; Code Letters JHGQ.
Owners: 1863 Park Bros, London (chartered by White Star Line); 1872 D Ancel & Co, Havre-renamed La France; 1888-93 JHL Wilckens, Hamburg, Germany-renamed Victoria.
Masters: 1863-69 Charles Gibbs Petherbridge (b. 1823 Dartmouth) (C.N. 860 Plymouth 1841); 1870-71 Sinclair; 1872-74 Phelipot; 1876-80 Durand; 1883-87 P Tadhomme; 1888-93 A Frantz.
Voyages: 10 December 1863 arrived at Nelson, New Zealand having taken 83 days from London, the fastest passage recorded to Nelson at that time. She carried a cargo which included Cotswold sheep & wild birds consisting of seventy pairs of partridges, sky-larks, blackbirds, thrushes, goldfinches & starlings which were to be liberated once they were considered fit; 5 April 1864 sailed for London with cargo & passengers; 25 October 1864 left Gravesend arrived Auckland, New Zealand on 15 February 1865 & arrived Sydney on 29 April 1865; 16 May 1865 bound from Napier, New Zealand for Sydney, NSW, Mr William Robert Miller died aboard ship. He was aged 31 & had worked for HM Customs at Napier; 7 April 1866 left Gravesend encountering severe weather which caused a lot of damage. On 1 July an ordinary seaman who was acting as steward’s assistant committed suicide by hanging himself. He was buried at sea. 24 July anchored at Port Louis & after thoroughly repairing the vessel they left Mauritius on 25 September arriving Wellington, New Zealand 11 November 1866; August 1868 from Batavia she was quarantined at Sydney as cases of smallpox were found aboard; 15 June 1885 arrived Maryborough from London with two passengers.
Bound from Jamaica for Falmouth in April 1893 the Victoria put into Havana leaky & was condemned.

Passengers December 1863: