Mirzapore - a general history

Completed May 1863; Official No. 45935; Code Letters VGKH; Code Letters JFHW.

Owners: 1863 MacKinnon, Frew & Co, Liverpool; 1880 James Gilleson (Brunswick St, Liverpool) J Chadwick & Co, Liverpool; 1884 FG Fry & Co Ltd, Liverpool; 1885 Mirzapore Shipping Co (JG Fry & Co) Liverpool; 1886 Mirzapore Shipping Co (PH Cowley & Co) Liverpool; 1888 Mirzapore Shipping Co Ltd (WT Dixon & Sons) Liverpool; 1893 Mirzapore Shipping Co (WH Ross & Co) Liverpool; 1893 R Bugge, Mandal, Norway

Masters: 1863-65 John Langwill; 1867 Ower; 1868-70 Masson; 1870-74 John M McKenzie; 1875 W Watson; 1876-80 Thomson; 1880 A Parish; 1881-82 Martin Dowling; 1882 Fielding; 1882-83 John Thompson Wilson; 1883 Martin Dowling; 1884-92 TE Parker; 1892-94 T Manson; 1894-97 CR Christensen; 1897-99 Pedersen.

Miscellaneous: She left Liverpool on 2 February 1881 bound for Melbourne with a crew of 22. Bad weather in the Bay of Biscay had damaged two of the three ship’s boats & the master later stated that the carpenter was not able to carry out the required repairs to make them seaworthy. On 17 March they encountered high seas & the vessel was pitching heavily. During the early afternoon a seaman was seen by the 2nd mate to fall overboard.  No efforts were made to rescue the man & he was left to drown. A subsequent inquiry was held by the Steam Navigation Board at Melbourne on 31 May 1881 as to why no help was given to the seaman, Olsen. In his defence Dowling stated that the seas were high so if a boat had been lowered to save the man it would have endangered the lives of those that went to his rescue. The Board, after taking into consideration the evidence with regard to the wind, weather, state of the sea, & all other attending circumstances, as confirmed by the log book, failed to see why no effort was made by the master to save the man’s life, & why no attempt was made to put the ship in stays, or take such other steps as were necessary for facilitating the getting of the boat out & away from the ship in search of the man. Had some such attempt been made, it would have proved whether there was undue risk in such a proceeding The omission to take such steps was, in the opinion of the board, a wrongful default on the part of the master & for such his certificate was suspended for six months. Dowling was also charged with failing to display side lights from the English Coast to Cape Otway, having no proper look-out & for not having his boats repaired even though there were materials on board to do so. These charges were to be dealt with at a later hearing but Dowling did not appear at the inquiry; she left London on 13 October 1883 with a crew of 22 & a general cargo bound for Melbourne &grounded off Touquet Point near Boulogne on the west coast of France in October 1883. At the inquiry the master, JT Wilson, stated that he had mistaken the Touquet Lights for the South Foreland Lights. He was found guilty of negligence & his certificate was suspended for 12 months with a recommendation to allow him a 1st mate’s certificate for that period. Mirzapore was towed off on 3 November 1883 with serious damage & was taken to London for repairs.

Voyages: 16 March 1870 arrived at Liverpool from Calcutta; 1872-73 bound from Liverpool for India; 18 October 1880 arrived at Southampton for London to sail the following day for Bombay; from Liverpool arrived Sydney November 1882; from London arrived Sydney, NSW August 1886; from Savannah with a cargo of cotton in May 1895 a fire broke out in the cargo while she was berthed at St Petersburg. The cargo suffered slight damage; April 1899 bound from Savanna for St Petersburg she went ashore at Christiansund & was assisted off for £60. Damage was said to be slight.

Mirzapore grounded near Touquet Point near Boulogne on the west coast of France in October 1883. The subsequent inquiry found that the master, John Thompson Wilson, was found at fault for the casualty & his certificate was suspended for 12 months. Wreck Report on PortCities Southampton.

Crew May 1881:

Erikson, John, able seaman

Goldie, Bruce, seaman

Olsen, Enias, seaman, Sweden (lost overboard May 1881)

Simson, Robert, able seaman

Sinclair, David, able seaman

Sullivan, Bernard, able seaman

Thompson, Thomas, able seaman

Crew November 1882:

Anderson, James, 14, Liverpool, stowaway

Borrows, William James, 18, Liverpool, stowaway

Brand, John, able seaman, 30, Stockholm

Briscoe, John T, able seaman, 22, England

Brown, William, sailmaker, 30, England

Donohue, Charles, able seaman, 22, England

Doughty, WT, apprentice, 17, England

Dunn, James, steward, 33, England

Dwyer, Robert, 16, Liverpool, stowaway

Gage, Richard, 17, Liverpool, stowaway

Gray, Magnus, ordinary seaman, 18, Scotland

Hewsome, James, able seaman, 27, England

Hines, Frank, boatswain, 38, France

Hochhein, H, carpenter, 36, Germany

Howard, Thomas, able seaman, 28, England

Johnson, John, able seaman, 33, Germany

Kean, Edward, mate, 55, England

Lee, Thomas, 60, Ireland, stowaway

Ramsay, Duncan G, cook, 40, Jamaica

Rhodes, Percy, able seaman, 22, England

Sharpe, Richard, ordinary seaman, 17, England

Skinner, Fenton, apprentice, 16, England

Smith, NS, 2^nd mate, 20, England

Smith, Thomas, 19, Liverpool, stowaway

Tasgill, Anvehno, able seaman, 27, Italy

Tork, George, able seaman, 22, England

Watson, FR, able seaman, 21, England

Wilson, John Thomson, master, 38, England

Wynne, W Owen, able seaman, 24, England

Crew August 1886:

Anderson, Jan, carpenter, 26, Gottenburg

Anderson, Tarrs, able seaman, 29, Denmark

Butter, J, boy, 15, London

Carlson, J, sailmaker, 45, Bergen

Cohnan, Chas, able seaman, 45, Christiana

Edwards, Thomas, mate, 40, Borth

Janssen, F, able seaman, 20, Gottenburg

Longstaff, J, boy, 15, London

Milman, W, 3^rd mate, 45, London

Moore, W, boy, 15, London

Neisen, Neil, able seaman, 23, Christiana

Nicoll, JR, cook, 22, Reut

Olsen, Ole, able seaman, 22

Olsen, P, able seaman, 35, Finland

Owens, GW, able seaman, 20, Liverpool

Parker, JM, ordinary seaman, 17, Boston

Parker, Thomas England, master

Raine, NC, steward, 22, London

Rose, George S, 2^nd mate, 39, Norfolk

Saunders, Henry, able seaman, 33, Sweden

Spence, H, boy, 15, London

Sunburg, Jno, able seaman, 50

Crew 1891:

Moreton, John Richard, 2^nd officer

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