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Napier - a general history

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:

Blackman, Mr
Campbell, Reverend J
Campbell, Miss
McDonald, Mr
Nicholas, Mr
Reynolds, Mr
Smith, Mr
Tomkins, Mr
Tudor, Reverend FL
Wakefield, Mr Felix
Wakefield, Mr E
 O Wakefield, Misses J & O
Waring, Doctor

Crew April 1865:

Bain, Henry, steward, 27, Dartford

Cane, Thomas, able seaman, 26, Glasgow

Clarke, Charles Gibb, able seaman, 22, Dorset

Crisp, Joseph, boatswain, 27, Yarmouth

Drummons, William, carpenter, 38, Dartmouth

Fiddes, George, mate, 42, Aberdeen

Hamilton, James, ordinary seaman, 21, Barton

Harvey, William, able seaman, 27, Fordham

Hearne, Lewis, ordinary seaman, 15, Aberdeen

Kernsley, John, able seaman, 23, Kent

Knott, Jacob, able seaman, 28, Hamburgh

Laurence, Robert, ordinary seaman, 19, Peterhead

Morton, Alfred, ordinary seaman, 15, Boston

Murray, James, able seaman, 31, Liverpool

Petherbridge, Charles Gibb, master

Quartermain, John, able seaman, 20, Plymouth

Smith, Frederick, 2nd steward, 18, Carlisle

Smith, Lewis, able seaman, 53, Malta

Wakefield, William, cook, 38, Brighton

White, AZ, able seaman, 45, Turon Isles

Williams, Frank, able seaman, 27, Mauritius

Passengers April 1865:

Fourdrisner, P

Taylor, Mr & Mrs & children (three girls & a boy)

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