WESTMINSTER and CLAUDINE

[aukepalmhof]

On a stamp from St Helena issued in 1973 you can find a design with two ships, the design is taken from the Sharpe’s London Magazine of 1849 and the caption gives:
Ashore near Margate, Kent, the vessels are East Indiamen of the largest class. To escape loss in a gale, the pilot drove them ashore “at the most favorable place. Both vessels were got off and resumed their stations in the India trade. The same drawing is depict in Shipping Wonders of the World page 1519, where I got the information from. Not all what is given is correct so you can see in the following details I have on the two vessels. The WESTMINSTER is the vessel off shore and the CLAUDINE is the beached vessel.


The WESTMINSTER she is also on a stamp of British Indian Ocean Territory, most of her details and history I have given before, but I will included it again, with some additional info.

She was built in 1837 most probably by the James Laing yard at Southwich, Sunderland, England for Duncan Dunbar at London. The yard of Laing built many East Indiamen.
Tonnage 610.3, dim. 117.0 x 27.3 x 20.8ft.
According to Lloyds register she was 513 22/94 tons (old measurement rules) and 611 tons (new rules).
Launched under the name WESTMINSTER.
Ship rigged, carried a female bust as figurehead.

She was registered in London on 08 March 1838 under No 70.
Owners given then as Duncan Dunbar, London shipowner, 44/64th shares.
Philip Laing, Sunderland, shipowner 20/64th shares, (the fact that Philip Laing was a part owner for the first 12 years, helps to confirm the builder.)

Her first voyage was from Gravesend when she sailed on 25 March 1838 with 250 emigrants to Sydney, during the voyage 10 persons died. Arrival date 26 June.
Her second voyage with assisted immigrants to Australia, was when she sailed under command of Capt. S.A. Mollison on 18 August 1839from London and arrived at Melbourne on 13 December 1839.
In 1841 she made an other voyage with emigrants to Sydney when she on 17 April 1841sailed from Plymouth, arrived Sydney 30 July 1841. The 246 immigrants arrived in good health, only five deaths having occurred during the passage. She was that voyage under command of Capt. Forbes Mitchie.

1841 She was repaired after damages, and sheathed in felt and copper.
In 1843 she was an emigrant ship to New Zealand. I found on the net a surgeons report on the voyage:

Surgeons report to the (UK) Colonial Secretary.
Auckland 10th April 1843
Barque WESTMINSTER ( at that time she was barque rigged.)

Sir, I have the honour to acquaint you for the information of his Excellency the Governor that the contract entered into between Stephen Walcott Esquire Secretary to her Majesty’s Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners and Duncan Dunbar and Sons of Limehouse London owners of the barque WESTMINSTER for the conveyance and victualling of emigrants from London and Plymouth to Auckland in New Zealand has been fully fulfilled: The Captain and Officers of the ship rendered me every assistance during the voyage – my assistant most assiduously performed the duties of his office and the Teacher and Constables appointed by me discharged the duties of their respective stations to my entire satisfaction. The voyage altogether has been a favorable one. I had very little disease and none of an infectious nature: two young children one in the last stage of scrofulous disease when brought on board died as we were leaving Plymouth. The other died about seven weeks afterwards and one adult (William Peardon) who was organically diseased died suddenly. Seven births took place two of them twin cases: all the mothers made a very good recovery. The parties whose names I have affixed to their respective stations on board in the accompanying “Abstract and Aquittances of Gratuities” I beg to recommend as being fully entitled to the amount allowed them in my book of instructions from Her Majesty’s Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners.

I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
Wm. Gordon, Surgeon Superintendent.

In 1844/1845 she made a voyage between London and Calcutta.
1850 A voyage between London and Bombay.

29 June 1850 Registered at Sunderland entry No 124.
She was sold the same day to John Hay at Sunderland, shipowner 64/64 shares, it is then given that she was re-rigged as a barque.

15 March 1852 John Hay sold the vessel to:
George Winlow Hudson, Sunderland shipowner, 32/64th shares.
Ralph Milbanke Hudson, Sunderland, shipowner, 32/64th shares.

In about February or March 1854 the WESTMINSTER foundered off the Gulf of Florida, with the loss of 9 crewmen.
She is not mentioned in the book on the East India Company, that she did not make any voyage for them.

The CLAUDINE was built in 1811 on the yard of Anthony Blackmore in Calcutta for Joseph L. Heathorn.
31 October 1811 launched.
Tonnage 452 tom (bm)
Ship rigged. Built of teak-wood.

Her first master was Capt. George Nichols.
In 1812, 1825, 1826,1849 she traded as a licensed ship for the East India Company to India.
She made a trading voyage in 1820 to Australia, when she sailed from London to Hobart and Sydney, then to Batavia and back to England.
After sailing from Sydney on 10 May 1820 under the command of John Welsh?, she discovered the Claudine Reef in the Coral Sea, before making her way past Murray Island in the Torres Strait on her way to Batavia.

She made two convict voyages to Australia:
The first when she sailed on 24 August 1821 from Woolwich under command of Capt Jn. Crabtree, with on board 160 convicts, she sailed via Tenerife and Rio de Janeiro to Hobart Town in Van Diemens Land (Tasmania), during the voyage one convict died, and she arrived 15 December.

Registered in London on 18 January 1826.

Her second voyage with convicts was under command of Capt. William Heathorn with on board 180 convicts when she sailed from London on 24 August 1829 after a passage of 104 days she arrived at Sydney on 06 December 1829, during the voyage two convicts died. After disembarking she sailed to Madras.

She was chartered for one round voyage by the EIC on 16 June 1834 till 05 June 1835 from the UK to Bengal direct.
After 1840 mostly used in the trade between the UK and India and China.
1842 Sold to Mangles.
Her owner in 1849 is given as Kenrick, in London.
1849 Driven ashore near Ramsgate in a storm and became a total loss. (Maybe she was refloated but had so much damage that repairs were not possible.)

St Helena 1973 1½p sg 297, scott279

Sources http://www.dunbarfamilysociety.org.uk/D ... ps_68.html
Lloyds register. Historical Sketches of watercraft on Stamps. Ships of the East India Company by Rowan Hackman. The convict ships 1788-1868 by Charles Bateson. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Park ... udine.html