STRANGIER TIGRE La SPERANZA WIGNACOURT
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 10:25 pm
'WIGNACOURT'
A Bark completed in 1844 and owned by Giuseppe Garcin, Antonio
Borg and Salvatore Isouard, Valletta Merchants. It was mainly employed in
the UK Mediterranean and Black Sea routes and considered one of the fastest
Maltese ships of the time with many fast trips from Costantinople. Gross
tonnage 436 tons. Lloyds register gives that she sailed under Captain S. IIsouard.
'TIGRE'
This Barquentine was also owned by the Tagliaferro family and was
completed in 1839. It had a gross tonnage of 274 tons and was employed on
the various trade routes of the Tagliaferro fleet. It was one of the largest
vessels of her type in the Maltese Merchant fleet.
'STRANGIER'
263 gross ton full rigged ship built in 1813 and owned by John R Stuart, a Valletta
merchant and shipowner, later sold to Biagio Tagliaferro the father of the
Maltese Merchant fleet. It was mainly employed on service between the United
Kingdom and the Mediterranean, and occasionally to the Black Sea.
May 1826 arrived Constantinople reporting that she had been plundered on her passage off the island of Sea by two Greek armed vessels.
La SPERANZA built in Malta 1844 as a brig, for the Tagliaferro family.
Used in the service from Malta.
Biagio Tagliaferro was a founder member of the Chamber of Commerce, a
Genoese by birth but he settled in Malta very early during the British
presence. Biagio Tagliaferro was born in Genoa 1777 into a seafaring family.
The Tagliaferro's of Genoa were ship-owners and through the years the family
provided many master mariners. It is not known when exactly Biagio came to
Malta but in 1812 he set up the company B.Tagliaferro & Figli and he bought
a fully rigged ship 'Strangier' 262 Tons in 1816, and later acquired by the
family.
More info on the ships of this set is welcome.
Malta 1983 2c/20c sg 725/28.
Sources: http://www.blackmountaincoins.com/p/BMC ... 00482.html
http://www.centralbankmalta.com/site/wignacourt.htm