TORRENS

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shipstamps
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TORRENS

Post by shipstamps » Fri Oct 31, 2008 7:26 pm

Built as a composite full rigged ship by James Lang, Sunderland for Elder & Co., London.
October 1875 launched under the name TORRENS, most probably named after the Torrens River by Adelaide. She was christened by Flores Angel, the daughter of Capt. Angel.
Tonnage 1.335 grt, 1.276 net, 1.098 tons under deck. Dim. 221.1 x 38.1 x 21.5ft.
She carried a full figurehead carved by the sculptor Joseph Melvin and modelled on Flores Angel.
1875 Delivered.

She was built as a wool clipper for the cargo- passenger service between the U.K and Adelaide, Australia, her poop reaching almost to the mainmast, to give accommodation for the passengers.
She was one of the last sailing vessels to carry passengers to and from Australia.
Her maiden voyage under command of Capt. H.R. Angel who was also the largest shareholder in the ship was in December 1975 from London via Plymouth to Adelaide.
As commodore of the Elder Line, Capt. Angel flew a white flag with red crescent and stares at the masthead of the TORRENS.
She made the passage from Plymouth to Adelaide in 85 days.
On her return voyages she made calls at Cape Town, St Helena and Ascension, while the outbound voyages were without any stops.
Al together she made 15 round voyages, a round voyage took almost a year from the U.K. to Australia under command of Capt. Angel.
In 1880 she made her fastest passage of 65 days between Plymouth and Adelaide.
Autumn 1890 Capt. Angel got with retirement and command was taken over by Capt.W.H Cope.

29 October 1890 she sailed from London under her new commander, 30 November in position 6 N 27 W was she caught in a sudden squall she lost her foremast and main topmast her mizzen topgallant mast and all the yards on the mizzen except the lower topsail and crossjack, needed a tug to tow her to Pernambuco, Brazil for rerigging. The tow took eight days and cost the owners £2.000, and the rerigging and new spars £700. When at Pernambuco she got on fire with was extinguished by the steamer MARINER of the Harrison Line.
26 April 1891 arrived at Adelaide after a passage of 179 days.
Under her new command most of her voyages to Adelaide were around the 90 days.
1893 The author Joseph Conrad (1857 – 1924) born in Poland made two round voyage as second mate on her, he is also depict on this stamp.

Capt Cope made 6 voyages in her of which the fastest was in 1895 in 79 days, it was also his last voyage on her, after arrival at London he was relieved by the son of Capt. Angel, Falkland Angel.

During his third outbound voyage on 11 January 1899 about 20 miles south west off Crozet Island at 08.00 p.m. in a position 46 35S 50E she hit a iceberg during dense fog and high winds and seas in which she lost her foretopmast, jibboom, bowsprit and figurehead and badly damaged her bow and foremast, The iron bowsprit broke in three places and was rammed through the forecastle where the apprentices slept, one boy was hurtled from his bunk but was not injured. After clearing the mess of the rigging and patching the bow with sails. A jury rig was made and under this rig she was able to proceed and entered Adelaide on 05 February 1899.
(A figurehead with her head and part of her dress missing but similar in design as what was carried by the TORRENS was found on 19 March 1973 on Macquarie Island buried in driftwood and mud. The figurehead was carved from New Zealand kauri, in her hands she holds a three flower posy, and it is believed that this figurehead is the missing figurehead of the TORRENS.)

She made four voyages more under command of Capt. Angel between the U.K and Adelaide, left for the last time Adelaide on 23 April 1903.
At her call at St Helena she loaded a supply of explosives of all sorts from the Boer War in South Africa.
When nearing home under tow of a tug on the River Thames an other vessel tried to pass across her bow and collided with the bow of the TORRENS and sank.

1903 After arrival in London sold to Italian owners.

She was not so lucky under Italian flag, she soon ran ashore and after getting her off, she was sent to Genoa for the breakers.
After arrival by the breaker, he found her in a good condition and instead of breaking her up, he repaired her.
But again after repair she ran aground in 1910, and that was her end.
Towed to the breaker in Genoa, where she was broken up in 1910.

Poland 1957 60g and 2z50 sg 1043/44, scott 797/98.
Benin 1996 135F sg 1386 scott 854.

Source: The Dog Watch No 36 pp 47-48, No 58 pp 6 -16. The Colonial Clippers by Basil Lubbock. http://www.ship-modelers-assn.org/fam0104.htm
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SG1043.jpg
1386.jpg
Scan 2.jpeg

Arturo
Posts: 723
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2012 8:11 pm

Re: TORRENS

Post by Arturo » Mon Feb 02, 2015 9:06 pm

Torrens

Poland 1957, S.G.?, Scott: 798.
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aukepalmhof
Posts: 7771
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

Re: TORRENS

Post by aukepalmhof » Mon Nov 15, 2021 8:10 pm

See also: viewtopic.php?t=17914

I am wondering these sets of stamps are, stamps, vignettes, or cinderella?

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