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by aukepalmhof » Mon Jun 01, 2009 9:14 pm
Built as a barque by convicts in Port Arthur, Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) in 1841 for the Government of Van Diemen’s Land.
She was named LADY FRANKLIN after the wife of the polar explorer Sir John Franklin, who at that time Governor of van Diemen’s Land was.
Tonnage 268 tons, dim. 90 x 26.3 x 17.8ft.
Carried a figure-head of Lady Franklin, the figure-head is now in the Tasmanian museum.
The stamp is designed after a photo of the ship when she lay at anchor off Port Arthur near Hobart. At that time when the photo was taken she must already have carried the name EMILY DOWING before 1860 the camera was seldom used.
The LADY FRANKLIN was special built as a supply ship and transport for the convicts between Tasmania and Norfolk Island.
11 December 1853 under command of Capt. Willet and with on board 22 convicts under which one woman and a guard of 15 men from the 98th Regiment under command of a sergeant she sailed from Tasmania to Norfolk Island.
28 December the convicts led by a man with the name Quin overpowered the guards and secured control of the LADY FRANKLIN.
Captain Willet below deck sleeping in his bunk was awakened by the noise on deck and rushed upstairs and was met at the companion-way by a prisoner, who struck him with a musket. He fell back down the stairs, severely injured.
When the crew and guards were secured by the convicts in the convicts cells, keeping three men of the crew on deck to help to sail the barque.
The convicts after securing the ship held long discussions were to go, and one of the convicts with the name of James Neil offered to butcher all hands, but the majority was against it.
Then the schooner MARY HUNT was sighted, and when the schooner got nearer and came in hailing distance, they told them that she were running out of fresh water, the MARY HUNT replied with, sent a boat, after a boat was launched they came alongside it was discovered that they did not have a cask to put the water in, when returning to the LADY FRANKLIN to fetch one, and coming alongside the LADY FRANKLIN due to carelesnessness the boat was stove in.
The MARY HUNT stood by all night waiting for another boat which never came. When daylight came the LADY FRANKLIN stood away.
The weather was fine and at least the convicts decided to leave the LADY FRANKLIN in a boat, when they were ready to put off they decided that James Neil and his mate were not good company, and they were locked up in one of the cells. Before leaving the LADY FRANKLIN they removed all running gear and cut the sails from the spars, the three sailors which had been helping them to sail the barque were also locked up thereafter they hide the keys. The ships boy was sent aloft with the orders, when the boat was out of sight he could come down and search for the keys. He did this and after a long search he found them hidden under the cable chain.
He released the crew, and after re-rove the running gear they sailed back to Hobart where she arrived on 28 January 1854. The two mutineers were hanged and the guards were punished for their lack of watchfulness.
The convict mutineers landed on a Pacific Island, some were recaptured later but the ringleader Quin and the female prisoner got away. The female convict was considered to have contributed largely to the success of the mutiny, when she attracted the attention of the guards, when the other convicts broke out.
1855 During a public auction the LADY FRANKLIN was sold by the Government for £2.040 to F.A.Dowing, Hobart. Renamed EMILY DOWING.
Her dim. are then given as 90.0 x 26.3 x 17.8ft.
First used as a merchant ship till 1858 when she was converted in a whaler under command of Capt. Foley.
1859 Capt. Lucas took over command.
May 1860 anchored off Hobart Town at that time under command of Capt. Lucas, and reported that she returned to port for lost whale line, having lost her four last whales with irons and lines attached. She had also lost two men. During the voyage she had procured 25 tuns of sperm oil, which sold for £80 per ton.
09 June 1864 she returned to port in distress, having lost her five whaleboats, galley cooking utensils, mizzen mast and jib-boom. The same sea had also taken Capt. Lucas and five men overboard. The captain and one man managed to get back on board. The barque was waterlogged and it took twelve hours pumping her clear. When this happened she was off the New Zealand coast.
Later sold to Alex McGregor for £350, still used for whaling.
1867 Under command of Capt. E.Copping.
August 1868 off the South West Cape she caught a large whale which tryed out 14½ tuns.
1877 She was under command of Capt. Lucas.
January 1879 fourteen of EMILY DOWING’s crew deserted. The excuse was that the ship was not seaworthy, what was not true. They received three months jail.
20 March 1882 she arrived at Hobart town under command of Capt. James McGregor, with on board the boats, whaling gear and whale oil salvaged from the wreck of the barque Runnymede who was lost in Frenchman Bay in the Australian Bight.
The same year in August when she was cruising in the Australian Bight, late in the afternoon three of her boats were lowered when they sighted whales.
When night fell the wind freshened and Capt. McGregor signalled to the boats to return. The chief mate obeyed, but the second and third mates stayed by the whales, which they had struck and killed.
The whaler was to leeward of the boats and endeavoured to beat up against the increasing wind, but they lost sight of the boat lights.
Capt. McGregor kept her as near as possible to the last seen position of the boats, and after some time picked up the second mate’s boat, and the mate reported that he had left the third mate’s boat fast to the whale, but when daybreak came with the wind still increasing nowhere a boat was seen. For three weeks Capt. McGregor searched the sea for the boat but without any success, the boat of the third mate was never seen again, and she was lost with 5 men, all from Tasmania.
October 1883 she came home from her last voyage which she had made under command of Capt. J. Scannon, after her whale-oil was discharged was she moored off McGregor slip on 10 April.
Later bought by the Government of Tasmania and used as a powder hulk till she was complete rotten, thereafter was she broken up.
23 February 1898 register closed, when she was reported broken up.
Source: Wooden Hookers of Hobart Town and Whalers out of Van Diemen’s Land by Harry O’May.
Blue Gum Clippers and Whale ships of Tasmania by Will Lawson.
