NAMOA
Shipbuildervessel built by
Hall, Russell & Company, Limited
(Aberdeen, Scotland, 1864 - 1992)
Date1872
Object NameSCREW STEAMER
MediumIRON
ClassificationsShip
Dimensionslength 240 7/12' x breadth 31 1/12' x depth 17 1/3'
gross tonnage: 1375 ton
gross tonnage: 1375 ton
Object numberABDSHIP001827
Keywords
Yard Number: 184
Official Number: 65090
Fate: Stranded at the entrance to Haitan Strait, Fujian, China, 3 October 1897.
Propulsion: Steam
Description: Screw steamer, 2 decks, 2 masts, schooner rigged, round stern, clencher built, no galleries or figurehead, iron frame
(Source: Aberdeen Shipping Register (Aberdeen City Archives))
Owners:
1872: J. Lapraik, registered at Aberdeen.
1883: Transferred to Douglas Steamship Co., registered at Hong Kong
Masters:
1873-76: Master Gibson
1877-84: Master Westoby
1888-92: Master Goddard
1893-97: Master Harris
General History:
01/01/1873:
We learn that the screw steamer NAMOA, built by Hall Russell & Co., Footdee, arrived at Singapore having been only 30 days making passage from the Downs.
(Aberdeen Journal)
17/01/1891:
NAMOA left Hong Kong for Swatow at 8am 10th December with 5 saloon and 220 Chinese deck passengers, chiefly returned emigrants from Straits Settlements with their savings. At 1:15pm, same day from among Chinese passengers a band of 40-50 appeared on deck dressed in a uniform not unlike Chinese soldiers and armed with revolvers and cutlasses. They divided themselves into 4 bands and began simultaneous attack on saloon (where Captain and passengers were at lunch), the engineers' and officers' quarters, the bridge and the engine room. Attack so sudden and determined that resistance impossible. Second officer was made prisoner and ordered under threats of instant death to show where treasures and valuables were. 2nd engineer and 2nd officer shot in the arm. Another gang, pointing revolvers through skylight of saloon, told captain they were going to rob passengers. Captain Docock was shot in right breast, staggered to his stateroom and sank dying on his bed. 2nd mate was compelled to go into saloon and tell passengers to come out of their rooms, where they had hidden, and go into the captain's stateroom, where the captain lay dying and all the Europeans were brought together and door nailed up. Before leaving pirates threw a bag containing about 200 dollars into engine room as present to native firemen. They quitted the ship after being in possession for about 8 hours. Ship returned to Hong Kong, where wounded were removed to hospital. Pirates took only personal belongings, cargo was not taken, although it included 40 chests opium.
(Hampshire Advertiser)
21/10/1897:
THE WRECK OF THE DOUGLAS STEAMER NAMOA. COURT Or INQUIRY. Hong kong, Oct. 19. A Court of Inquiry was held to-day at the Harbour Master's Office regarding the loss of the British steamer NAMOA. [...] T. F. Hall - I joined the NAMOA as master in October three years ago, and have been in her ever since then. On a recent voyage from Amoy [Xiamen] to Foochow [Fuzou], I left Amoy on October 2, with a general cargo. [...] The crew consists of Chinese, Malays and Europeans—six officers, including engineers, 4 quartermasters, 5 Malay seamen and 9 Chinese sailors, Chinese carpenter, 13 firemen, including greasers and stokers. We left Amoy on Saturday evening at 4.45. Directly after leaving, I encountered N.E. gale with considerable sea, and I decided to keep close to land. I entered Haitan Straits at daylight. On October 3rd, about 5.30 a.m. I passed the South Pit, Slut Island, about 9.30 a.m., and the lead was constantly kept going through the strait. I took the Fairway Island Passage. I have many times gone through this passage both as master and chief officer. After clearing the reef of the small island outside Slut Island, I fixed the position of the ship about 9.35 by bearing from Cow's Horn W.N.W. and Mitre Rock. Then I went gradually round to the westward of Fairway Island. I passed about half a-mile to the westward of Fairway Island. When Brown's Rock was a little before the beam, the ship struck an uncharted rock. I at once put the wheel hard a starboard, ordered the boats to be got ready, the quartermaster giving six fathoms all the time. I ordered the well to be sounded; this was done from half a minute to a minute after the ship struck. The carpenter sounded before the ballast tank and reported four feet of water. The ballast at this point is of stone. [...]The water rapidly gained. The ship was kept steering for Sandy Patch, with the intention of beaching her; I would have gone inside of Slut Island had the ship not made water so fast. Sandy Patch is in a small bay due south of Cow's Horn. The ship was rapidly setting down, and as I could no longer steer, I let her take the ground. She was heading between S.W. and W.S.W. until she took the ground at about 800 yards off the bay. I did not take any bearing after she took the ground. She grounded on sand. There were twenty native passengers and one European and one native saloon passenger. I got out the six boats; some were partly filled with passengers and crew. Five left the ship in charge of officers and engineers, leaving the starboard lifeboat. The chief engineer, chief mate and myself left with the balance of the crew about fifteen minutes after the ship had been beached. She was then gradually filling up, the water being over the 'tween deck hatches, the waves breaking over the bows and entering the side scuttles. It was blowing fresh from the N.E. All the boats fared badly in the surf. The carpenter was lost out of the boat I was in about a hundred yards from the shore. [...] I saw two passengers lying dead on shore; they were from the other boats. There was considerable confusion on shore. Seven passengers, Chief engineer's boy, saloon boy, the carpenter and one fireman were lost.
(Overland China Mail)
Note:
Engines: 2 compound engines, vertical direct acting, made by Hall Russell & Co. Aberdeen in 1872. Diameter of cylinders 29" and 55 ½ ", stroke length 3'. 130hp.
There are no works to discover for this record.
