ARISTIDES
Shipbuildervessel built by
Walter Hood & Co.
(Shipbuilder, Footdee, Aberdeen 1839 - 1881)
Date1876
Object NameCLIPPER
MediumIRON
ClassificationsShip
Dimensionslength 261' x breadth 39' x depth 24'
gross tonnage 1721 ton
gross tonnage 1721 ton
Object numberABDSHIP000383
Keywords
Fate: left Caleta Buena, Chile for San Francisco with a cargo of nitrate and soda, 28 May 1903 presumed wrecked during a hurricane off the Chilean coast, despite searches was never heard from again.
Propulsion: Sail
Description: Ship rigged clipper, 1 deck, 3 masts, ship rigged, elliptical stern, clench built, fiddle figurehead.
(Source: Aberdeen Shipping Register (Aberdeen City Archives))
Owners:
03/05/1876: Registered at Aberdeen for subscribing owners;
William Henderson, shipowner, Aberdeen, 8 shares; William Henderson, Cornelius Thompson and Stephen Thompson, 24 Leadenhall Street, London (jointly 40 shares); James Buyers, shipowner, Aberdeen, 4 shares; Isaac Merchant, shipmaster, 24 Leadenhall Street, London, 4 shares; George Hawkins Pile, shipmaster, Dublin, 4 shares; John Hood, shipowner, Bristol, 4 shares.
28/06/1876: Henderson sold 8 shares to Robert Kemball, shipmaster, Bow
21/09/1877: Death of Stephen Thompson, 40 shares now jointly owned by William Henderson and Cornelius Thompson.
19/06/1878: on death of George Pile his 4 shares go to Thomas Pile, merchant, Sandymount, and William Mervin Lawrence, toy manufacturer, Dublin (jointly).
27/06/1878: Pile and Lawrence 4 shares to William Henderson and Cornelius Thompson.
03/01/1879: W. Henderson and C. Thompson 8 shares to George Thompson youngest, Binghill, Aberdeenshire, shipowner. 32 shares now W. Henderson, C. Thompson, Stephen Thompson and George Thompson Henderson (jointly).
24/04/1888: after death of Kemball 8 shares to his widow Mary Jane Kemball, Bridport, Dorset.
(Aberdeen Register of Shipping (Aberdeen City Archives))
Masters:
1877: R. Master Kemball
1883-85: Master Smith
1894-1903: Master W. T. Poppy
General History:
This vessel was well known as a clipper on the Australia trade carrying cargo and passengers and was the flagship of the Aberdeen White Star Line. On her maiden voyage she sailed from London to Port Phillip, Australia in 74 days and once made 320 miles in 24 hours.
Many Aberdeen built and owned clippers in the London-Australia trade used agents to advertise and book passages. However, George Thompson and Co. had its own office in London (at Leadenhall Street, the centre of the City’s financial district) and advertised under the name of its own Aberdeen White Star Line. For example, ARISTIDES was advertised to sail from the East India Docks for Melbourne on 30 June 1885. Unlike emigrant ships, it is clear that a more elite class of passengers was being sought. The advertisement claimed that ‘her saloon accommodation is most superior, including bath room, smoking room, etc.’ Only a limited number of third- class passengers would be carried.
A number of incidents in the career of ARISTIDES illustrated the dangers of deep sea passages on sailing ships. In 1889 Robert Bruce, aged 17 and a native of Aberdeen, was killed when he fell from the main yard when the vessel was off the Cape of Good Hope en route for Australia.
In 1895 ARISTIDES was responsible for a daring rescue. It had left London for Sydney on 12 August, crossed the Equator 44 days out and by the beginning of November was in the Southern Ocean approaching Australia. There it encountered a gale of almost hurricane force, which it weathered with difficulty. On 3 November it sighted a vessel flying the signal ‘Must abandon ship’. Captain Poppy bore down on the stricken ship and hove to. It was the French barque TERRA NEUVE, which had sailed from Hamburg on 23 July for Adelaide. Its master sent out its only serviceable boat with the 2nd mate and 4 hands. It was smashed against the iron side of ARISTIDES, but not before they had scrambled aboard and reported that their ship was in sinking condition. Captain Poppy ordered his chief officer Williams, boatswain’s mate Wilson and ABs Dunn, Johnstone, Erickson, Adamson and Bohn to take ARISTIDES’s lifeboat. It was almost overwhelmed by the mountainous seas. The crew of TERRA NEUVE were too exhausted to get a line onto the lifeboat, but Bosun’s mate Wilson, seizing a favourable moment, was able to jump aboard and get a line across. The remaining crew TERRA NEUVE were then bundled onto the lifeboat. Shortly after, their ship disappeared. The members of ARISTIDES’s boat crew were subsequently presented in Sydney with medals from the French Government and, on returning to London, from Lloyd’s.
On 5 May 1897, when ARISTIDES passed the Lizard inward bound, it reported that it had again rescued the crew of a ship in distress. This was the BRITISH AMERICAN of Belfast, which had sprung a leak shortly after leaving the American Gulf port of Mobile. In the Western Approaches it had encountered heavy northerly gales for ten days. The cabin and forecastle were flooded, the bulwarks carried away and the water tank burst. The crew had been without water for several days when they were rescued by ARISTIDES. Shortly after BRITISH AMERICAN’s three masts went by the board and it was left derelict.
When ARISTIDES disappeared with all hands in 1903, it had sailed on 26 May from the Chilean port of Caleta Beuna, a now abandoned port whose function was to ship saltpeter fertilisers, for San Francisco. As large sailing ships struggled to remain economic, it had found two cargoes (and might have secured a third at San Francisco) on the return journey from Australia to the UK. It was not until early December that George Thompson and Co. formally abandoned hope for the 25 crew, nearly all of whom were from London.
Sources (from British Newspaper Archive, accessed 31 March 2024):-
Biggleswade Chronicle, 14/05/1897; Colonies and India, 04/12/1889; Derby Daily Telegraph, 02/12/1896; Evening Standard, 23/06/1885; Leominster News, 17/01/1896; Lyttleton Times, 16/12/1896; Shields Daily News, 06/07/1897; St. Andrews Citizen,15/08/1896; Thanet Advertiser, 25/01/1896.
Newspaper extracts etc:
Basil Lubbock, ((1948 edn), "The Colonial Clippers" (James Brown & Son, Glasgow), p. 231) states that when the Aberdeen Line sold off their clippers, as a result of Lloyd's raising the insurance rates for sailing ships, ARISTIDES was retained and became their last sailer, but the SALAMIS, PERICLES and STRATHDON all outlived her in the fleet.
03/07/1885:
Capt. Kemball of the ship ARISTIDES, which sailed from Melbourne 16th February for London and arrived 31 May, reports having seen the ship NORTH AMERICAN, now missing, on 27 Feb Lat. 45.52S, Long. 16S.32E [S.E. of Fiji]. Spoke her with flags - all well.
(Daily News)
25/04/1887:
The Aberdeen Line - passage to Australia. The favourite clipper ship ARISTIDES will be despatched from E. India Docks, London, 5 May, taking saloon passengers to Melbourne and at through rates to other Australian ports. A surgeon will be carried. Particulars from owners, George Thompson & Co., 24 Leadenhall St., EC.
(Pall Mall Gazette)
25/03/1890:
Dover - ARISTIDES, ship, from Sydney for London, in tow of ANGLIA, tug.
(Liverpool Mercury)
04/08/1890:
One of George Thompson's splendid Aberdeen white star ships, the ARISTIDES, arrived Sydney from London in capital order after voyage of 87 days from start point (Devon) or 89 days from London docks. Commander, as on previous voyages, was Capt. T. F. Spurling, who reports an uneventful voyage and general good health among the 8 passengers.
(Sydney Morning Herald)
22/08/1891:
Capt. Allen, who has succeeded Capt. Spurling, reports having left East India docks 14 May and start point 18 May. Passage from London to equator was 31 days, 23 days from equator to the Cape and 17 days from Cape to Meridian of Cape Leuwin 17 days (71 days so far), followed by 20 days of easterly winds, calms and light airs before reaching Sydney. 20 days on the Australian coast is too long for a ship like the ARISTIDES, but in the absence of a screen, even one of George Thompson's Aberdeen built white star flyers cannot defy a head wind or laugh at a calm.
(Sydney Mail)
14/10/1893:
Ship ARISTIDES was towed up to Newcastle harbour under command of Capt. Allen to take cargo of coal to San Francisco.
(Newcastle Morning Herald)
29/11/1895:
French barque TERRE NEUVE abandoned at sea Long. 76E [Indian Ocean]. All on board saved and brought to Sydney by British ship ARISTIDES.
(Glasgow Herald)
06/04/1896:
Aberdeen Line ship ARISTIDES, Master Poppy, left Sydney for London previous to 4 April.
(Aberdeen Weekly Journal)
12/07/1897:
ARISTIDES, ship, Poppy Master, passed Prawles Point [Devon] 24 June from London for Sydney.
(Aberdeen Weekly Journal)
22/09/1897:
Well known clipper ship ARISTIDES arrived Sydney yesterday under command of Capt. Poppy, after another successful voyage from London. The good name which ARISTIDES holds among shippers and others she still carries. Left London 17 June, the Downs 20 June, start point 23 June, Meridian of the Cape 17 August, Cape Leuwin 8 Sept, Cape Otway 14 Sept. Ship was taken in tow by tug CHAMPION off Jervis Bay.
(Sydney Evening News)
29/09/1897:
ARISTIDES, now discharging general cargo at Sydney from London, has been chartered to load coal here for the west coast [USA].
(Newcastle Morning Herald)
19/10/1897:
ARISTIDES, ship, Poppy Master, left Newcastle, New South Wales, 18 October for San Francisco.
(Aberdeen Weekly Journal)
24/02/1898:
ARISTIDES, ship, Poppy Master, 30 January at Talcanhuano [Peru] from Carrigal.
(Aberdeen Weekly Journal)
04/04/1898:
Left Talcanhuano for U.K. 12 March.
(Aberdeen Weekly Journal)
16/09/1898:
Left London for Sydney 9 Sept. (Poppy Master).
(Aberdeen Weekly Journal)
24/02/1899:
ARISTIDES left Sydney 2 Feb. for London.
(Aberdeen Weekly Journal)
03/06/1899:
ARISTIDES passed Dover 13 May.
(Aberdeen Weekly Journal)
15/03/1900:
ARISTIDES, Poppy Master, left San Francisco 6 March.
(Aberdeen Weekly Journal)
28/02/1901:
ARISTIDES, which sailed from Newcastle for London, not only carried largest cargo of wool despatched from that port by sailing ship, but also largest cargo of wool yet stowed in the vessel's hold. 8790 bales wool + 500 tons ore (although built for the wool trade 20 years ago).
(Daily Commercial News (Sydney))
09/12/1901:
ARISTIDES reported 8 Dec. 30 miles NE of Montague Island - 103 days out, London-Sydney, all well.
(Sydney Evening News)
29/12/1902:
ARISTIDES (Capt. Poppy) passed Jervis Bay yesterday, 83 days out London-Sydney.
(Sydney Morning Herald)
04/11/1903:
Reason to fear ARISTIDES, Capt. W. T. Poppy, has been lost at sea with all hands. She left Caleto Beuno 26 May for San Francisco and has not been heard of. After landing general cargo at Sydney last year, she took coal from Newcastle to Puerto Bueno and left there with nitrates for San Francisco. Capt. Poppy spent the principal part of his life on the Aberdeen line clippers. In ARISTIDES he gallantly rescued crew of French barque TERRE NEUVE, which was met in a sinking condition in the southern ocean and landed the shipwrecked crew at Sydney. Capt. Poppy has a wife and family in England. The chief officer, Mr Le Fairre, was previous to joining ARISTIDES for the present voyage, for many years in the Union Steamship Co. and has a wife and family residing at Balmain.
(Sydney Mail)
04/01/1904:
Report from San Francisco - loss of cargo of nitrates carried by missing British ship ARISTIDES has been paid by underwriters. She sailed from Caleta Bueno, Chile, for San Francisco soon after the great hurricane raged on the Chilean coast and has not since been heard from. She was one of the fastest sailing ships afloat.
(Newcastle Morning Herald)
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