Caledonia (1829 ship)

Caledonia was a merchant ship built in British India in 1829. She traded between India, China, Mauritius, and the Australian Colonies. She played an important role in the development of King George Sound (Western Australia). She made two voyages transporting convicts, one voyage from Madras and the other from Swan River Colony, both to Sydney, Australia. After her sale in 1840 her registry shifted to London and she became a general trader. She was last listed in 1855.

For other ships with the same name, see Caledonia (ship).

History
United Kingdom
NameCaledonia
Owner
BuilderThomas Symers, Coringa, East Godavari district[1]
Launched1829[lower-alpha 2]
FateLast listed in 1855
General characteristics
TypeBarque
Tons burthen189[1] (bm)
PropulsionSail

Career

Thomas Lyell Smyers was Caledonia's builder, owner, and most frequent master.

On 1 May 1838 Smyers and Caledonia sailed from Point de Galle with 139 labourers for the government at Mauritius.[5]

Captain Symers transported passengers, cargo, and eighteen convicts from Madras and arrived at Sydney on 16 December 1838.[6]

Caledonia left Canton in July 1839 with a cargo of 2000 chests of tea. A storm on 21 September caused her to drift ashore on 22 September at Fremantle. She was got off after discharging her cargo.[7] The grounding caused extensive damage, including breaking 32 feet of keel. Smyers had her repaired at a cost of £920.[1] She then left on 3 January 1840. On this voyage she also transported one convict from the Swan River Colony, via Adelaide (16 April) and Port Phillip (23 April), arriving on 30 April 1840.[8] She left Sydney for London afterwards.

In 1840 Symers ran into financial difficulties and sold Caledonia. She appears in the supplemental pages of Lloyd's Register for 1841 with M'Cutcheon as master and owner, and with home port of London.[3]

Year Master Owner Trade Notes
1845 Cass Tegg London–China Large repairs in 1844
1850 G. Murray LeBretagne & Co. London–Bahia Large repairs in 1848, and damages repaired in 1849
1855 Le Riche LeBretagne & Co. Last listing

Notes
  1. Thomas Symers had been second mate on Blenden Hall when she wrecked in 1821 in a notable shipwreck that left her passengers and crew marooned for some six months. His brother George was the surgeon on the ship.[2]
  2. One source gives a launch year of 1819,[4] but may be conflating two vessels as Symers had an earlier vessel built at Coringa.

Citations
  1. Marshall & Douglas (2001), p. 129.
  2. Albany Public Library, Albany History Collection: Persons Biographical Summaries.
  3. Lloyd's Register (1841), Supple. "C".
  4. Phipps (1840), p. 74.
  5. The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British India and Its Dependencies, Volume 27 (1838), p.116.
  6. "Shipping Intelligence". The Sydney Monitor and Commercial Advertiser, Wednesday 19 December 1838, p.2. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  7. "Ship News". The Times. No. 17268. London. 31 January 1840. col E, p. 7.
  8. "Shipping Intelligence". The Sydney Monitor and Commercial Advertiser, Friday 1 May 1840, p.2. Retrieved 3 July 2015.

References
  • Marshall, Gordon de L.; Douglas, Les (2001). Maritime Albany remembered: Les Douglas et al. Kalamunda, W.A.: Tangee.
  • Henderson, Graeme (2007) Unfinished Voyages: Western Australian Shipwrecks, 1622-1850, Vol. 1. (UWA Publishing).
  • Phipps, John (1840). A Collection of Papers Relative to Ship Building in India ...: Also a Register Comprehending All the Ships ... Built in India to the Present Time ... Scott.
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