The Baron of Renfrew was built in Charles Wood's shipyard in Anse-du-Fort on Île d'Orléans in the Canadian province of Québec . The ship was a so-called one - way ship , in English Timber Drogher or disposable ship , and was only built for the transport of wood from the New World to Europe . The wood of such ships was also sold in the port of destination after the demolition. This bypassed the high tariffs on lumber and earned part of the construction costs. Many of these ships were very simply built and often only partially seaworthy. After being launched in July 1825, the Baron of Renfrew left Quebec on August 23, 1825 under the command of Captain Matthew Walker and a crew of over 27 men for London . According to a contemporary report, the Baron of Renfrew got caught in a storm about 500 miles from her port of departure and was "full of water" from then on. The ship had a used steam-powered pump, with which the penetrating water could not be pumped out completely. The same report states that of the crew members, 27 were "landsmen" who could not handle cordage . On October 21, the ship reached the English Channel , stranded a day later on the Goodwin Sands and broke. Two people died in the stranding. The wreckage and cargo were washed up on the French Channel coast and towed to Calais on October 25th . However, parts broke off during the journey and sank. The rest was scrapped.
literature
Wallace, Fredrick William: Wooden Ships and Iron Men . White Lion, London, 1973/1924.
Williams, David M .: Bulk Carriers and Timber Imports: The British North American Trade and the Shipping Boom of 1824-5 . The Mariner's Mirror Vol. 54, London, 1968. pp. 373-382
Wood, Charles: Ballast . John Clark, Glasgow, 1836.
↑ a b c The annual register, or a view of the history, politics, and literature, of the year 1825 . Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy; C. and J. Rivington, London 1826, pp.142 ( online at Google Books ).
