“Loch Carron” and “Loch Broom.”

The last ships to be built for the famous Loch Line were the two fine four-mast barques Loch Carron and Loch Broom.

The Loch Carron was taken from the stocks by Captain Stainton Clarke, one of the best known skippers in the Australian trade and the bosom friend of Captain Pattman, the pair being known in the ports they frequented as the “Corsican Brothers.” Captain Clarke was brought up in those beautiful little tea clippers, Skinner’s “Castles.” At the age of 28 he became master of the Douglas Castle, which he used to say was “one of the prettiest models that ever sailed.” When she was sold he was given the Lennox Castle, and he left her to take the Loch Carron.

Loch Carron, though a very fast ship, was also a ticklish ship to handle, being rather tender, and Captain Clarke always sent down royal yards when in port.

The following are some of her best performances:—

Melbourne to London73days.
Adelaide to Glasgow75„
Glasgow to Adelaide78„
London to Adelaide75„(twice)
The Semaphore, Adelaide, to Cape Otway48„
Cape Town to Clyde in ballast40„
Melbourne to the Horn27„
Cape meridian to the Leeuwin19„(twice)
Cape Horn to the line20„

On one occasion when abreast of the Crozets, running her easting down in 45° S., she made three consecutive 24-hour runs of 310, 320 and 332 miles. On her maiden trip she went to Sydney, and then for two or three years left the Australian for the Calcutta trade. In 1887 she took case oil from New York to Calcutta in 112 days.

In 1889 Loch Carron had a very nasty experience when rounding the Cape homeward bound from India. It is thus told by Captain Clarke:—

We were bound for London from Calcutta with a cargo of jute and about 500 tons of rice for stiffening purposes. It was new rice and had not been properly dried. When the jute was loaded on top of it, the rice began to get heated and we had to take it out and stow it in the main hatch by itself, boring holes in order to allow the air to enter. This arrangement of the cargo caused the ship to be top-heavy, but it was unavoidable. When we got to the Cape of Good Hope we encountered violent gales, and the vessel could not stand up to them. She was carried right over on her side, although there was very little canvas on her. Her lee side was 5 or 6 feet under water and the crew became so frightened that many of them climbed up the rigging. I let the sails go and sacrificed them in order to save her. She righted herself and we ran before the wind all night, going miles out of our course. Next day we jury-rigged her and I tried hard to make way on the other tack. We tacked for eight days and then the gale again seized her and she turned over once more. We quickly stripped her of sails, but she was so top-heavy and crank that I decided to send the topgallant masts down. This was ticklish work, and I shall never forget the scene, as the men struggled against the seas with the topgallants. The fight against the gales lasted for 30 days and then we got round the Cape, but I had five men down with broken limbs and other injuries. The voyage from Calcutta to London occupied no fewer than 156 days, and was the most exciting in my experience. The Bolan, Glen Padarn and Trevelyan, also bound from Calcutta and Rangoon to London, foundered during the storms and we were lucky to get through with the ship so crank.

In 1904 Loch Carron had a great race home from Frisco round the Horn with the French ship Jules Gommes. Loch Carron hove up her anchor in Frisco Bay on the morning of Christmas Eve, the Jules Gommes leaving in the afternoon. After being six days in company the two ships lost sight of each other. They met again on the equator in the Atlantic; finally the Loch Carron arrived at Queenstown one morning 112 days out, the Frenchman arriving eight hours later at the same port.

On her next passage the Loch Carron had the most disastrous event in her career, in her collision with the Inverkip. The two ships were both outward bound, the Loch Carron from Glasgow to Sydney with general cargo. At 11.20 on 13th August, 1904, the Loch Carron was about 60 miles to the S. and E. of the Fastnet light, going 6 or 7 knots close-hauled on the port tack, with a moderate gale blowing from the S.W., when the red light of the Inverkip was suddenly seen ahead. But it was too late to avoid a collision, and the Loch Carron struck the Inverkip abreast of the foremast, stem on. The latter ship went down in a few minutes, only two men, the carpenter and the steward, being saved out of her ship’s company. These two managed to jump aboard the Loch Carron. Captain Jones of the Inverkip had his wife aboard, and as the ship went down she was seen praying on her knees aft. They were both great personal friends of Captain Clarke, and he was so distressed by the sad accident that his health broke down and he gave up his command for a voyage. The Loch Carron, with a large hole in her bows, her fore topgallant mast and all head gear carried away, besides other damages, managed to make Queenstown.

Her repairs came to £1500, and as she was on the port tack and the Inverkip on the starboard, the Loch Line had to pay over £30,000 damages.

When Loch Carron was again ready for sea, Captain Henderson, of Thermopylae and Samuel Plimsoll fame, took her out. Captain Clarke returning to his command on her return home. As late as 1908 Loch Carron made the run from Melbourne to London in 80 days.

Loch Broom was commanded for the greater part of her career by the well-known veteran, Bully Martin.

Though they were absolute sister ships according to the tape-measure. Loch Broom was always a stiffer ship than the Loch Carron, and her sailing records were not quite as numerous, nevertheless she was a very fast ship.

In 1904 Captain Martin brought her home from Melbourne in 82 days. He left Port Phillip on 12th January, and was only 24 days to the Horn, most of the run being made under six topsails and foresail.

On her following passage out Loch Broom took case oil from New York to Melbourne in 96 days. It was a nasty trip for her officers, as the hands before the mast were all hobos, Bowery toughs and hard cases, and had to be driven to their work in the old-fashioned belaying pin style.

In 1907 Captain Bully Martin gave up his command and retired from the sea, being succeeded by Captain Kelynack, who had been mate under him for some years.

I have the abstract log of Loch Broom’s last voyage under the British flag:—

On 4th September at 7 a.m. she took her departure from the Lizard, had light breezes and calms to the 19th when she took the N.E. trades, crossed the line on 6th October, crossed the meridian of Greenwich on 26th October, ran down her easting on the 40th parallel, her best 24-hour run being 272 miles on 12th November before a moderate gale from W.S.W. in 40° 37′ S., 60° 00′ E., and she anchored off Port Adelaide at 2 p.m. on 4th December, 91 days from the Lizard.

She left Melbourne homeward bound on 23rd February 1912. On 15th March in 50° 58′ S., 135° 26′ W., she ran 278 miles with a fresh S.W. gale, passed Cape Horn on 27th March. On 29th March Captain Kelynack remarks, “Fresh W.S.W. wind, thick misty rain, four-masted barque in company on lee quarter but falling astern, (nothing passes the Loch Broom but birds.)”

And on 2nd April I find the following testimony to her qualities:—“Lat. 46° 50′ S., long. 40° 04′ W., distance 213, course N. 51° E. Fresh N.W. gale veering to W.N.W., high sea running, ship going 12 knots, dry as a bone.”

The line was crossed on 29th April. On 24th May in 46° N., 20° 55′ W., Loch Broom ran 301 miles in the 24 hours before a fresh southerly wind and moderate sea; and on the following day 282 miles. “Fresh S.S.E. wind. Barque in company at 6 a.m. on starboard bow, out of sight astern at noon.” On 31st May at 7 p.m. Loch Broom anchored off Gravesend, 98 days out.

The Loch Carron and Loch Broom were both sold to the foreigners in 1912 for about £5000 a piece, and now, I believe, belong to Christianssand, Norway, being disguised under the names of Seileren and Sogndal.

PASSAGES TO AUSTRALIA UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1885.
ShipDeparturePassed
Equator		Crossed
Cape
Meridian		Passed
Otway		DestinationDate
Arrived		Days
Out
SalamusStartMar.20April6May9June2MelbourneJune375
PatriarchStartMar.9Mar.25 May21SydneyMay2375
Cutty SarkStartApril3April23May19June15 „June1977
(SW Cape)
SirenStartMar.23April12May11June6 „June877
Samuel PlimsollStartApril4April28May21June18 „June2178
ArgonautStartJune14July10Aug.1Aug.27 „Aug.3178
Bay of CadizStartMar.6Mar.28April20May19 „May2378
ThermopylaeStartJan.20Feb.17Mar.9April7MelbourneApril878
HarbingerLizardJune4June30July27Aug.21 „Aug.2178
Sir Walter RaleighStartApril4April28May22June20SydneyJune2279
Milton ParkTuskarJune21July18Aug.12Sept.5 „Sept.879