The “Phoenician.”
The first of the Aberdeen White Star fleet to make a reputation for speed was the celebrated Phoenician, under the command of one of the best known passage makers of the day, Captain Sproat.
Her dimensions were:—
| Length of cut keel | 122 | feet. |
| Rake of stem | 25 | „ |
| Rake of sternpost | 7 | „ |
| Extreme breadth | 27 | feet 5 inches. |
| Depth of hold | 19 | „ 1 „ |
| Registered tonnage (old) | 526 | tons. |
| „ „ (new) | 478 | „ |
| Deadweight capacity | 780 | „ |
Her first three voyages were considered extraordinarily good for those days.
- 1849-50 London to Sydney 90 days—Sydney to London 88 days.
- 1850-51 London to Sydney 96 days—Sydney to London 103 days.
- 1851-52 London to Sydney 90 days—Sydney to London 83 days.
The John Bunyan in 1850 made the run home from Shanghai in 99 days, which, even though she had a favourable monsoon, was a very fine performance.
The Walter Hood on her maiden voyage under the command of Captain Sproat made the passage out to Australia in 80 days, and the account given in the papers remarks:—“Her sailing qualities may be judged from the fact of her having run during four several days 320 miles each 24 hours.”
The Maid of Judah had the honour of taking out the Royal Mint to Sydney in 1853. Her dimensions are interesting to compare with those of the Phoenician, so I give them:—
| Length of keel | 160 | feet. |
| Length over all | 190 | „ |
| Beam | 31 | „ |
| Depth of hold | 19 | „ |
The Queen of Nations, under Captain Donald, went from Plymouth to Melbourne in 87 and 84 days; but the fastest of these earlier clippers was the well-known Star of Peace, which made four consecutive passages to Sydney of 77, 77, 79, and 79 days under the redoubtable Captain Sproat.
I remember seeing a picture of this fine clipper, representing her off the Eddystone when homeward bound. She was a very rakish looking craft with long overhangs and carried a heavy press of sail, which included double topsails, skysails, main and mizen sky staysails and also three-cornered moonsails stretching to the truck of each mast.
The Ethiopian, on her first voyage to Melbourne, went out in 68 days under Captain William Edward. She sailed her last voyage under the British flag in 1886. She was then rigged as a barque, and on her passage home from Sydney had a remarkable race with the iron Orontes, belonging to the same owners. The two vessels cast off their tugs together outside Sydney Heads, sighted each other off the Horn, were becalmed together in the doldrums, spoke the same ship off the Western Isles; and when the chops of the Channel were reached, the Ethiopian was hove to taking soundings in a fog, when the Orontes came up under her stern within hailing distance. Finally the Ethiopian got into the East India Docks one tide ahead of the Orontes, thus winning the race and a considerable sum in wagers.