The “Thomas Stephens.”
The Thomas Stephens was one of the best known ships of her day. When she came out she was considered the most up-to-date and perfectly appointed passenger sailing ship ever built on the Mersey. She was intended for the old Black Ball Line, but never actually sailed under the famous flag, but sailed as one of the London Line of Australian Packets (Bethell & Co.). She was owned by Thomas Stephens & Sons, of London. Captain Richards, the well-known commander of the Donald Mackay, superintended her building and fitting out and eventually left the Donald Mackay to command her.
The Thomas Stephens soon proved herself one of the fastest iron ships afloat, and a very successful ship financially. She was beautifully sparred, crossing three skysail yards, and was a very lofty ship—one of the tallest ships, indeed, that ever sailed either from the Mersey or the Thames; and she carried all her stunsails well into the eighties. At first she was fitted with single topgallant yards, but followed the fashion for double topgallant yards before she had been afloat many years.
She was launched in July, 1869, and left Liverpool on 24th September, with a full passenger list for Melbourne, arriving out on 15th December in 82 days.
“THOMAS STEPHENS.”
From a painting by F. B. Spencer; lent by Messrs. Thomas Stephens & Sons.
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On her second voyage she left Liverpool on 9th September, 1870, and anchored in Hobson’s Bay on 21st November, 73 days, port to port. After this she always sailed from London as one of the London Line of Packets, along with her great rival The Tweed. And for her third voyage, I find the following advertisement in the Times of 5th October, 1871.
MELBOURNE-LONDON LINE OF PACKETS.
THOMAS STEPHENS.
R. Richards (so well and favourably known when in command of the Donald Mackay and Great Victoria), commander. This superb clipper, 1507 tons registered, of the highest class at Lloyd’s, and owned by Messrs. Thomas Stephens & Sons, is one of the finest specimens of marine architecture afloat, and made her last passage in 64 days. Constructed specially for the Australian passenger trade. Her spacious full poop saloon is fitted with bathrooms, cabin furniture, bedding, and every convenience. The second and third cabins are most comfortable. Carries a surgeon.—Bethell & Co., Cowper’s Court, Cornhill, E.C.
Thomas Stephens left London on 26th October, 1871, for Melbourne, her great antagonist The Tweed sailing for Sydney about the same date. She crossed the line on 20th November in long. 29° 57′ W., making 12 knots with the S.E. trade blowing steadily from S.E. by S. Her best run was 315 miles in a 23½-hour day when running down her easting. This was from Saturday, 9th December to Sunday, 10th December, and her log book gives the following details:—
Saturday, 9th December, 1871.—Lat. 44° 50′ S., long. 20° 34′ E. Courses S.E. by E. ½ E., S. by E., S.E. by E. ½ E., S.S.E., S.E. Winds E.N.E., E. by N., variable, west. A.M., strong wind and squally, logging 10 knots. 11 a.m., heavy squalls, handed topgallant sails, crossjack, spanker and outer jib. P.M., squally with heavy rain. 4 p.m., set main topgallant sail. 9 p.m., wind veering into westward; set fore topgallant sail and main topgallant staysail. Midnight, logging 16 knots during last four hours
Sunday, 10th December, 1871.—Lat. 44° 48′ S., long. 27° 57′ E. Courses S.E. ½ E., S.E. Winds west, N.W. Distance 315 miles. A.M., heavy gale, high cross sea; ship labouring and straining heavily; decks at times completely flooded fore and aft. 1 a.m., main topgallant staysail stay carried away. 7 a.m., continuation of gale, logging 16 knots. Heavy sea struck ship on starboard quarter, washing starboard lifeboat out of davits, completely flooding main deck and washing away main hatch-house. 9.30 a.m., gale moderating, made all plain sail, still logging 16 knots. P.M., moderate with high cross sea; decks completely flooded; have logged 16 knots during last 16 hours.
On Friday, 29th December, the westerlies were so strong that the Thomas Stephens had to be hove to for 4½ hours, the gale being preceded by six hours’ calm with fog; the log reads as follows:—
Friday, 29th December, 1871.—Lat. by acc. 45° 21′ S., long. 129° 7′ E. Courses N.E., E.N.E., E. by S., N.N.W., N.E. Winds variable, calm, N.W., west. A.M., light variable airs, thick foggy weather. Watch hauling up cable. 10 a.m., strong breeze, dull cloudy weather, logging 12 knots. 3.30 p.m., strong gale, handed topgallant sails. 4 p.m., gale still increasing, handed upper topsails, courses and jib. Brought ship to the wind under lower topsails. Heavy sea running; decks completely flooded. 8.30 p.m., wind veering into S.W. Wore ship off before the wind. 10 p.m., set foresail and upper fore topsails, logging 10 knots.
On Saturday, 30th December, the gale still continued and the log book records:—
Lat. by acc. 43° 57′ S., long. 134° 27′ E. Courses N.E., N.E ½ N. Winds W.S.W. A.M., strong gale, high sea. Shipping a quantity of water over all, logging 13 knots. 4 a.m., set upper main and mizen topsails. 7 a.m., set topgallant sails, weather moderating, logging 12 knots. 10 a.m., heavy sea. Decks at times completely flooded. P.M., strong gale and heavy sea. Shipping a quantity of water over all, logging 13 knots. 10 p.m., gale increasing. Handed fore and mizen topgallant sails, logging 14 knots. 10.30 p.m., handed main topgallant and mizen topsail. Midnight, strong gale and high sea; have logged 14 knots during last six hours.
On Tuesday, 2nd January, 1872, Cape Otway bore north, distant 2 leagues; at 7 a.m. the pilot came on board and took charge, and at 1 p.m. the Thomas Stephens came to anchor in Hobson’s Bay, 66 days out from her Channel pilot. From Melbourne she went across to Calcutta in 45 days, with walers on board, and loaded jute home, the usual round of first-class ships in the seventies.
During her long and successful career she usually loaded outwards to Melbourne or Sydney; but in 1879 on her twelfth voyage she went out to Otago, and on her thirteenth left Liverpool on 29th April and arrived at Rangoon on 21st July, 83 days out.
In 1881 she went out to San Francisco in 124 days from Holyhead, and coming home to Falmouth in 98 days. Except for an occasional run to Frisco, Calcutta or Rangoon, she was kept regularly in the Sydney trade during the eighties and nineties.
The following is a list of her best sailing records:—
16 knots for 16 successive hours, 10th December, 1871, in 44° 48′ S., 28° 7′ E. 1000 miles in 70 hours. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
16 days (the record) from Cape Horn to the line, under Captain Robertson. | ||||
| 1870 | Liverpool to Hobson’s Bay; | Sept. 9 to Nov. 21 | 73 days | |
| 1871-2 | London to Hobson’s Bay; | Oct. 26 to Jan. 2 | 68 days | |
| 1872 | Melbourne to Calcutta; | Feb. 1 to March 17 | 45 days | |
| 1872-3 | Lizard to Hobson’s Bay; | Dec. 4 to Feb. 11 | 69 days | |
| 1873 | Ushant to Hobson’s Bay; | Sept. 3 to Nov. 8 | 66 days | |
| 1874-5 | Lizard to Hobson’s Bay; | Nov. 22 to Jan. 31 | 70 days | |
| 1876 | Lizard to Hobson’s Bay; | Aug. 7 to Oct. 24 | 78 days | |
| 1877 | Tuskar to Hobson’s Bay; | Aug. 12 to Oct. 27 | 76 days | |
| 1878 | Plymouth to Hobson’s Bay; | June 15 to Aug. 31 | 77 days | |
| 1880 | Liverpool to Rangoon; | April 29 to July 21 | 83 days | |
| 1880-1 | Frisco to Queenstown; | Nov. 8 to Feb. 18 | 99 days | |
| 1881 | Holyhead to Frisco; | Jan. 12 to May 16 | 124 days | |
| 1882 | Frisco to Falmouth; | June 7 to Sept. 13 | 98 days | |
| 1882-3 | London to Sydney; | Nov. 8 to Jan. 22 | 75 days | |
| 1885 | Antwerp to Sydney; | July 25 to Oct. 20 | 87 days | |
| 1886 | London to Sydney; | May 29 to Aug. 16 | 79 days | |
In the later eighties her passages began to slow up for two very good reasons: firstly her sail plan was cut down; and secondly her captain, owing to a very nervous wife being with him, made no attempt to drive her.
Captain Richards had her through the seventies, except for two voyages in 1874-5 when Captain Bloomfield had her, then Captain Archibald Robertson commanded her for half a dozen voyages, he was followed by Captain W. Cross, then Captains Cutler, Davis and Belding took her in turn.
The Thomas Stephens was a lucky ship and kept singularly free of trouble; indeed she had no serious mishap until July, 1893, when she got well battered by a severe gale in 52° S., 130° W., whilst homeward bound from Melbourne with wheat. Her bulwarks were carried away from the fore rigging to abaft the main rigging on the starboard side and her main deck was swept clean. She put into Callao for repairs, but she was not leaking and her cargo was found to be undamaged.
On her following voyage she got into more serious trouble in battling to get to the westward of Cape Stiff. She sailed from Barry on 27th December, 1894, and was partially dismasted off the pitch of the Horn. Put back to the Falklands, arriving in Stanley harbour on 28th February, 1895. Captain Belding, however, refused to agree to the extortionate demands of the Stanley shipwrights, and sailed for Capetown under jury rig, arriving there 14th May, 1895. Here he refitted, and leaving Table Bay on 22nd June arrived at Esquimalt by the eastern route on 24th September.
This unfortunate voyage terminated her career under the Red Ensign, for on her arrival home in 1896 the Thomas Stephens was sold to the Portuguese Government. The Portuguese have a singularly shrewd eye for a ship; and in this year they bought at breaking up prices three of the finest and fastest ships ever built, namely the Thomas Stephens, Cutty Sark and Thermopylae.
Captain Belding was retained to sail the Thomas Stephens to the Tagus under her new flag. He had a Portuguese crew, and the passage was not without incident, for a fire broke out on board and it was chiefly owing to Captain Belding’s personal bravery that it was extinguished. Indeed so pleased were the Portuguese with his behaviour that they presented him with a service of plate and a Portuguese Order, at the same time asking him to continue in command. For many years after this the Thomas Stephens served as a naval training ship in the Tagus in conjunction with the Thermopylae. She survived the famous tea clipper, however, and many a British naval officer has probably been aboard the famous old ship without realising that, disguised under the name of Pero d’Alemguer, floated one of the crack Australian passenger ships of the seventies.
The Great War found her lying a hulk in the Tagus. The Portuguese fitted her out when tonnage began to get scarce in 1915, and sent her across to America. On her return passage to Lisbon in January, 1916, she was posted as missing—possibly a Hun torpedo sent her to the bottom—and that terrible word “missing” may be hiding some awful tragedy or glorious heroism. Anyhow her name goes on the “Ships’ Roll of Honour in the Great War,” along with more than one of her sisters in the Australian trade.