In March, 1876, Messrs. Hood launched the beautiful passenger clipper Aristides, the largest of all Thompson’s sailing ships. Captain R. Kemball of Thermopylae fame, the commodore of the Aberdeen White Star fleet, was given command of her, and she became the firm’s flagship.
On her maiden voyage she sailed from London on 6th July, and arrived in Port Phillip on 18th September—74 days out (69 days from the land). Leaving Melbourne on 28th November, she arrived in the Thames on 17th February, 81 days out, beating two such well-known clippers as Loch Maree and Collingwood, which had sailed on 27th November, by 18 days. The Aberdeen White Star ships invariably made fine maiden voyages. Their captains always left port with the firm intention of breaking the record, and they had every help from their owners, the ships being most carefully loaded with their Plimsoll marks well out of water. Crews also were picked men, and gear, of course, everything of the best.
“ARISTIDES.”
Photo by Hall & Co., Sydney.
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Aristides was kept on the Melbourne run until 1889, when she went out to Sydney in 85 days. From this date she was kept in the Sydney trade. She usually had a full passenger list and being perfectly run like all the Aberdeen ships she was a favourite both in Sydney and Melbourne. Captain Kemball retired in 1887, and Captain Spalding had her until the early nineties, then Captain Allan took her over; her last commander was Captain Poppy, who was lost in her.
Her best 24-hour run that I have record of was 320 miles. Her passages, both outward and homeward, were very regular, from 78 to 88 days as a rule, but she never beat the times of her maiden voyage.
When the Aberdeen White Star sold their sailing ships, they refused to part with the Aristides, and she remained under their flag till the end. On 28th May, 1903, she sailed from Caleta Buena with nitrate of soda for San Francisco and was posted as missing. H.M. ships Amphion and Shearwater made a search amongst the islands on her route for the missing ship, but no trace of her was ever found.