Loch Torridon’s best week’s work was 2119 knots; she ran down her easting in 43° S. and made the following consecutive runs in the 24 hours—303, 290, 288, 272, 285, 270, 327 and 341 miles.
Her passage worked out at 69 days pilot to pilot, 73 days port to port. This would have been still better if she had not had to battle against a “dead muzzler” for the last week of the passage. She cleared for London on 30th November, 1892, and after her encounter with the ice arrived in the Thames 96 days out.
Again she left London in ballast. This time she was sent up to Frederickstadt, where she loaded 940 pieces of timber and 400 tons of pig iron for Melbourne. Again she made a fine run out.
She sailed on 14th June, 1893, from Frederickstadt. Had strong head winds in the North Sea:—
Passed Dover, 20th June—passed Ushant 24th June—passed Cape Finisterre, 29th June—crossed the line, 23rd July—crossed Cape meridian in 42° S., 17th August.
In lat. 46° S., long. 86° E., Loch Torridon was caught in an unusually heavy gale with a tremendous cross sea, the barometer touching 28.83°. However, she came through it without damage, Captain Pattman using oil with good effect. Loch Torridon passed through Port Phillip Heads at 11.30 p.m. on 9th September, 87 days from Frederickstadt and 77 days from Ushant. At the time this was a record passage from Norway to Melbourne.
Loch Torridon cleared for London on 20th November, 1893, with a cargo consisting of 8498 bales of wool, 329 bales of sheepskins, 1250 old rails, 2 casks arsenic, 657 packages of tallow, 11 packages of books, 2000 bags of wheat, 11 bales of fur skins, 12 bales of hair, 1942 bags of peas, 118 hides, 351 pigs, horns, etc., 100 bales of scrolls. She dropped her pilot on the 30th and reached London on 6th March, 96 days out.
In 1894 she loaded coke and railway iron at Barry for Port Pirie and made the run out in 72 days, her best week’s work being 1914 miles and her best 24 hours 327 miles.
She left Barry at 6 p.m. on 18th May—crossed the equator, 23 days out—crossed the Cape meridian on 30th June—crossed the meridian of Cape Leeuwin on 20th July—sighted Cape Borda 10 p.m., 27th July—passed Wedge Island at 1 a.m., 28th July, in a strong westerly gale and anchored at 1 p.m. on 30th July.