FAMOUS SHIPS

The "WINDSOR PARK"

The WINDSOR PARK was launched in 1882 during the last tremendous boom in shipbuilding, effecting both steam and sail construction. The boom lasted until 1884 and was the last large output of iron shipbuilding, as steel plates were now coming into vogue. The steel plates would replace the iron plates, just as the iron plates had replaced wooden construction.

The WINDSOR PARK was more of a big carrier than a fast sailor which removed her from the list of fast sailing full-rigged ship types that her builder, Royden and Sons, had built in the past. She registered 1,761 tons, and measured 250 feet 5 inches in length, 40 feet 2 inches beam and 24 feet depth of hold. She was purchased in stocks by A Howden & Co., her first commander, A. Bentley, also having a share in her.

The WINDSOR PARK cost 40,000 pounds to build and was finished off in a very fine fashion. She was further improved by one of her mates who did some beautiful carving on the teak panels at the break of the poop. She carried a skysail at the main and stunsails at the fore as part of her sail plan.

Her first passage was quite good, 90 days to Saugar Light with a cargo of steel rails for the railroads in India. She spent ten years in the Calcutta and Australian trades and was then sold to Geo. Gorden & Co., of Glasgow, Captain G. Lambie taking over command from Captain Bentley. One of the best passages on record was a cross-Pacific one of 37 days between Newcastle, N.S.W., and Valparaiso, were she arrived on August 9th, 1897. Unfortunately, the WINDSOR PARK was known more for her long passages in crossing the Pacific than her short ones.

At the end of the 19th century Captain Lambie gave over command to A. Livingstone, who commanded the WINDSOR PARK until she was sold to the Norwegians in 1911. During this period, she made some remarkable passages, not for speed, but for slowness. In 1900 she made the longest passage of the year between Newcastle, N.S.W., and San Francisco, taking 104 days. The best passage recorded that year was 48 days. She managed to beat this record in 1902, taking 113 days for the same passage. This time, however, there was a sailing ship that was even slower! To be fair, the sailing season in 1902 was not a good one, the fastest passage taking 61 days. The usual passage for these sailing ships at the beginning of the 20th century was out to Australia, then across the Pacific with coal, either to the North-West coast or South-West coast of America and then home with either grain, nitrate or guano.

The WINDSOR PARK had some unusually long passages homeward bound. In 1901 she took 172 days to go from San Francisco to the Lizard. In 1902 she took 173 days to reach Queenstown, and in 1905 she took 173 days again to go from San Francisco to the Mersey.

The WINDSOR PARK had a narrow escape from ending her days on December 29th, 1906. She was grounded at Cape Racife while sailing between Wallaroo and Port Elizabeth, but assistance quickly came to her aid, and she was refloated.

The WINDSOR PARK kept out of trouble during the First World War by sailing between the United States and South America, avoiding the submarines. In 1920 the ship was purchased by G.W. Hellstad, of Nystad, and again sailed to a British port, arriving in the Thames in May, 1921. She was laid up until September, then sailed to Newport, Mon., but could not find a cargo. A Dutch tug towed her away to become a coal hulk at Gibraltar. Shortly after arriving at Gibraltar, a very strong gale broke lose the mooring lines of the WINDSOR PARK, which was moored alongside the Gun Wharf, causing her to collide with the cable ship AMBER and in the process damaging part of the Mole. She was later dismantled and renamed SAINT JAMES II.

The WINDSOR PARK was one of those hard working windjammers whose main claim to fame was that she trained thousands of superb seamen in a way which cannot be done by a steamship. She may have been slow, but she kept the seas with few mishaps and made a steady living for thirty-nine years.

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