FAMOUS SHIPS

THE "TORRIDON"

The TORRIDON was launched in 1885 for Alexander Nicol & Co. by the famous clipper ship builder Hall, of Aberdeen. She was a wool clipper which had more height than breadth to her sail plan, which was unusual for this date. She registered 1,564 tons; length, 246 feet; beam, 38 feet 1 inch; depth of hold, 22 feet.

Her first Skipper was Captain Sheperd, who took her from the stocks. Her maiden voyage resulted in a passage from Deal to Sydney in 90 days. The TORRIDON was never a record breaker but was a steady, reliable ship. Occasionally, however, she would astonish everyone by keeping pace with the crack racers of her day. In 1890 she left Sydney with her holds full of wool bales and began a race between the Aberdeen White Star Liner PATRIARCH, which held the record for homeward passages by an iron ship. She left two days earlier than PATRIARCH, but both ships arrived in the Thames on the same day, having raced each other home. The TORRIDON was 91 days out, the PATRIARCH, 89 days.

In the wool season of 1894-95, the TORRIDON did even better with an encounter with the famous CUTTY SARK. The CUTTY SARK left Brisbane on the same day that the TORRIDON left Sydney. They first sighted each other on January 10th. It was blowing fresh, with a high sea, and under these conditions the CUTTY SARK went surging by the TORRIDON. The former ship never expected to see the TORRIDON again. But much to the CUTTY SARK’s surprise, the TORRIDON appeared over the horizon on March 13th. The TORRIDON forged slowly ahead all day until by night fall she had the advantage by over 6 miles over the CUTTY SARK. There was a gentle south breeze blowing at the time. They never saw each other again, but they could have not been very far apart, for they both docked in the Thames on the same day. The CUTTY SARK was 84 days from Brisbane, the TORRIDON was 84 days from Sydney. To make it more remarkable, other fast ships were at the same time left behind by both contestants.

The TORRIDON continued to be a familiar and reliable wool trader well into the 20th century. She and her sister ship would be the only full rigged clipper ships left in the wool trade out of Sydney, her competition being stump topgallant or baldheaded four-masters and unkempt ships which shed the yards from their mizen masts.

Because of the tall and narrow sail plan of the TORRIDON, she and her sister stood out. Both ships had painted ports. Because of the way the TORRIDON was painted, she never did look her size, which indicated a good design.

In her last days under the Red Ensign the TORRIDON was unique in her sail plan and stood out from the other windjammers. She went to the Italians in 1906. The TORRIDON was sunk by a German submarine on August 27th, 1916.

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