The SAMUEL PLIMSOLL was the third iron ship built for the Aberdeen White Star Line by Hood. She measured: Tonnage, 1,444 tons; length, 241 feet 3 inches; breadth, 39 feet; depth of hold, 23 feet 1 inch. Captain R. Boaden first commanded her and she was launched in September 1873. She was specially fitted for passenger and emigrants, and throughout her first ten years she usually took aboard 350 to 400 emigrants at Plymouth. Her first fifteen voyages were made to Sydney. She was then put on the Melbourne run for the rest of her time under the White Star flag. Like all the other iron hulled ships, she loaded wool for her homeward passage.

On November 19^th, 1873, Captain Boaden left Plymouth with 180 emigrants in the ‘Tween-decks. In Spite of very light N.E. trades, she was only 22 days to the Equator, crossing the line on December 11^th. Another 22 days took her to the Greenwich Meridian, and the Longitude of the Cape was crossed on January 6^th, 1874. The SAMUEL PLIMSOLL’s best point of sailing was with strong winds on the quarter.

On the maiden passage her best 24-hour run was 340 miles. She arrived on February 1^st, 74 days out from Plymouth. This was the best Sydney passage of the year, the only two ships to come anywhere near it being the CUTTY SARK, 78 days, and PATRIARCH, 79 days. She was quickly loaded with wool and sailed on April 14^th, making the best run home of the whole fleet, arriving in the Thames July 5^th, 82 days out.

Her second voyage was not that great, as she took 88 days going out to Sydney and 103 coming home. In 1875 the SAMUEL PLIMSOLL left Plymouth on August 6^th with 360 emigrants on board and promptly collided with the Italian barque EURICA. The barque sank. Captain Boaden managed to rescue her crew and landed them at Falmouth. No damage being done to the iron hull of the SAMUEL PLIMSOLL, again left Plymouth on August 8^th and arrived at Port Jackson, 75 days out from Plymouth. She had a fine run home of 83 days, only two other ships managing to make better time.

Her forth voyage saw her leaving Plymouth on June 2^nd, 1876. She had 405 emigrants on this trip. She had a great week’s run during this trip – daily runs were as follows: 348, 330, 301, 342, 320, 246, 340, a total of 2,227 miles. Captain Boaden had this passage spoiled on the other side of Tasmania, and the passage totaled to 78 days. Her passage home was also not lucky, taking 92 days to arrive in the Thames.

In 1877 SAMUEL PLIMSOLL left Plymouth on June 9^th, with 78 single women, 105 single men, 72 married couples, and 133 children on board. She reached Port Jackson 79 days out having experienced 8 days of calms during her trip. Her wool passage back was again only average, taking 96 days. In 1878 Captain Boaden, with 450 emigrants, made an average passage out of 86 days but had the best wool passage of the year going back – 80 days.

On her next outward passage the SAMUEL PLIMSOLL was dismasted! Leaving Plymouth on March 21^st, she reached an area a couple of hundred miles from the Equator in 15 days when, at about 8 p.m. she was struck by a sudden and sharp squall from the southward. This resulted in carrying away the bobstay. Before anything could be done, the bowsprit broke short off at the stem head, the foretopmast snapped at the lower cap, and all came down with a crash, taking the main topgallant mast and yards with it. As is usual with squalls of this type, the damage was done very quickly and left the ship lying like a wounded bird upon the water. This leads to a classic tale of real sailing-ship seamanship. An American clipper was in company who immediately altered course and came alongside the SAMUEL PLIMSOLL offering to take the passengers off the ship and take them to their destination. The offer was refused and the American clipper sailed away. The Aberdeen liner then set about righting the ship. So well was the ship refitted that she was able to reel off 2,000 miles in one week down in the "roaring forties". In the end the SAMUEL PLIMSOLL sailed into Sydney harbor on June 12^th, only 83 days out. The American clipper arrived a few days later and, when going ashore, reported the SAMUEL PLIMSOLL dismasted in the middle of the Atlantic and the refusal of her captain to tranship the passengers. The agent indicated that Captain Boaden was in the next room and he could tell him himself! Was the American captain very surprised!

In 1880 SAMUEL PLIMSOLL had good runs out to Sydney and back to London. In 1881 Captain Boaden was too ill to take the ship out and Captain A. Simpson took command of the voyage, being 79 days out and 91 home. Captain Boaden took command again on her next passage out, but did not come home in her due to his poor health.

Captain Henderson then took command of SAMUEL PLIMSOLL and continued to maintain the fine reputation for smart passages of the ship. In 1883 she made her best passage to Sydney, 72 days from Plymouth. In 1888 she made her first passage to Melbourne. She made this passage in 79 days despite a poor start resulting from a heavy westerly gale which kept her hove to for 13 days. She maintained a better then average passage for the rest of the century under Captain Henderson going to Melbourne – 1889, 81 days; 1890, 84 days; 1891, 78 days; 1893, 79 days;1894, 79 days. In 1895 her best run was made to the Horn. In 15 days the old Aberdeen flyer covered 4,020 miles!

In June, 1902, SAMUEL PLIMSOLL was sold to a firm in Billiter Street. In June, 1902, she sailed from Glasgow on what proved to be her first and last voyage to New Zealand. She was off Cape Saunders Light where it was blowing very hard from the South-east. She was allowed to drift all the next day. Early Sunday morning the mainmast broke short off about four feet below the main deck. As a result, the main cap carried away and the mast somehow leapt overboard, taking with it the fore and mizen topgallant masts, without doing more damage than slightly bruising the teak topgallant rail. She was finally towed into Gisborne and later Port Chalmers. It was decided here not to refit her and she was sold for a coal hulk. She was then towed to Sydney and later to Fremantle, where she found her final resting place.