City of Dunedin (ship)
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | City of Dunedin |
| Owner | John Jones and John Cargill |
| Port of registry |  |
| Route | Port Chalmers, Dunedin to Hokitika |
| Builder | Denny & Co, Dumbarton |
| Yard number | 28 |
| Completed | 16 June 1863 |
| Fate | Wrecked 20 May 1865 |
| General characteristics [1][2] | |
| Type | Clipper |
| Tonnage | 327 gross register tons (GRT) |
| Length | 167 ft (51 m) |
| Beam | 22 ft (6.7 m) |
| Depth | 17 ft (5.2 m) |
| Installed power | 2 × 50 hp Denny and Co diagonal boilers |
| Propulsion | paddle |
| Sail plan | schooner rigged |
| Speed | 10 knots |
The City of Dunedin was a 327-ton side wheel paddle steamer wrecked in Cook Strait near Cape Terawhiti on 20 May 1865 while sailing from Wellington to Hokitika via Nelson with the loss of all on board.[3] Captain James Parker Boyd commanded her.[4]
The City of Dunedin was an iron paddle steamer built in Glasgow by Archibald Denny of Dumbarton. She was fitted with 100 hp Denny and Co steam engines. Miss Margaret Robson of Glasgow named her.[citation needed]
She had been built specifically for the coastal trade around New Zealand. She was owned by Jones and Co of Otago.[5][6]
She was described as not being elegant in appearance, but .. handsome proportions, and thorough adaption for the trade in which she is to be employed ... She had a full length spar deck, a new type of windlass to aid mooring and unmooring the vessel. The main deck was 7 feet below the spar deck. She had fore and aft holds, separated by the engine room. Her dimensions were 167 feet long by 23 feet beam. Her fully laden draught was 6.5 feet and her depth 15 feet. Her normal speed was 10 knots. There were 56 berths for passengers.
John Jones who owned a 54/64ths share in the boat had not insured his share. The remaining 10/64th owners had insured their shares.[7]
Maiden voyage
Her maiden voyage from Glasgow to Dunedin under Captain McFarlane took 87 days. She left Glasgow on 9 July and arrived in Dunedin in November.[8] The ships engineers for the journey were inexperienced and did not maintain the engines properly. On reaching the Bay of Biscay the ship no longer ran on steam and had to revert to sail. She put into Madeira to repair the engines and to the Cape Verde Islands to obtain coal. On reaching the equator the ship again reverted to sail until it reached the Solanders.[9] The journey was without incident until 600 miles from the Cape of Good Hope where she ran into strong winds.[10] After arriving at Dunedin she was sent over to Melbourne to be docked as there was no dock at Dunedin.
