FAMOUS CLIPPERS AS HULKS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 112, 29 January 1918, Page 8

FAMOUS CLIPPERS AS HULKS

NEW POSSIBILITIES FOB AUS- ' TRALIA'S FINE FLEET. If the fine old. hulks which are now being used as storeships in Australia were owned in other parts of tho world they would have long ago been refitted and sent to sea to carry cargoes, says Sydney. "Sun." . . Both Norway and Sweden' have commissioned hulks which are anything up to 100 years old, and even wrecks which have been discarded for many years were refloated and put into the business which is building fortunes in a day. The hulks in Australia are mostly in a good state of preservation, and perhaps without exception could undertake' sea voyages. Before the war everyone believed that the sailing ship had had its day, and with the advent of big, fast steamers, the windjammers had no chance of successfully competing for cargoes. For those reasons, many a fine old sailer was dismantled and put out of the, sea business, to end her days holding, coal for the-ships that had replaced her. Some of the famous "Lochs" were acquired by Australian firms at a, low price, but were not used to carry on trade outside the ports. Every sailing ship- purchased was built in the days when vessels were wanted to last a man's lifetime, consequently when they were turned into hulks they still had many years of seagoing service in them. They have not been subjected to anything but careful handling since then, for companies recognised that they would, with ordinary care, last for many years. In Melbourne there are eight hulks which could be converted' into firstclass sailers at a reasonable cost, and something should be done to make better use of them than is the case at present. The Loch Ness and the I.och 'lay are both at Adelaide doing good work which could easily he. replaced by something of a more national value. Both these vessels were built at Glasgow in 1869, and though well over 40 years old would still be sea-, worthy at the end of another 20 years. Another of that groat line doing hulk i dutv is the Loch. Katrine, owned by Dalgety and Co., of Sydney. Then there is the Fortuna, formerly the famous clipper Macqnarie, a vessel of which everv British shipping man was proud: This vessel, if refitted, could undertake a voyage to any part-of the world. The Pam, formerly known as the Lady Palmerston, is also at Sydney. At Fremantle, perhaps, the most | suitable hulk would be the old Con- j cordia, which, after being ashore in j Wl<l. was purchased by M'llwraith, M'Eacharn. _ She is a vessel is 1076 tons, built in 1890. The County of Caithness iB owned by the same firm, arid does the sarno class of work. Two of the fleet at Melbourne are worth considering. They are the Cumbrian and Kelat, both of more than 1000 tons. It might also be possible to revive the Josefa, now at Toiynsville. She was built in 1872 at n Glasgow yard. In addition to the names given there are many of smaller tonnage, all of which, however, could be profitably employed at the present time. In addjtion_ to the vessels mentioned, ii" 10 t ls a smaller hulks, all of which could be made seaworth:—Casablanca, 547-tons (built at I/iverponl in 1868); Dunloe, 647 (Glas--1? T 7o ) Je , ssie Craig, 637 (Govan, 1576); Laira, 464 (Sunderland, 1870); Marjorie Craig, 481 (Androssan, 1871); Mary Moore, 490 (Glasgow, 1868); Onyx .196 (Durban, 1864); Rathlin Island, 552 (Liverpool, ISSa'*; River Lovno, 466 (Govan, 1867); Moe. 748 (WpooL 1876); TTlloch, 790 (Aber--1865) TocopiHa, 439 (Glasgow,