Sunday, July 14, 2013

We used to build things in this country #118. The Ship Rock Terrace

Shown on the stocks in Saint John, New Brunswick nearing completion, the Rock Terrace was launched in 1875 for the Troop Fleet. The full-rigged ship was one of about 70 that David Lynch built over a 42 year career.
This ship gained some dubious fame when it was abandoned off Guam in 1888 after it struck a coral reef and started sinking. The ship then sailed unmanned for the next 5 months till it ran aground at Tarawa.
I also came upon a reported 1876 incident where the crew of the ship Rock Terrace had refused to sail her after it was alleged that the ship had been overloaded with a cargo of guano while in Peru. The court case and parliamentary details are here on page 113-140.


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