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Otago (barque)

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1869 three-masted iron merchant ship

Otago
tumpThis painting, presumed to be the barque Otago, was a cover image for Joseph Conrad's "The Mirror of the Sea".
History
United Kingdom
NameOtago
NamesakeOtago, New Zealand
BuilderAlexander Stephen & Sons, Glasgow
Launched1869
HomeportAdelaide
IdentificationUK Official Number: 63557
FateScrapped near Hobart in Otago bay
General characteristics
Class and typeBarque
Tonnage
Length147 ft (45 m)
Beam26 ft (7.9 m)
Depth14 ft (4.3 m)
Decks2
Sail planThree-masted barque

Otago was a three-masted iron merchant ship of 367 gross register tons (GRT). The Otago was built in Glasgow, launched in 1869, and sailed initially to New Zealand in 1871. The ship was sold to Adelaide businessmen in December 1871 and then remained in Australian management and was scrapped near Hobart.

The Otago was notable as the only command of the novelist Joseph Conrad. He took command of her in Singapore when 30 years old, following the death of its previous captain. He commanded from 1888 – March 1889. The Otago and his experiences are described in his novel The Shadow Line.

After use as a merchant ship the Otago was hulked in 1902, and arrived in Hobart in 1905 for use as a coal hulk by Huddart Parker & Co., who sold the vessel in 1931 for scrap. The vessel's Hobart register was finally closed in 1951. Part of the hulk is still visible along the Derwent River in Otago Bay.

There are other ships named Otago that may be confused with this small barque, notably the larger 1,048 GRT full-rigged clipper Otago, also built in 1869, but as an emigrant ship by Robert Duncan and Company.

References

  1. "Otago-1869". Llyods Register Foundation Heritage & Education Centre. Llyods Register Foundation. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  2. "Joseph Conrad's ship". NZ Geographic. NZ Geographic. March–April 2006. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  3. "View Shipwreck - Otago". Australasian Underwater Cultural Heritage Database. Australian Government. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  4. "HISTORY: Joseph Conrad's Otago and its time in Newcastle". Newcastle Herald. Newcastle Herald. 28 June 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  5. "Otago". Llyods Register Foundation Heritage & Education Centre. Llyods Register Foundation. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
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