 Lothair | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Lothair |
| Owner | William Waker |
| Builder | William Waker, Lavender Dock,Rotherhithe |
| Launched | 2 July 1870 |
| United Kingdom | |
| Owner | Killick Martin & Company, London |
| Acquired | 7 July 1873 |
| United Kingdom | |
| Owner | William Bowen,Llanelly, Carmarthenshire |
| Acquired | 1885 |
 Italy | |
| Owner | G. Buccelli & D. Loero,Genoa, Italy |
| Acquired | 1891 |
 Peru | |
| Owner | F.G. Piaggio,Callao, Peru |
| Acquired | 1905 |
| Fate | Lost in 1910 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Compositeclipper |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 191.8 ft (58.5 m)[1] |
| Beam | 33.5 ft (10.2 m)[1] |
| Depth | 19 ft (5.8 m)[1] |
| Sail plan | fully rigged ship[1] |
Lothair was a Britishclipper built by William Walker and launched inRotherhithe,London, on 2 July 1870.[1] After many years of service as atea clipper, she was operated by merchants in Italy and Peru before being lost in 1910.
Lothair was named after British Prime MinisterBenjamin Disraeli's 14th novelLothair, published on 2 May 1870.[1] The novel was well received and evenCharles Dickens welcomed Disraeli back to the "brotherhood of literature". The first edition sold out immediately. A degree ofLothair mania struck England, with a perfume, a racehorse, a street and a ship all being named after the novel. A perfume with the name Lothair is still produced today byPenhaligon's, who were perfumers toQueen Victoria.
Lothair was of composite construction, planked in rock elm and teak. The fore and main lower masts were of iron - all other spars were of wood. She was probably the last composite ship built on the Thames.[1]: 213–216
The launch ofLothair was celebrated in some style.C. Fox Smith describes the event as follows:
At the time of her launch the Thames shipbuilding trade had been greatly depressed for some years, so the event was hailed as an augury of better times in store. She took the water in July, 1870, amid the cheers of a large crowd of spectators, and the launch was followed by a big luncheon, presided over by Mr. Walker, at which many leading shipping people were present.
Lothair was one of the fastest tea clippers, judged to be in the top dozen or so by Andrew Shewen.[1]: 139 On her maiden voyage under Captain Emlyn Peacock, departing London on 10 September 1870, she reachedYokohama, Japan, in 135 days. There is a contemporary description of her speed, quoted in Stuart Rankin'sShipyards, Granaries and Wharves walk:[2]
I was second mate of a Newbury Port ship, and we were running our easting down bound out toCanton, and we were somewhere nearTristan d'Acunha when we sighted a vessel astern. It was blowing hard from the nor' west and the next time I looked a couple of hours later, there was the ship close on our quarter, and we doing 12 knots. "Holly jiggers" says I to the mate "there's theFlying Dutchman "Naw," says he, "It's theThermopylae."But when she was abeam a little later, she hoisted her name, the Lothair, and it's been my opinion ever since that she was making mighty close to 17 knots.
This was quite a compliment – theFlying Dutchman was a ghost ship of maritime legend, and theThermopylae was renowned as the fastest tea clipper on the sea, a reputation seriously challenged only by theCutty Sark. Records of some of theLothair's achievements are as follows:
In 1873,Lothair was purchased byKillick Martin & Company, the company led by CaptainJames Killick ofChallenger fame, and sailed in the tea trade to ports such as London, New York City, Yokohama and Hong Kong.[1] David MacGregor adds that in 1873–1874, under the ownership of Killick Martin & Company, she made the fastest passage in the fairmonsoon betweenHong Kong andDeal, which took her only 89 days.[1]: 244 She was particularly fast in light winds.[1]
In 1885, Killick Martin & Company soldLothair to William Bowen,Llanelly, Carmarthenshire, for use in the South American trade. Though she also sailed to China again under this ownership).
In 1891, she was sold to G. Buccelli & D. Loero, ofGenoa, Italy, and finally in 1905 to F.G. Piaggio, ofCallao, Peru.Lothair was lost in about 1910.[1]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1910 | |
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