 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | William D. Lawrence |
| Owner | William Dawson Lawrence and James Ellis |
| Port of registry | Maitland,Nova Scotia |
| Builder | William D. Lawrence Shipyard, MaitlandNova Scotia |
| Laid down | 1872 |
| Launched | October 27, 1874 |
| Maiden voyage | 1874-1875 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Stranded English Channel, 1891, converted to barge, sunk inDakar. |
| Notes | RenamedKommander Svend Foyn, 1883 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 2459 Gross Tons |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 48 ft (15 m) |
| Depth | 29 ft (8.8 m) |
| Decks | 2 |
| Propulsion | Sail |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
William D. Lawrence was afull-rigged sailing ship built inMaitland,Nova Scotia, along theMinas Basin and named after her builder, the merchant and politicianWilliam Dawson Lawrence (1817–1886).
Built in 1874 at theWilliam D. Lawrence Shipyard in Maitland, she was the largest wooden sailing ship of her day, one of thelargest wooden ships ever built and the largest sailing ship ever built inCanada.[a] William Lawrence was a fierce opponent ofCanadian Confederation which he predicted would bring ruin to Nova Scotia's flourishing shipbuilding industry. Initially planning to build a smaller vessel, he deliberately increased the size ofWilliam D. Lawrence to create a landmark vessel for the province's shipping industry before it declined. The vessel defied critics who claimed that a wooden vessel of its size would be unmanageable and lose money.
After several profitable years, the ship was sold to Norwegian owners in 1883 and renamedKommandør Svend Foyn. She was stranded in theEnglish Channel in 1891 and converted to a barge, later sinking inDakar,Senegal.
In 1930, William D. Lawrence and his great ship were commemorated by theBank of Nova Scotia, which placed a stone carving of the ship above the door of the head office building inHalifax, Nova Scotia (located on Hollis Street, directly across fromProvince House). A monument dedicated to Lawrence's ship as a national historic treasure was erected on the grounds of his home in 1967, and his home was opened to the public as a provincial museum site on August 11, 1971. The ship has also been commemorated by the Canada Post with a postage stamp (1975) and theRoyal Canadian Mint with a coin (2002).
The ship was the subject of at least three formal ship portraits, one at theNova Scotia Museum displayed at Lawrence House in Maitland,[2] one at theNova Scotia Archives and Records Management in Halifax[3] and one byEdouard-Marie Adam at theMusée national de la Marine inParis, France.[4]
The vessel's achievement is commemorated in Maitland by aNational Historic Site monument at the restored home of her builder, Lawrence House, part of theNova Scotia Museum.[5] Maitland celebrates the launch ofWilliam D. Lawrence every September at a weekend festival called "Launch Days".[6]
