Tod & Macgregor Shiplist
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Yard No.: |
77 |
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Name: |
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Year: |
1855 |
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Description: |
Passenger Ship |
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Webpage: |
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Picture: |
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Tonnage: |
2,470 |
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Length: |
312 |
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Width: |
40.2 |
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H.P.: |
460 |
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Type: |
Iron, two horizontal trunk engines |
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Customer: |
Inman |
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Fate: |
Wrecked near Cape Sable on 7/7/1873 due to a defective compass, with no loss of life. |
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Points of Note: |
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Date of Launch: |
1st August 1855 |
Notes:
In 1854 William Inman was able to do without his partners, the Quaker Richardson Brothers, and assume sole management over the "Liverpool, New York and Philadelphia Steamship Company". He soon chartered the City of Manchester, City of Baltimore, and later the City of Washington to the French Government on excellent terms.
The Inman Line put the City of Baltimore and City of Washington on service, after some delay owing to French transport service. They were of the usual Inman type, with a gross tonnage of about 2,470 and engines of 500 n.h.p.
Although she never actually won the Blue Riband the City of Baltimore was a very fast ship, her day's run of 390 miles being a record, but the City of Washington being remembered chiefly for her extraordinary and continued bad luck.
[A Century of Atlantic Travel, FG Bowen]
The City of Washington was built in 1855 by Tod & MacGregor, Glasgow for the Inman Line of Liverpool. This was a 2,381 gross ton ship, length 319ft x beam 40ft, clipper stem, one funnel, three masts (rigged for sail), iron construction, single screw and a speed of 10 knots. Launched on 1/8/1855, she sailed in September of that year from Liverpool to Marseilles, where she was chartered to the French government and used as a Crimean War transport.
On 5/11/1856 she commenced her first Liverpool - Philadelphia voyage and after this one voyage, inaugurated Inman Line's Liverpool - New York service, leaving Liverpool on 31/12/1856. In November 1864 she was reconditioned and fitted with new boilers after having completed 63 North Atlantic round voyages.
In 1864 she was reconditioned and given new boilers.
In 1869 she was rebuilt to a length of 358ft and 2,870 tons and on 5/6/1869 commenced her first voyage after alterations from Liverpool to Queenstown (Cobh), Halifax and New York. She was wrecked near Cape Sable on 7/7/1873 due to a defective compass, with no loss of life.
[North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor, vol.1, p.239]
