'SOMERSETSHIRE'
The ship is governed by a patent steering apparatus, fixed immediately before the mizzen-mast.
The compass is fitted on a peculiar erection, and is at least twelve feet distant from any iron.
Cost over £70,000 to build.
22nd August 1867. Sailed from the East India Dock for Gravesend.
24th August 1867. Took on passengers and sailed from Gravesend for Plymouth.
25th August 1867. Anchored off Girdler Beacon for the night.
28th August 1867. Sailed from Plymouth for Melbourne, Captain J. S. Atwood.
5th November 1867. Arrived at Melbourne. Consumption of coal 360 tons.
3rd May 1868. Arrived at Plymouth from London for Melbourne.
6th August 1868. Sailed from Melbourne.
9th September 1868. Rounded Cape Horn.
2nd October 1868. Crossed the Equator.
8th October 1868. Called in at Porto Braya, St. Jago, Cape de Verde and coaled.
9th October 1868. Sailed from Porto Braya.
29th October 1868. Arrived at Plymouth with 48,000 ounces of gold, wool, bark, tallow, preserved meats, etc, with 54 cabin and 125 ‘tween deck passengers.
30th October 1868. Picked up the pilot at Dungeness.
28th November 1868. Due to sail from London for Melbourne, Captain J.S.Atwood.
9th March 1869. Sailed from Melbourne with 41,351 ounces of gold, one box containing 4,500 sovereigns, 50 tons copper ore, 360 tons tallow, 1,900 bales of wood and leather, 2,000 bags of wheat, and 1,200 cases of preserved meat, with 55 cabin, and 123 steerage passengers.
1st April 1869. Rounded Cape Horn.
22nd April 1869. Crossed the Equator.
9th May 1869. Arrived off Start Point.
12th May 1869. Passed Plymouth bound for London.
26th June 1869. Due to sail from London for Melbourne, Captain J.S.Atwood.
2nd July 1869. Sailed from Plymouth for Melbourne with 94 crew, 50 first, 43 second, and 91 third class passengers.
7th July 1869. Stopped engines for repair. Repaired same day.
16th July 1869. Mrs. Atwood's (Captains wife) terrier dag was missing, supposed to have fallen overboard.
19th July 1869. Crossed the line – The Captain reported to the passengers that he would have to raise the screw to avoid its catching on it, as once caught, no one could tell where it might end up.
21st July 1869. Richard Golding, crew, fell down the hatchway and severely injured himself, fracturing some ribs.
23rd July 1869. One of the stowaways refused to work, was insolent and used threatening language, was put in irons and locked up.
24th July 1869. The stowaway was released, and promised better behavior; he was put to work in the stoke-hole.
15th August 1869. Strong gale, with heavy squalls; high sea running, hatches battened down, shipped heavy sea over starboard beam, washing harness casks adrift, and flooding the panty and after ‘tween decks.
20th August 1869. Reported in ship’s paper – Some albatrosses have been seen in our wake, and as we now have turned the corner and are bearing away towards the Cape, we expect to see more of these curious birds.
30th August 1869. Arrived at Melbourne.
5th October 1869. Sailed from Melbourne.
28th October 1869. Rounded Cape Horn.
20th November 1869. Crossed the Equator.
6th December 1869. Mr. Allen, one of the passengers, expired.
16th December 1869. Passed Plymouth bound for London with 13,000 ounces of gold, and two boxes of silver, and the cargo consists of 2,200 bales of wool, 300 bales of leather, 160 bales of bazils, 2,130 cases and 169 casks of preserved ment, 3,391 bags of rice, 726 casks of tallow, 100 casks sundries, and 40 tons antimony, plus 132 passengers.
27th January 1870. Sailed from Plymouth, Captain J. S. Atwood, for Melbourne. She takes a full general cargo, 60 first-class and 170 second and third-class passengers, including Judge Chapman and a number of influential colonists, one of whom (Mr. Austin) has in the ship several valuable rams, for the improvement of the sheep in New South Wales.
July 1870. Went into dry dock to have her hull painted.
15th August 1870. Due to sail from Plymouth, Captain J. S. Atwood, for Melbourne, with a large number of 200 first and second class passengers, 100 Government emigrants, and a fair amount of cargo. Among her passengers were the Hon. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Sladen, Hon. Walter Stuart, son of Lord Blantyre, Captain Grantham, and Mr. Cecil Daly, etc.
26th March 1871. Sailed from Plymouth, Captain J. S. Atwood, for Melbourne.
21st October 1871. Left the Docks and proceeded to Gravesend.
23rd October 1871. Sailed from Gravesend, but was obliged to anchor after about an hour and a half on account of a dense fog.
24th October 1871. Sailed again.
27th October 1871. Arrived at Plymouth to embark passengers for Melbourne.
30th October 1871. Sailed from Plymouth, Captain J. S. Atwood, for Melbourne.
5th November 1871. Passed Madeira.
16th November 1871. Crossed the line.
9th November 1871. Death of Mrs. Thomas Suckling, a third-class passenger. The cause of death was extreme debility, aggravated by sea sickness.
5th December 1871. Passed the Meridian of the Cape of Good Hope.
9th December 1871. Birth of a daughter to Mrs. Blackwall, 2nd class passenger.
12th December 1871. Caught an Albatross. Mr. Holland died, 1st class passenger.
19th December 1871. Main topsail and main royal both blew away.
28th December 1871. Arrived at Melbourne.
27th December 1872. Due to sail from Plymouth, Captain J.S. Atwood, for Melbourne.
28th March 1873. Sailed from Melbourne for London.
22nd May 1873. Sailed from St. Vincent.
10th June 1873. Arrived in Plymouth Sound, from Melbourne. She brings nearly 400 passengers, including Chief Justice Stawell, late acting Governor of Victoria. Mr. Sedden, attorney, of Melbourne, died on board. A large number of passengers were landed at this port.
23rd July 1873. Sailed from London for Plymouth.
26th July 1873. Sailed from Plymouth, Captain J.S.Atwood, for Melbourne.
6th September 1873. Sever gale. The maintopsail was blown out of the bolt ropes, and went clean away out of sight.
17th September 1873. Another sever gale.
23rd September 1873. Arrived at Melbourne as a full ship as regards passengers and cargo. Had one death that of an infant of a few months old from natural causes. The voyage was reported by the passengers as having been very pleasant and an address conveying an expression of this feeling was drawn up and presented to Captain Atwood just prior to her arrival.
28th October 1873. Sailed from Melbourne for London.
14th November 1873. Hit by a storm which a sea struck the vessel and stove in some of the stern cabin windows and flooded the cabins.
17th November 1873. A tremendous sea struck, penetrated the cabin, dashed a boat on the after-hatch, and stove it in. Down this aperture the water streamed from the upper deck and flooded the lower one. Soon after a heavy barrel of pork broke loose, fell down the broken hatchway and stove it in. The entire starboard bulwarks with two main spars attached, were carried away. One of the two boats that were floating loose about the deck struck the boatswain, and he died soon afterwards. Two firemen in coming up from the engine-room were washed overboard, and the captain was so seriously injured that he had to be carried down into his cabin.
18th November 1873. The storm over and it was found that the foretopmast had gone clean overboard, together with all the yards except the lower foreyard.
29th November 1873. Arrived at Valparaiso for repairs.
February/March 1874. Some alterations to her sails, instead of being a full rigged ship, she has been stripped of all her square canvas, except on the foremast.
25th April 1874. Put into Plymouth after striking western end of Plymouth Breakwater, and was assisted off and into harbor by the ‘Scotia’, a Government steamer.
28th April 1874. Sailed from Plymouth, Captain H. Farquhar Holt, for Melbourne, after the ship being examined by divers, and found to have sustained no damage.
3rd May 1874. Passed Madeira.
14th May 1874. Crossed the Equator.
30th May 1874. Passed the Cape of Good Hope.
25th June 1874. Arrived at Melbourne.
24th July 1874. Due to sail for London.
9th April 1875. Arrived and sailed from St.Vincent for London.
21st April 1875. Passed Plymouth bound for London.
23th May 1875. Due to sail from London, Captain H.Farquhar Holt, for Melbourne.
24th May 1875. Sailed from Plymouth with 50 first and 200 second and third-class passengers in addition to a small mail and a full general cargo.
18th July 1875. Arrived at Melbourne after a passage of 54 days.
25th November 1875. Sailed from Plymouth, Captain H. Farquhar Holt, with 300 passengers, a small mail and a full general cargo for Melbourne.
19th February 1876. Sailed from Melbourne.
8th April 1876. Arrived at St.Vincent bound for London.
9th April 1876. Sailed from St. Vincent.
21st April 1876. Passed Plymouth bound for London. Just off the Eddystone she transferred to No 5 cutter 12 passengers to be landed at Plymouth.
June 1876. Fitted with new boilers and it is expected that she will now rival the fast passage made by the steamships 'Durham' and 'Northumberland'.
1st July 1876. Sailed from Plymouth, Captain H. Farquhar Holt, with 70 first, 210 second and third class passengers, a large number whom embarked at Plymouth and sailed for Melbourne.
24th July 1876. Put into St.Helens to land letters and did not anchor, bound for Melbourne.
20th September 1876. Arrived at Melbourne.
17th November 1876. Passed Plymouth from Melbourne after a passage of 54 days and landed by a pilot cutter passengers and mails.
29th December 1876. Arrived in the Downs.
2nd January 1877. Sailed from the Downs after being detained for five days due to the bad weather.
3rd January 1877. Arrived at Plymouth to pick up some passengers who have escaped a very stormy and unpleasant passage down the channel.
5th January 1877. Sailed from Plymouth, Captain H. Farquhar Holt, for Melbourne. She takes out 70 first and 152 second and third class passengers. Embarked at Plymouth 14 first and 98 second and third class passengers.
29th June 1877. Due to sail from Plymouth, Captain H.Farquhar Holt, for Melbourne. She had on board 31 saloon, 152 second and third class passengers. The number embarked at Plymouth was 33.
21st August 1877. Arrived at Melbourne.
16th September 1877. Sailed from Melbourne for London.
6th November 1877. Sailed from St.Vincent.
3rd January 1878. Sailed from Plymouth, Captain H. Farquhar Holt, for Melbourne with 215 passengers, and a full general cargo. She will call at St. Vincent on her way to fill up with coals and on her return voyage she will come home through the Suez Canal.
26th February 1878. Arrived at Melbourne.
21st April 1878. Arrived at Aden bound for London.
21st June 1878. Arrived at Plymouth from London and embarked 28 passengers.
22nd June 1878. Sailed from Plymouth, Captain H. Farquhar Holt, for Melbourne with a large number of passengers.
13th August 1878. Arrived at Melbourne.
14th December 1878. Sailed from London, Captain H. Farquhar Holt, for Melbourne.
16th December 1878. Arrived at Plymouth.
17th December 1878. Sailed from Plymouth after embarking six cabin, 23 second and third-class passengers.
12th February 1879. Arrived at Melbourne.
11th June 1879. Arrived and sailed from Plymouth, Captain R. Ticehurst, for Melbourne. She embarked 50 passengers and takes out about 300 in all.
11th August 1879. Arrived at Melbourne.
7th September 1879. Sailed from Melbourne for London.
21st October 1879. Arrived at Suez Canal on passage to London.
27th October 1879. Passed Malta.
13th December 1879. Sailed from London for Melbourne. On proceeding to the company’s buoy off Gravesend another steamer ran into her, smashing her port lifeboat, besides inflicting other damage.
14th December 1879. While at anchor, off Gravesend, the steamer ‘Diomeda’ bore down upon her in a thick fog, and collided with her on the starboard side and carried away the davits, broke the water-pope, and damaged her bow.
17th December 1879. The fog had cleared and started going down the river and came into collision with a barge, carrying away the mast, inflicting other injuries and creating the utmost consternation among the women and children on board. Remained off Thames Haven all night.
18th December 1879. Set sail again and at 6·30 p.m. an ordinary seaman, Claude Carlberg, a Swede, was on the bowsprit, when a gust of wind took the sail, and instead of the poor fellow loosening his hold, he clung to it. The sail capsized and he was flung overboard, coming in contact with the poop on the way down. The man was at first seen in the water, but in the darkness he was soon lost sight of.
19th December 1879. Just off Eastbourne the American schooner ‘Hattie MacFarlane’ ran into her on the port bow, carried away her jibboom, and knocked a big hole in her bow about a foot the load-line. Into this water rushed in until a plug was inserted in the hole.
20th December 1879. Arrived at Plymouth, but had done serious damage to the schooner'Hattie MacFarlane' the night before, and the 'Somersetshire' was put under arrest. During the day great activity prevailed on board in replacing the jibboom and in making good the other damage.
22nd December 1879. After paying a bond she set sail from Plymouth at 2·15 p.m.
14th February 1880. Arrived at Melbourne.
28th March 1880. Sailed from Melbourne.
25th April 1880. Arrived at Aden.
19th May 1880. Passed Gibraltar bound for London.
25th May 1880. Arrived at Falmouth, landed nine passengers, reported to be working on only one engine.
5th August 1880. Sailed from London, Captain R.Ticehurst, for Melbourne and Sydney. She embarked the mails and 20 passengers.
8th August 1880. Sailed from Plymouth.
23rd August 1870. Mr. Grant, a saloon passenger died from nervous affection.
8th September 1780. An awkward mishap to her machinery. Delayed for two days.
2nd October 1880. Arrived at Melbourne.
14th January 1881. Arrived at St. Vincent.
Laid up for the rest of the year.
September 1881. Sold for conversion into a sailing vessel to J.R.Renner, Liverpool.
1882. Owned by Captain Richards.
1885. Renamed 'Prince Edward' owned by Actieselskabet 'Prince Edward' (mag: A.Sahlgaard), Christiania (Oslo).
(1896) mng: P.H.Roer.
1898. Posted missing.
