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White Wings Vol I. Fifty Years Of Sail In The New Zealand Trade, 1850 TO 1900

The Grasmere

The Grasmere.

The handsome full-rigged ship Grasmere, a vessel of over 1200 tons, was chiefly engaged in the Australian trade. She was chartered on three occasions by the New Zealand Shipping Co., and first made her appearance at Auckland in 1883, after a passage of 93 days. She had a good run to Tasmania, which was passed on the eighty-third day out from Gravesend, thence she met with unfavourable weather and north-east winds until sighting the North Cape.

In 1885 the same vessel left London on March 25. She was then converted into a barque. the Grasmere had a good run to the Equator, which was made in 25 days; thence light and unfavourable winds to the Cape. From this point to the coast of New Zealand the winds were again unfavourable, and altogether unprecedented in the long experience of Captain Raymond, who reported there never was a westerly wind of any strength, causing the voyage to be of such uncommon length. Mokohinau light was passed early on the morning of July 6, when a terrible gale was encountered, and the barque had a narrow escape of running ashore. The wind came out suddenly from the east, and soon was blowing a fierce gale. At between 8 and 10 a.m. the fury of the storm was extreme. At one time the ship was only four miles from the land, and Captain Raymond found himself in an awkward position on a lee shore. The vessel was kept close hauled, but the gale increased in violence, with a heavy sea running, and to add to the danger the sails were blown from their bolt ropes as if they were pocket handkerchiefs. To make matters worse heavy rain set in, thus hiding the land; not a ship's length ahead could be seen. At 8 p.m. the gale was at its height, the squalls coming down with hurricane force, and it was feared the ship's spars might go at any moment. At 10 p.m. Captain Raymond thought nothing could save the ship from going ashore, but shortly afterwards the wind veered to the north-east, and he was enabled to head the vessel further off land. When the weather cleared the ship's position was found to be between the Little Barrier Island and the mainland. the Grasmere arrived at Auckland the following day, having been 103 days on the passage. She sailed from Auckland on August 20 in ballast, bound for Portland, Oregon.

During this storm other vessels on the coast suffered, and the schooner Fleetwing, owned by Messrs. Oxley Bros., was dismasted. She left Auckland two days before the gale, and struck it off the Hen and Chickens. At one time it was feared the schooner would capsize, lying on her beam ends, everything movable being washed away. The position was so critical that the master decided to chop away the mainmast, which allowed the vessel to right herself somewhat. The Fleetwing, with the change of wind, managed to return to port.

The barque Grasmere was trading to Australia during the next ten years, and in 1897 was once more charteredpage 283 by the New Zealand Shipping Co. She sailed from London on May 6, and arrived at Wellington on August 5, in command of Captain Fletcher, making the passage in 95 days. On this voyage the Grasmere encountered a terrific gale on July 12, during which a heavy sea broke aboard in tons, sweeping the vessel from stem to stern. Two boats and everything movable on deck were washed away and three of the deck hands were taken clean over the side, but they managed to hold on to ropes until another sea washed them back again. Another seaman was dashed to the deck and received serious injuries. Heavy gales continued until nearng Australia. the Grasmere, after discharging, proceeded to Port Chalmers, where she loaded for London.

In 1862, a barque by the same name but spelt with double "s," a vessel of 432 tons, sailed out from London to Port Chalmers under Captain C. Turner, arriving on the 5th September. After a lengthy passage of 127 days this barque was placed in the inter-colonial trade and she was engaged carrying timber from the Kaipara to Melbourne in 1864-5. Later she traded between Newcastle and New Zealand ports. In 1895 the Grassmere (I believe it was the same barque) sailed from Newcastle with a cargo of 650 tons of coal for the Union S.S. Co., and on December 25, when in a heavy sea near Cape Terawhiti, she struck on a reef inside of Tom's Rock, and sank almost immediately. Captain Morison and the crew had barely time to get into the boats before the vessel disappeared. The boats were blown off the land and were picked up by the cable steamer Terranora when they were drifting out to sea.