Summary

The clipper ship 'Loch Maree' was built by Barclay, Curle & Co. in Glasgow in 1873 (1581 GRT). It was operated by the Loch Line on the England-Australia route but disappeared without trace after leaving Geelong for London with a cargo of wool in October 1881.

According to a later account, this model represents the ship dismasted off the Canary Islands in 1873 enroute from Glasgow to Australia under Captain McCallum. "Ten days out from Glasgow on her maiden voyage she was hit by a squall off the Canary Islands. Sharp up on the starboard tack she was caught flat aback and the parting of the head-stays brought down the fore-royal and sky-sail masts. With the fore and aft stays gone the main suffered in the same way; the heavy pitch pine top mast in its descent breaking in two the 87-foot main yards at the slings. The mizzen mast was the last to go over and the crew found themselves at the finish with the three lower masts still intact and their driving power down to a fore-sail, cro'jack and lower mizzentop-sail. Everything was cut away thus preventing the heavy broken spars from damaging the shell-plating and under this abbreviated rig the ship was headed for Gibraltar. Her sailing powers were so good she reeled off 12 knots on the passage and easily out-sailed an 800 ton barque with all sails set outside the Straits of Gibraltar."

This model was made by John Merriman of Melbourne who served his apprenticeship on this vessel and was on board during the dismasting. The model was subsequently acquired for the Museum through the composer Percy Grainger in 1936. Grainger had a long-standing interest in sailing ships.

More Information