Ganges (1861) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids History |
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|---|---|
 United Kingdom |
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| Name | Ganges |
| Owner | Nourse Line |
| Builder | William Pile, Sunderland |
| Launched | 9 July 1861 |
| Fate | Wrecked 14 October 1881 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Sailing ship |
| Tons burthen | 839 tons, later 1161 tons |
| Length | 192 ft (59 m) |
| Beam | 33.2 ft (10.1 m) |
| Draught | 20.6 ft (6.3 m) |
The Ganges was a large sailing ship that sailed the seas in the 1800s. It was the very first of three ships owned by the Nourse Line to be named after the famous Ganges river in northern India.
Contents
Building and Early Journeys
The Ganges was built by William Pile in Sunderland, England. It was launched on July 9, 1861. For its time, the Ganges was considered a very big ship. It had a special carving on its front, called a figurehead, which looked like Mother Ganges. This was a symbol of new life and growth.
Right after it was built, the Ganges sailed to India. Its main job was to trade goods between Calcutta (in India) and Australia. The ship was rented out to a company that moved things like sugar, coffee, rum, and molasses. It also transported people called indentured labourers. These were people who agreed to work for a certain time in a new country to pay for their journey there.
Voyages to the West Indies
The Nourse Line became very involved in transporting Indian indentured labourers to the West Indies. The Ganges made four trips to Trinidad for this purpose.
- On April 9, 1872, it carried 408 labourers. Six people sadly passed away during this trip.
- The second trip on May 11, 1874, transported 383 labourers, with five deaths.
- The third journey, on February 10, 1876, carried 379 passengers, and three people died.
- The fourth trip, on February 5, 1878, carried 477 passengers, and 14 people died.
The Ganges also made a journey to St Lucia. On its way back to India in 1867, it brought 451 labourers who were returning home after their work contracts ended.
A Fast Ship
The Ganges was known for being a fast ship. It could travel from British Guiana to Cape Town in just 42 days! However, the ship was later made longer by 35 feet (11 m). This made it bigger, increasing its weight from 839 tons to 1161 tons. But this change also made the ship slower.
The Final Journey
On October 14, 1881, the Ganges was on its way from Middlesbrough to Calcutta, carrying railway iron. Sadly, it was wrecked on Goodwin Sands off the coast of Kent, England. Three people lost their lives in the shipwreck.
See also
- Ganges (1882)
- SS Ganges
- Indian Indenture Ships to Fiji
- Indian indenture system
