Lalla Rookh (1856 ship) facts for kids
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
|
| Name | Lalla Rookh |
| Owner | William Prowse & Co. |
| Builder | Liverpool |
| Launched | 1856 |
| Fate | Wrecked on rocks off Prawle Point, Devon, 3 March 1873 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Tea clipper |
| Tons burthen | 869 tons |
| Length | 179 feet (55 m) |
| Depth of hold | 20 feet (6.1 m) |
The Lalla Rookh was a fast-moving sailing ship built in 1856. She was an 869-ton tea clipper, which means she was designed to carry tea quickly from China to Britain. This ship was made of iron and had square sails. She was owned by William Prowse & Co. from Liverpool, England.
Lalla Rookh was used for trading goods with India and China. Later, in 1871, she was advertised to carry passengers to Australia. Sadly, the ship was completely wrecked near Prawle Point, Devon, on March 3, 1873. One crew member and all of her valuable cargo of tea and tobacco were lost.
About the Lalla Rookh
The Lalla Rookh was a special type of sailing ship called a tea clipper. These ships were built to be very fast. Their main job was to bring tea from China to Britain as quickly as possible. The ship was made of iron and had square sails.
She was built in 1856 in Liverpool, Lancashire. The ship weighed 869 tons. She was about 179 feet (55 m) long and 33 feet (10 m) wide. Her cargo hold was 20 feet (6.1 m) deep. The main owner was William Prowse & Co. of Liverpool.
Journeys of the Lalla Rookh
The Lalla Rookh mostly carried tea from China to Britain. This was a very important trade route at the time.
Over the years, different captains commanded the ship. These included Captain "Connibe'r" (possibly Colliver) from 1860–61, T. Brown from 1865–66, Wilson from 1865–66 and 1870–71, and Fullerton from 1872–73.
In October 1859, another ship called the Ida crashed into a ship named Lallah Rookh in Liverpool. The Ida sank but was later brought back up. All the crew members were safe.
In April 1867, the Lallah Rookh sailed from Liverpool to Calcutta, India, under Captain Wilson.
In 1871, the ship was checked and approved by Lloyd's Register. This meant she was considered safe and strong for another 21 years of sailing.
Later in 1871, the Lalla Rookh started offering trips for passengers. She was advertised as a packet ship that could take people to places like Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, and Hobart in Australia. The advertisements said she was a high-quality iron clipper and had once sailed to Bombay in just 89 days.
The Shipwreck
On March 3, 1873, the Lalla Rookh was on her way back from Shanghai, China. She had left China on October 22, 1872. The ship was carrying a huge amount of cargo: 1300 tons of tea and 60 tons of tobacco.
As she approached Prawle Point, Devon, the ship hit a rock at Gammon Head. There were 19 people on board, including Captain Fullerton. Most of them managed to jump onto the nearby rocks. The coastguards from Prawle helped by firing a rocket that carried a buoy line to the ship.
Sadly, the ship's mate drowned while trying to launch the ship's lifeboat. An American stowaway, who had been very ill during the journey, also died around the time of the wreck.
The cause of the wreck was described as a mistake in steering. It happened during a thick fog. Captain Fullerton acted bravely, trying to save the ship and its crew. An investigation was held into the sinking. It was noted that while efforts were made, two important lead lines (used to measure water depth) on deck were not used.
The ship was worth about £10,000, and its cargo was worth £50,000. However, the total insurance for both was only £10,000.
The remains of the Lalla Rookh still lie under the sand at Elender Cove. Within a few weeks of the wreck, parts of the cargo and pieces of the ship washed up on nearby beaches, including Slapton Sands. People reported seeing tea and tobacco piled up to 11 feet (3.4 m) high in some places.
The Figurehead
The figurehead from the front of the Lalla Rookh was found intact in 1939. It had washed up on the coast of Jersey.
This figurehead is now kept in the Long John Silver Collection at the Cutty Sark in Greenwich, London. The Cutty Sark is another famous tea clipper that is now a museum ship. The figurehead shows Princess Lalla Rookh, a character from a romantic poem written by Thomas Moore in 1817, also called Lalla Rookh.
