SS Ravenscrag facts for kids
The Ravenscrag was a famous ship, but it's not the only one with that name! There have been several ships called Ravenscrag or Ravenscraig, some powered by sails and others by steam. One special sailing ship named Ravenscrag made history in 1879. It brought Portuguese immigrants to the Hawaiian Islands. These immigrants then shared the ukulele with everyone, making it a big part of Hawaiian culture!
Sketch of the Ravenscrag from an 1898 newspaper
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | SS Ravenscrag |
| Namesake | Ravenscraig Castle |
| Owner |
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| Operator | 1866–85: Allan Shipping Line |
| Builder | Robert Steele & Co. |
| Yard number | 52 |
| Launched | 1866 in Cartsdyke, Scotland |
| In service | 1866–1901 |
| Fate | Transferred to Norway |
| History | |
 Norway |
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| Name | SV Armenia |
| Owner | Johanson Joh. & Co. |
| In service | 1901–1907 |
| Fate | Ran aground 27 Aug 1907 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Clipper with iron hull |
| Tonnage | 1,263 tons |
| Length | 219 feet (67 m) |
| Sail plan | Barque |
The Ship That Brought the Ukulele
The most famous ship named Ravenscrag was a British sailing vessel. It was captained by Capt. Biggam. On August 23, 1879, this ship brought 419 Portuguese immigrants from Madeira to the Hawaiian Islands. They came to work on sugar farms.
The ship left the port of Funchal in Madeira on April 23, 1879. It took exactly four months to sail across the Atlantic Ocean, around the tip of South America (Cape Horn), and then across the Pacific to Honolulu. On board were Manuel Nunes, Augusto Dias, Jose do Espirito Santo, and Joao Fernandes. They are famous for bringing the ukulele to Hawaii! This was the second ship to bring Portuguese immigrants to the Islands. The first was the German ship SS Priscilla in 1878.
The Ravenscrag was a large ship. It weighed 1,263 tons and was 219 feet (67 m) long. It had a strong iron hull and three masts with square sails. This type of ship is called a clipper.
A man named Sir Hugh Allan, who owned a shipping company in Scotland and Canada, ordered the ship to be built. He named it after his big house in Montreal, which was also called Ravenscrag. That house was named after Ravenscraig Castle in Scotland. The ship was built in 1866 by Robert Steele & Co. in Greenock, Scotland.
In 1885, the Ravenscrag was sold to John Crow Richardson. Later, in 1896, it was sold again to F.G. Mabane. In 1898, a newspaper reported that the Ravenscrag was missing at sea. People worried it was lost! But the ship arrived safely a few days later, delayed by strong ocean currents.
In 1901, a Norwegian company bought the Ravenscrag. They renamed it the SV Armenia. The ship was still a sailing vessel. But the Norwegians changed its sails to make it a barque. The SV Armenia had an accident on August 27, 1907. It was sailing from Rio de Janeiro to Glasgow with lumber. In a thick fog, it ran aground (got stuck) near Capucins in Quebec, Canada.
Other Ships Named Ravenscraig
There have been other ships with similar names. One early ship named Ravenscraig (with an "i") was a wooden sailing ship. It was built in 1853 in England. This ship was 140 feet (43 m) long and weighed about 581 tons. It was used to carry wool between Australia, New Zealand, and London.
Later, this Ravenscraig was changed into a whaling ship and had a steam engine added. In 1873, it helped rescue the crew of the USS Polaris. The Polaris was a U.S. Navy ship on a difficult trip to try and reach the North Pole.
Another ship called SS Ravenscraig was a steamship built in 1900 in Michigan, USA. It was 243 feet (74 m) long and weighed 2,301 tons. This ship was a bulk freighter, meaning it carried large amounts of iron and copper ore on the Great Lakes. It was sold in 1907 and later renamed the Edward F. Cragin in 1917. It was used until 1923, when it was taken apart in Italy.
There was also a British steamship named Ravenscraig built in 1899. It was 137 feet (41.8 m) long. This ship sank in 1932 in the English Channel after hitting another ship. A more recent Ravenscraig was built around 1979. This British ship was a huge, 950 feet (290 m) long steel freighter. In 1989, it helped rescue the crew of another ship, the Star of Alexandria, which sank in the Atlantic Ocean.
