Sarah (1819 ship) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids History
United Kingdom
Name	Sarah
Owner	T. Weeding & Co.
Builder	James Warwick, Rotherhithe
Launched	15 September 1819
Fate	Condemned c.1843
General characteristics
Tons burthen	488, or 48839⁄94 (bm)
Propulsion	Sail

The sailing ship Sarah was built in Rotherhithe, England, in 1819. She was a busy ship, making three trips to China and four trips to Australia. In 1829 and 1837, she helped transport convicts to new settlements in Australia. After many years of service, Sarah was retired around 1843 because she was too damaged to sail.

Sarah's Journeys and Adventures

Starting a New Trade Route

Before 1814, a powerful company called the British East India Company (EIC) had a special right to control all trade between Britain and India. This was called a "monopoly." After 1814, other companies were allowed to trade too.

In 1817, a businessman named William Jardine teamed up with Thomas Weeding and Framjee Cowasjee. They bought Sarah in 1819. Her first journey was from England to Bombay (now Mumbai) in India.

After that, Sarah often sailed between Bombay and China, carrying different goods for trade.

Trouble at Sea

In November 1826, while Sarah was sailing to Bombay, there was a big disagreement among the crew. The captain, Mr. Tucker, had to ask for help to keep order on the ship.

He steered Sarah to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. There, a British admiral sent some marines from his own ship to help keep the peace on Sarah. The marines sailed with Sarah all the way to Bombay, making sure the rest of the journey was safe.

Carrying Convicts to Australia

Sarah also played a role in transporting convicts. In August 1829, Captain Henry C. Columbine sailed Sarah from London to Port Jackson (now Sydney) in Australia.

She carried 200 male convicts on this long voyage. The journey took several months, and she arrived in Port Jackson in December, having safely delivered 199 of the convicts.

A Sad Loss at Sea

In January 1832, while Sarah was sailing from Bombay to London, she found another ship that was damaged and seemed empty. Captain Columbine, along with Sarah's carpenter and some sailors, went to investigate.

They found the ship, named Invincible, was on a journey from Spain to America. Captain Columbine and the carpenter stayed on Invincible to look around. Suddenly, the damaged ship sank very quickly, and sadly, Captain Columbine and the carpenter were lost at sea.

The First "Free Trader"

The East India Company eventually stopped all its trading and shipping activities in 1834. This meant that ships could now trade freely between China and Britain.

Sarah became the very first "Free Trader" to sail from Canton (now Guangzhou) in China to Britain. She left China in March 1834 and arrived in England in July. Even though the tea trade was now free, Sarah carried a valuable cargo of raw silk, which was sold for a lot of money.

Another Convict Voyage

In 1836, Sarah made another trip to Australia with convicts. Captain J.T. Whiteside sailed her from London to Hobart in Tasmania (then called Van Diemen's Land).

The journey took 97 days, which was a very fast time back then! She carried 254 male convicts and delivered 245 of them safely to Hobart.

Sarah's Final Years

In 1841, Sarah's master changed to Dawson, then to Heidrich. The next year, her main route changed from London to India to London to Port Phillip (which is near Melbourne, Australia).

Sarah was last listed in records in 1843. It was noted that she was "Condemned," meaning she was no longer fit to sail. Reports said that she had faced very bad weather on a trip from Port Phillip to China. The storms had damaged her planks, making her leak badly. Because of this damage, she was retired in Hong Kong.

Lloyd's Register Details

Lloyd's Register is a very old and important record book for ships. Here's what it said about Sarah over the years: