Yatala (clipper ship) facts for kids

class="infobox " style="float: right; clear: right; width: 315px; border-spacing: 2px; text-align: left; font-size: 90%;"

| colspan="2" style="text-align: center; font-size: 90%; line-height: 1.5em;" |

|} The Yatala was a fast British sailing ship called a clipper. It was built in England in 1865. For seven years, the Yatala sailed for the Orient Line, carrying goods and people between London and South Australia.

Sadly, the ship was wrecked off the coast of France in 1872. Before another ship, the Torrens, came along in 1875, the Yatala was known as one of the fastest ships on its route. Its only captain was John Legoe.

Contents

• Building the Yatala
• The Yatala's Journeys

• A Great Race at Sea
• The Seven Voyages of Yatala
• The End of the Yatala

History
United Kingdom
Name	Yatala
Owner	Anderson, Thomson and Co
Port of registry	London
Builder	Thomas Bilbe, Rotherhithe
Completed	July 1865
Identification	UK official number 52737 code letters HRKF
Fate	Wrecked, 27 March 1872
General characteristics
Type	clipper
Tonnage	1,127 GRT
Length	203.4 ft (62.0 m)
Beam	34.6 ft (10.5 m)
Depth of hold	21.1 ft (6.4 m)
Propulsion	sail
Sail plan	full rig

• Other Ships Named Yatala
• See also

Building the Yatala

The Yatala was built by Thomas Bilbe in a place called Rotherhithe. This area is located on the River Thames in England. The ship was finished in July 1865.

It was a special type of ship called a composite ship. This means it was built with both wood and iron. The Yatala weighed 1,127 GRT tons. It was 203.4 feet (62.0 m) long, 34.6 feet (10.5 m) wide, and 21.1 feet (6.4 m) deep.

The ship was officially registered in London. Its unique identification number was 52737. It also had special code letters called HRKF.

The Yatala's Journeys

Yatala in Port Adelaide

A Great Race at Sea

Before the Yatala left Port Adelaide for England on its second trip, something exciting happened. Another similar ship, the City of Adelaide, was also leaving on the same day. Everyone thought it would be a race!

Many people gathered at Port Adelaide to watch. Supporters of Captain Legoe and the Yatala stayed at one hotel. Fans of Captain Bruce and the City of Adelaide stayed at another.

The Yatala started its journey early, at 6 a.m. on December 27, 1866. The City of Adelaide was delayed by about five hours. Even with the delay, the two ships were very close in speed. By the time they reached the Cape of Good Hope, there was only a three-hour difference between them.

The larger Yatala arrived at The Downs a day before the City of Adelaide. The City of Adelaide then lost another day getting to the docks. This was Captain David Bruce's last trip commanding the City of Adelaide. His son, John Bruce, took over after him.

The Seven Voyages of Yatala

The Yatala made seven important trips from England to Australia. Here's how long each journey took:

The End of the Yatala

On December 18, 1871, the Yatala left Port Adelaide. It sailed alongside another clipper, the Beltana. The Yatala was faster, reaching Cape Horn a day before the Beltana.

The Beltana made it safely to London. But the Yatala ran aground near Cap Gris-Nez in France on March 27, 1872. This happened just after midnight, when the ship was almost home.

It seems that in the stormy weather, Captain Legoe mistook the light from Cap Gris-Nez for the light from Beachy Head. Beachy Head is on the other side of the Channel. Luckily, no one was hurt. The passengers found shelter in the nearby town of Audresselles.

Most of the valuable cargo, which was mainly wool, was saved. However, the ship broke apart and was completely lost. An investigation found Captain Legoe responsible for the accident. But because he had a long history of excellent service, he only received a light punishment. His sailing license was suspended for six months.

After this, Captain Legoe helped oversee the building of a new ship, the Hesperus. It was built in Scotland in 1873 to replace the Yatala. Captain Legoe then became its master.

Other Ships Named Yatala

The name Yatala was also used for other ships:

• A schooner (a type of sailing ship) used by the South Australian Government from 1848 to 1864. It delivered supplies to the West Coast of South Australia. In 1858, Captain Bloomfield Douglas used this ship to map the coast. He named Yatala Reef after the ship. In 1852, Captain Edward Dowsett discovered and named Port Augusta while on this schooner.
• A steam tugboat that operated from 1878 to 1922.
• A ketch (another type of sailing boat) built around 1890 in Port Adelaide. It was made by a famous shipbuilder named Alexander McFarlane.

See also

• City of Adelaide
• Coonatto
• The Goolwa
• Orient
• Rodney
• St Vincent
• South Australian
• Torrens