The �Robert Henderson�

From �White Wings� by Henry Brett

 

An Aberdeen Clipper.

This smart little ship was a contrast to the general run of vessels sent out to the colony in the early days.  For her size - her tonnage was only 586 - she made a remarkable run out to Otago on her first voyage.  She took her departure from Greenock on November 12,  1857, passed the Cape of Good Hope on January 5, reached the Snares on February 3, and anchored at Port Chalmers on February 9, only 79 days from land to land, one of the quickest passages on record at that date.  The Robert Henderson was an Aberdeen clipper, built in 1857 for J Hay and Company upon the most approved plan, and she was fitted out with every convenience and comfort for passengers.  Her model excited much admiration among nautical men at the time.  Her poop accommodation was exceedingly spacious for a vessel of her tonnage, the saloon being 50ft long and 7ft high, tastefully decorated, to carry twenty passengers.  Her steering gear, which was on the principal of a reverse screw, was a novelty, and was efficient, simple, and economical.  On her maiden passage from Stromness to the Clyde the Robert Henderson displayed extraordinary sailing powers and stiffness under canvas, logging over 14 knots on many occasions, and notwithstanding the terrific weather she encountered she accomplished the passage from Stromness to Clyde in 48 hours.

The Robert Henderson for many years sailed direct from Glasgow to Dunedin, and as will be seen from her records, she kept up her reputation as a fast sailer.  In later years she made one trip each to Auckland and Lyttleton and her run to the former port was a lengthy one.  On the voyage out in 1869 she encountered stormy weather in the Southern Ocean, and had a narrow escape among icebergs; no less than 18 huge bergs were passed in 24 hours ten days before reaching her destination.  Captain Culbert stated the long passage made to Auckland was owing to the knocking about the ship received on the coast of Brazil for several days, during the time the crossjack yard carried away and the mizzen and fore-topgallant yards sprung during the gale.  

 

�ROBERT HENDERSON�

 Here follow the record of passages made to new Zealand:-

 

To Auckland
Sailed	Arrived	Captain	Days
June 22	Oct. 24, 1872	J Culbert	123
To Lyttleton
Aug. 10	Nov. 23, 1871	Culbert	105
To Dunedin
Nov. 12, 1857	Feb. 9, 1858	Corbitt	79
June 2	Sep. 3, 1860	Logan	93
July 14	Oct. 8, 1861	Logan	85
1862	1862	Logan	81
Sep. 20	Dec. 30, 1864	Logan	101
Aug. 11	Nov. 7, 1865	Logan	88
Sep. 5	Dec. 15, 1867	Boyd	101
Sep. 5	Nov. 29, 1868	Hendry	85
July 3	Oct. 6, 1869	Hendry	95
Sep. 10	Dec. 23, 1870	McDonald	104