Windsor Castle (1857 ship)

For other ships with the same name, see Windsor Castle (ship).

Windsor Castle was a wooden-hulled, three-masted sailing ship that was built in England in 1857, and wrecked off the coast of Cape Colony in 1884.

Windsor Castle under way
History
United Kingdom
Name	Windsor Castle
Namesake	Windsor Castle
Owner	1857: Richard Green 1882: Elias Cox
Port of registry	London
Builder	William Pile, Sunderland
Launched	12 March 1857
Completed	May 1857
Identification	UK official number 15822 code letters LTVQ
Fate	Wrecked 1884
General characteristics
Type	wooden-hulled sailing ship
Tonnage	1,075 GRT, 1,075 NRT
Length	195.5 ft (59.6 m)
Beam	36.2 ft (11.0 m)
Depth	22.5 ft (6.9 m)
Sail plan	full-rigged ship
Complement	21

Building

William Pile built Windsor Castle in his North Shore shipyard in Sunderland, launching her on 12 March 1857, and completing her that May.^[1] The ship was built for Richard Green, who registered her in London. Her United Kingdom official number was 15822 and her code letters were LTVQ.^[2]

Career

Windsor Castle in port

Windsor Castle sailed between England and Australia. The Queensland Migrant Shipping records show her carrying passengers between 1877 and 1881.^{[citation needed]}

In 1876, Captain N Harrison was Windsor Castle's Master.^[3]

After she was extensively overhauled in July 1882, the government^{[clarification needed]} sometimes chartered the ship to transport troops to Zanzibar and Sydney.^{[citation needed]}

In 1882, Elias Cox of Bridport, Dorset bought Windsor Castle.^[1] According to Lloyd's Register she remained registered in London, but according to the Mercantile Navy List she was re-registered in Bridport.^[4][5]

In 1884, Windsor Castle was sailing from Cochin to London when a cyclone on 27–28 June washed the third officer overboard and swept away her rudder. She drifted for the next 12 days. Her remaining crew of 21 men then set her afire, abandoned her 35 nautical miles (65 km) off the coast of Algoa Bay, Cape Colony. The Norwegian barque Ophir rescued the crew.^[1][6]

A Royal Navy service record showing time served on the transport Windsor Castle