CAESAR 1814

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CAESAR 1814

Post by shipstamps » Wed Nov 05, 2008 5:01 pm

The vessel depict on this stamp is actually the merchant vessel WOLF and not the CAESAR.

CAESAR was built in Cumberland county Durham in 1814.
Lloyds List, 03 July 1818 gives a snow of 157 ton, built at Sunderland in 1814 and whose masters name was J. Richardson.
Snow rigged.

Underway from Newcastle, England to Baltimore under command of Capt. Josep Richardson, with a crew of 7 men, loaded with a cargo of grindstones, marble cornice for a Baltimore church, medicine vials and glassware, grandfather clock parts, white red and black lead oxide when she was lost on 17 May 1818 on a reef on the west end of Bermuda, without loss of life.
Partly her cargo was saved also her spars and rigging.
When she was rediscover by Teddy Tucker he found Masonic bottles with an American eagle embossed on them. Apart for a few bottles retained by the manufacturer, the only examples are the bottles recovered from the wreck. Several are on exhibit at the Bermuda Maritime Museum.

The brig depicted is the merchant brig WOLF ex sloop HMS WOLF.
08 August 1810 ordered.
Built in the Woolwich Drydock.
16 September 1814 launched as HMS WOLF one of the Crocus class of which 10 where built, the class was designed in 1807 by Sir William Rule.
Tonnage 253 tons, dim. 92.01 x 25.6 x 12.8ft.
Armament 12 – 24pdrs. carronades and 2 – 2pdr.
Crew 85.

She was mostly used in and around the U.K.
27 Jan. 1825 sold to T.S.Benson to be broken up.

But she is apparently the same WOLF, of 257 tons, owned by a Mr. Usborne. His brig was built on the river (i.e. on the Thames or its creeks).
This WOLF under command of Capt. Christie sailed from London on 27 May 1825 for the Pearl Fisheries in the Pacific.
She sailed with an armament of 2 – 6pdrs, and 10 – 18pdrs. carronades.

The stamp is designed after a sketch made by the artist E.W. Cooke, probably in 1827 as his drawings were published in 1828. She is depicted hove to, off Dover, awaiting the pilot cutter, which is shown on its way out towards her. Mr. Cook depicts her with open gun-ports and this may be a touch of artistic license just to show off her guns. But there is absolutely no doubt that this drawing is the source of the stamp design.

To follow her history I found her back in Ships Employed in the South Seas Trade 1775-1861.
She was owned by Jones & Walker, Sydney, but register never transferred from England.
She is given WOLF ex Royal Navy gun brig, converted to a whaling barque, still on British register but owned and managed out of Sydney.
She arrived in Sydney from New Zealand on 19 July 1831 without any whale-oil under command of Capt. Lewis.
She was reported still under Capt. Lewis on 28 June 1833, off the west end of New Zealand in March, with on board 850 brls. whale-oil.
27 June 1834 under Lewis, she lost two boats during whaling, and did have on board 350brls whale oil.
21 Feb. 1837 she was reported with on board 600 brls. whale oil, and on 03 March with on board 1100 brls.
28 October 1837 it was reported that she was spoken to by the Ann pre 28 June in a position 27 N 160E under command of Evans, with on board 1500 brls whale-oil.

During this cruise she was totally wrecked with on board 1700 barrels of sperm oil on board on 08 August 1837 at Lord Howe Island, Australia, without loss of live.

When arriving off Howe Island the master Evans sent a boat ashore to obtain fresh water. But by changing of weather she hit bottom and was run ashore after she started to leak and the pumps could not cope with it. She got again aground 10 miles offshore, and with her fordeck awash, she was abandoned. Thirty minutes later she capsized and disappeared. At that time she was still owned by Jones & Walker.

Sydney colonist of 31 December 1835 states the first whaler to leave Sydney with a crew subscribing to temperance principals, and noted there was trouble to obtain a crew.

Bermuda 1986 70c sg 517cA

Source: some copied from Log Book Vol. 15 page 231/32 and written by Mr. E.J.Hogan. The Sail & Steam Navy List by Lyon& Winfield. Australian Shipwrecks by Charles Bateson. Ships of Australia and New Zealand before 1850 by Ronald Parsons.
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