Of course no one to-day believes that such a thing as ill-luck can dog the wake of any particular vessel, but in the old sailing ship days, when people were more credulous, and there was more mystery about the sea, such a thing as an "unlucky ship" was firmly believed in by sailors. The history of a ship like the Killochan would certainly not tend to shake the belief of an old shell-back that some ships were doomed to be unlucky. the Killochan was an iron ship of 1300 tons, built in 1874 by McMillan, of Dumbarton, and owned by J. Kerr and Co., of Greenock. She was specially strongly constructed, Lloyd's requirements being exceeded, and though this did not eventually save her it probably did bring her through an experience that would have sent most craft to the bottom. In 1888 the Killochan was chartered by the Shaw, Savill Co. for a voyage to Auckland with a full general cargo, including 500 tons of iron pipes. She sailed from the Thames on April 8, and crossed the Equator a month later.

Favourable weather was experienced until round the Cape, the meridian of which was crossed on May 29, but on June 6 her troubles began with a heavy squall from the north-west, which hit her a nasty smack. Although she was a very good sea boat, the Killochan was decidedly stiff—that is to say, she did not "give" with any facility when under pressure from the wind. The consequence was that when this sudden and exceptionally fierce squall struck her something had to go, and the massive fore-yard, a hollow iron spar, a foot in diameter at the middle, and weighing about four tons, snapped close to the mast. One end of the heavy yard came crashing down on deck, but the other half was hung up to the mast, some of the lashings evidently holding, and the end of this latter half, hanging down, was lashed to the rail, where it remainedpage 206 until the ship reached port. When the foreyard went, two foretopsails, foretopmast staystail, the inner jib, and the lower mizzen topsail went also.