The Thomas Stephens.

The Thomas Stephens, a real clipper, was one of the finest models of an iron ship ever launched. When discussing this ship recently, "Sea Breeze," the writer of some articles appearing in the "Auckland Star" during December and January, 1923-4, and who had formerly been in company with the Thomas Stephens, remarked:—"When the builders put her off the stocks they established a model in iron ship building that has been followed in degree by builders the world over. In hull design her long sweeping sheer line was accentuated by the painter's art, and the grey bottom colour was carried high up the black

The Thomas Stephens At Gravesend.

top sides and gave the impression of extreme length, sitting on the water like a great canoe. In her spar and sail plan there was no fault, her main truck being over 200 feet above the deck. The area of her working canvas was enormous and this was supplemented by stunsails fore and aft. These supplementary sails were of prodigious spread, the lower stunsails projecting forty feet from the outer boom iron. Lying alongside of a ship I was in when in Rangoon in 1881 her spars dominated all shipping in spite of the fact that the American ship Sterling and other crack U.S. built ships were at anchor in the river."

The Thomas Stephens was built to carry passengers to Australia and her appointments could not well be improved upon. Thomas Stephens and Sons of London were the owners of the ship and she was built in 1869 at Liverpool. Capt. Richards took command of her when she was launched and made many rapid passages from Liverpool to Melbourne. Ten years later he brought the ship to New Zealand. On this occasion she left London on April 27th, 1879, calling at Plymouth to take on board passengers. She made the run from Plymouth to the Snares in 72 days and reached Port Chalmers on the 75th day from Gravesend, dropping anchor on the 13th July, 1879.

The Thomas Stephens had a great career. During the ten years she was running to Melbourne before coming to New Zealand she made several remarkable passages out and home. Capt. Richards on his arrival at Dunedin reported he had made three runs to Melbourne in 64, 65 and 66 day pilot to pilot. Other records from Liverpool to Melbourne were:—1871, 68 days; 1872, 72 days; 1873, 74 days; 1874, 73 days; 1878, 77 days—on one occasion when on her homeward run from Melbourne she covered the distance to Cape Horn in 16 days.

The Thomas Stephens also made several very fast runs to Sydney after her visit to Dunedin, and on one occasion it is recorded she covered 1000 miles in 70 hours.

The Thomas Stephens never met with any serious disaster until she was lost, but like all other ships when in the Southern Ocean, encountered on more than one occasion very severe gales. She experienced a terrific gale in 1893 when homeward bound from Melbourne. Her decks were completely swept by heavy seas and her bulwarks carried away. She put into Callao for repairs when it was found that her cargo of wheat had not suffered.

The Thomas Stephens was eventually sold to the Portuguese and when shipping was scarce during the great war she was again fitted out and sailed for America. On her return passage she was posted as missing, probably sunk by a German submarine.