Eusemere

Official Number
95401

Wreck of the Pindos, from a postcardThe Eusemere was built at Workington by R.Williamson  & Son and was launched as Friar's Crag in 1890. She was a steel four-masted barque, the second of six Workington four-masted barques known as the "Six Sisters" (the others were Andelana, Vortigern, Pendragon Castle, Caradoc and Conishead). She was bought by Fisher & Sprott, of Liverpool, and replaced in their fleet an iron 4-masted ship of the same name (official no.89638) that had been wrecked at Saugor (Calcutta) in April 1890. The Eusemere was commanded by Capt.J.B.Sprott and her maiden voyage was from Cardiff to Colombo with a coal cargo.

The early career of the Eusemere was spent in the trades between India, the UK and the USA, and she visited Calcutta, Colombo, New York, Philadelphia and Portland, her cargoes including salt and coal outwards, and jute on the return journey.

In September 1896 the Eusemere was sold to Hamburg shipowners Reederei B.Wencke & Söhne and was renamed Pindos. She later went into the nitrate trade to Chile, and in 1906 she was sold to Rhederei Akt. Gesellschaft von 1896, also of Hamburg. It has been claimed that the Pindos, under German command, held the record for a sailing ship from the nitrate ports of Chile to the English Channel, 57 days.

At 10pm on the night of 10th February 1912 the Pindos, Capt.Sandowey, was wrecked at Coverack, Cornwall. She was bound for Hamburg from Mejillones with a nitrate cargo, but had put into Falmouth for the master to receive orders. The tug Arcona was sent by her German owners, but was unable to tow the ship in the face of strong SE winds.  As the vessels were blown out towards the Lizard the tug had to slip the towline, and the Pindos was wrecked on Mere's rock, about half a mile from the Coverack lifeboat station. Five attempts by the rocket brigade to get a line aboard failed, and eventually the 27 crew were saved by the Coverack lifeboat, taken off from the stern. The barque broke up within a few days.

NB: The figurehead of the Eusemere is preserved at the Altonaer Museum, Hamburg.


Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
Eusemere
1890
2512
303.7
42.2
24.5
4 
 
 
 100 years A1, Special Survey

Sources :

  1. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1893-4: Eusemere, 4-masted steel barque, 2521 grt, official no.95401, signal letters LRVS, owned by Fisher & Sprott, registered at London, master Capt.J.B.Sprott.
  2. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1896-7: Eusemere, 4-masted steel barque, official no.95401, owned by Fisher & Sprott, registered at London, master Capt.J.N.Hurst (annotated "now named Pindos").
  3. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1896-7 (Supplement): Pindos, owned by B.Wenke & Söhne, registered at Hamburg.
  4. There are several photographs of the Pindos at the National Library of Australia website.
  5. Wreck reported in the Times, 12th February 1912, page 6.