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Jason

Built by:C. J. Mare & Co. of Blackwall
Yard No.
Launched:6th August 1853
Tonnage:1,985 44/94
Length:278 5/10 feet
Breadth:42 1/10 feet
Depth:31 feet
Machinery:Twin cyl. horiz. D.A. 64x64x36. 9 knots. 300h.p. By Messrs. James Watt & Co. Soho, near Birmingham.
Decks:Three.
Built of:Iron.
Type:Auxiliary Screw.Three masts and a Full Male figuehead.
Ship Rig.
Registered:No.261 on 3rd May 1854 in London.
Other info:Certificate granted 17th April 1854.
Launched at 3 o'clock by Lady Gambier.
Built for the Australian service but not so employed.
Official No. 25108.
History:4th September 1853. Arrived at Gravesend from the Black Sea. May 1854. Became a transport for the Government.
15th May 1854. Returned to Woolwich from Greenhithe after having her compasses adjusted.
22nd May 1854. Sailed from London with 300 officers and men plus 227 horses of the Royal Artillery. Captain J.W. Lane.
28th May 1854. Arrived at Gibraltar.
1st June 1854. At lat 37•53N; and long. 9•9E.
3rd June 1854. Arrived at Malta to take on board 300 tons of coal and 100 tons of water.
5th June 1854. Off Cape Matapan and took in tow the transport ship 'Northumberland'.
7th June 1854. Took the 'Northumberland' through the Archipelago and Dardanelles then cast her off. First and only horse died.
8th June 1854. Arrived at Constantinople.
11th June 1854. Sailed from Constantinople for Scutari.
12th June 1854. Proceeded up the Bosphorus.
13th June 1854. Sailed for Varna.
14th June 1854. Arrived at Varna.
16th June 1854. Sailed from Varna.
17th June 1854. Arrived at Constantinople.
18th June 1854. Sailed from Constantinople and proceeded up the Bosphorus.
19th June 1854. After taken on cargo she weighed anchor and proceeded, having in tow the transports 'St.Vincent' and 'Rubison'.
20th June 1854. Arrived at Varna Bay.
22nd June 1854. Sailed from Varna for Constantinople, having in tow the transport 'Rubison'.
23rd June 1854. Arrived at Constantinople.
26th June 1854. Sailed from Constantinople for Gibraltar.
5th July 1854. Arrived at Gibraltar and placed into quarantine until the next morning.
7th July 1854. Sailed from Gibraltar, after taken on coal and water, for Portsmouth.
13th July 1854. Arrived at Portsmouth.
31st July 1854. Passed the ‘Harbinger’ off the Start Point.
19th November 1854. After a heavy gale the vessel is on shore at Enpatoria with a hole in her bottom, but they hope to save her.
4th March 1855. Sails for Constantinople.
7th May 1855. Sailed from Genoa.
17th June 1855. Sailed from Constantinople.
26th June 1855. Sailed from Malta.
2nd July 1855. Sailed from Southampton, with 290 men and 219 horses of the Royal Artillery.
5th July 1855. A gunner of the Royal Artillery fell overboard, but by the speedy lowering of a boat his life was saved.
8th August 1855. Arrived at Gibraltar. One horse died on the passage. 4th July 1855. Sailed from Gibraltar.
12th July 1855. Arrived at Southampton.
25th July 1855. Came out of the Graving Dock at Southampton and hauled into the river basin to await orders, as a troopship, No 84, for embarkation of horses and troops.
While in the Graving Dock she had under gone various repairs; one being that the funnel connected with the steam engines was detached from any part of the vessel. Solid iron plates were placed around it, and a free passage for air to pass through.
2nd August 1855. Sailed for Gibraltar, Captain N. Stewart, with 290 men and 219 horses.
5th August 1855. A gunner of the Royal Artillery fell overboard, but by the speedy lowering of a boat his life was saved.
February 1856. She was involved in a deal with French buyers, the price included stores as well. The Societe Generale des Clippers Francais paid a deposit but when they defaulted on further payments the transaction fell through leaving the ship in the hands of the General Screw Steam Shipping Co.
5th February 1856. Sailed from Constantinople.
10th February 1856. Arrived at Malta.
12th February 1856. Sailed from Malta.
21st February 1856. Sailed from Gibraltar. They was a great scarcity of coals. As she was leaving the sailing transport ‘Great Tasmania’ was being towed through the Straits, but was obliged to put back again from adverse winds, it being her third attempt to reach England. In the afternoon the ‘Jason’ spoke to the ‘Cape of Good Hope’ steering eastward.
28th February 1856. Captain Stewart, transport No 84, arrived at Southampton with invalids.
3rd March 1856. Lying at Southampton engaged in the transport service.
18th April 1856. Sailed for the Crimea. Employed in the conveyance of horses and troops from the Black Sea to England.
28th April 1856. Arrived at Malta, in Ballast, from Southampton and left the same day for the Crimea.
13th May 1856. Another day of sirocco, fiver, lassitude, and disgust. Men take sudden loathings to the Crimea on such days as these, and count the hours eagerly till the time of their departure. How glad they are to hear of every new ship and of every fresh arrival to take them from this parched, arid, and “gamey” plateau. Today they head that the ‘Golden Fleece’, ‘Jason’ and the ‘ Calcutta’ have arrived at Balaklava.
14th June 1856. Embarking detachments of the Royal Artillery at Balaklava.
15th July 1856. Sailed from Balaklava with the ‘Lady Russell’ in tow.
17th June 1856. Arrived and sailed from Constantinople.
22nd June 1856. Arrived at Malta.
1st July 1856. Arrived at Gibraltar towing the ‘Lady Russell’.
1st July 1856. Sailed from Gibraltar towing the ‘Akbar’.
2nd July 1856. Cast off the ‘Akbar’ at 10 p.m.
3rd July 1856. The ‘Golden Fleece’ and the ‘Jason’ are ordered to be discharged from the Government service as soon as their cargoes shall be landed.
10th July 1856. Arrived at Spithead, coaled and proceeded to Woolwich.
16th July 1856. Has completed landing her shot, hammocks, etc., which formed the heavy portion of her cargo, and has sailed from Woolwich, having been discharged from the transport service.
25th July 1856. At Southampton no longer used as a Government Transport. Waiting for re-employment.
15th August 1856. Arrived at Malta from Southampton.
16th August 1856. Sailed from Malta for Balaklava.
6th March 1857. Owned by the European and American Steam Shipping Company.
8th July 1857. Sailed from New York. Captain Britton.
23rd July 1857. Arrived off Cowes from New York with 200 passengers and a very large cargo of sugar for London.
23rd July 1857. Arrived at Victoria Docks in the Thames to land her passengers, $185,000 in specie, and cargo, of which she has 1,000 tons.
25th July 1857. Sailed from Gravesend for Bremen.
21st August 1857. Arrived at New York.
2nd September 1857. Sailed from New York.
15th September 1857. Captain Britton, due to arrive from New York.
28th September 1857. Sailed from Bremen at 5 a.m.
1st October 1857. Sailed from Southampton for New York with upwards of 400 passengers (principally steerage), a ship-letter mail, and large cargo.
19th November 1857. Called into Queenstown, from New York, short of coal.
22nd November 1857. Arrived at Cowes from New York, on route to Bremen, she landed her mails and proceeded.
23rd November 1857. Arrived at Gravesend from New York.
20th August 1858. Passed Dungeness from Calcutta.
23rd October 1858. Arrived at New York having experienced during the passage a series of heavy gales from the westward, with a sea running the equal of which had not been seen by the oldest seaman on board.
5th January 1858. Sailed from Southampton for Gravesend where she is to embark troops for India.
7th January 1858. Arrived at Gravesend, Captain Baker, owned by the Ocean Steam Navigation Company and chartered by the East India Board for the transport service. Her troop fittings afford ample accommodation for upwards of 1,000 soldiers, and cabin berths for 40 officers. She has commenced receiving a large supply of munitions of war from Woolwich Arsenal, and is expected to sail in about 10 days hence for India.
26th January 1858. Arrived at St. Vincent.
28th January 1858. Sailed from St. Vincent after coaling foe Bengal.
31st January 1858. Arrived at Gravesend from Calcutta.
28th March 1858. Arrived at Galle, Captain Baker, then proceeded for Calcutta.
11th May 1858. Sailed from Calcutta, Captain Baker.
12th May 1858. The ‘Peerless’, which had just left Calcutta was in collision near Cawcally with the ‘Jason’; the former returned to Calcutta and has had her damage repaired. The ‘Jason’ lost her bowsprit and one anchor and chain, and will proceed 19th May.
26th May 1858. Arrived at Madras, after being detained in Calcutta after a collision in the river, in which she lost her bowsprit and figurehead.
29th May 1858. Sailed from Madra.
3rd June 1858. Arrived at Point de Galle.
6th June 1858. Sailed from Point de Galle for the Cape.
8th July 1858. Sailed from the Cape of Good Hope.
4th August 1858. Sailed from St. Vincent’s. Master Richard Tomkinson, 3 years old, from Madras, died.
15th August 1858. Mr. John Wilson, age 22 died.
20th August 1858. Arrived at Cowes, I.O.W. in the afternoon with passengers and invalids.
21st December 1858. Chartered by the Hon-Council for India.
6th January 1859. Supplied with a new lifeboat to replace the one lost by collision with the brig ‘Betsey’, of Scarborough, and sailed from Portsmouth.
1859. Chartered from the G.S.S.S.Co. for two voyages by the Galway Line. (Atlantic Royal Mail Steam Navigation Company’s New York and Galway Line) Galway to Boston via Newfoundland.
20th August 1859. Sailed from Galway for New York. Captain Carter, with 630 passengers.
30th August 1859. Passed St. Johns in the afternoon, on passage to New York.,
15th September 1859. Sailed from New York for St. John’s with 251 passengers.
21st September 1859. Sailed from St. John’s for Galway.
28th September 1859. Arrived at Galway at 10 p.m.
12th April 1860. At Lisbon on her way to the Brazils.
21st May 1860. Sailed from St. Vincent’s for England.
18th December 1860. Ship purchased by the East India and London Shipping Company, for about one third of her original cost, with a view of a monthly communication between London, Madras, and Calcutta, calling at the Cape of Good Hope; but, with a view to the economy of fuel and of other items of expense, she is to be worked as a sailing ship, and all ports of call, outward and homeward, are to be avoided, with the exception of Madras. The duration of the voyage will, it is hoped, not exceed 70 days out and 65 days home.
30th March 1861. Sailed from Gravesend for Calcutta.
16th November 1861. Sailed from Gravesend for Calcutta.
2nd December 1861. Arrived at Gravesend from Calcutta.
25th January 1862. Passed Deal for Calcutta.
17th September 1862. Sailed from Gravesend for Calcutta, calling at Madras, and the Cape of Good Hope, Captain J. T. Hurst, with a cargo of general merchandise and 83 passengers.
18th September 1862. Off the Start at 5 a.m., all well, under steam and canvass.
27th December 1862. Stranded at Ennore, three miles north of Madras. Passengers landed. Probability of cargo being saved, and forwarded by the ‘Lord Warden’. The ‘Calcutta’ was assisting at the wreck.


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