MARLBOROUGH

MARLBOROUGH WAS BUILT IN GLASGOW BY ROBERT DUNCAN AND LAUNCHED IN 1876, SHE WAS A VESSELOF 1124 TONS, AND HAD A CREW OF ABOUT THIRTY. ORIGINALLY BUILT FOR J.LESLIE SHE WAS LATER SOLD TO SHAW SAVILL & CO. IN 1890 SHE WAS BOUND FOR LONDON FROM LYTTLETON, BUT WENT MISSING ON THE HOMEWARD VOYAGE. TWO DAYS OUT OF LYTTLETON SHE HAD BEEN SPOTTED BY A PASSING VESSEL, THIS WAS THE LAST SIGHTING OF HER . IT WAS GENERALLY EXCEPTED THAT SHE HAD BEEN SUNK BY AN ICEBERG OFF CAPE HORN.THERE WERE TWO SEPARATE REPORTS OF THE VESSEL BEING SIGHTED OF CAPE HORN IN A DISTRESSED CONDITION AND THE SKELETONS OF THE CREW FOUND ONBOARD AND ASHORE BUT BOTH STORIES CAME TO LIGHT YEARS AFTER THE MARLBOROUGH WENT MISSING. THE SHIPS CAPTAIN AT THIS TIME WAS CAPTAIN W HIRD. ANOTHER ALBION LINE VESSEL, THE  DUNEDIN , LEFT OAMARU A FEW WEEKS AFTER MARLBOROUGH AND ALSO WENT MISSING.