OTAGO / ERMILLA

BUILT IN 1869 AT PORT GLASGOW BY DUNCAN OF GLASGOW. SHE WAS THE SISTER SHIP TO THE JAMES NICOL FLEMING.SHE HAD BEEN BUILT FOR PATRICK HENDERSON'S LINE AS AN IMMIGRANT SHIP. SHE WAS A VESSEL OF 993 TONS.WHEN HENDERSON'S ALMAGAMATYED WITH SHAW SAVILL & CO SHE WAS RE-PAINTED TO SHOW HER NEW COMPANIES COLOURS ( ALL SHAW SAVILL SHIPS HAD PORT HOLES PAINTED DOWN THE SIDES ) IN JUNE 23RD 1871 UNDER THE COMMAND OF CAPTAIN STUART SHE LEFT LONDON BOUND FOR PORT CHALMERS REACHING HER DESTINATION ON 9TH SEPTEMBER 1871. IN 1887  & 1888 SHE DID VOYAGES DOWN TO LYTTLETON.SHE CHANGED HER STATUS TO THAT OF A BARQUE IN IN 1887.THE VESSEL WAS LATER SOLD TO A PORTUGESE CONCERN AND RE-NAMED 'ERMILLA'.SHE WAS TORPEDOED DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR.THIS SHIP WAS OWNED BY SHAW SAVILL & ALBION AND WAS NEVER ON A WHITE STAR  LINE CHARTER

OTAGO

OTAGO,  A IRON BARQUE OF 348 TONS, BUILT IN 1869/70 BY STEPHEN & CO OG GLASGOW.SHE MADE HER MAIDEN VOYAGE  FROM THE UK TO AUSTRALIA AND THEN ONTO SAN FRANSICO BEFORE RETURNING TO THE UK. UNDER THE COMMAND OF HER OWNER / CAPTAIN CAMERON SHE LEFT LIVERPOOL ON 16TH APRIL 1871  ARRIVING IN PORT CHALMERS ON 25TH JULY 1871.THIS WAS A WHITE STAR LINE CHARTERED VOYAGE. I THINK SHE WAS SOLD TO GRIERSON & CO OF ADELAIDE IN 1881

THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF SHIPS BEARING THE SAME NAME AND IN THE SAME TIME PERIOD, IN THIS CASE COMPOUNDED BY THE FACT THEY WERE BOTH ON SIMLIAR ROUTES,THERE ARE A FEW SITES WHERE THIS SHIPS INFORMATION HAS BEEN CONFUSED.

THERE WAS ALSO A  SCHOONER CALLED 'OTAGO' WHICH WAS WRECKED IN A STORM IN 1868 BUT THERE WERE NO LOSS OF LIFE, SHAWS SAVILL & CO 'WATER NYMPH' WAS ALSO WRECKED IN THE SAME STORM, AS WAS THE STAR OF TASMANIA AND 11 OTHER VESSELS. ( THIS EPISODE WAS REFERRED TO AS THE 'GREAT STORM OF 1868' )