SS Agamemnon (1865): Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Iron-hulled steamship with more efficient engine}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}} |
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{{Use British English|date=December 2016}} |
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{|{{Infobox ship begin}} |
{|{{Infobox ship begin}} |
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{{Infobox ship image |
{{Infobox ship image |
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|Ship image=[[File: |
|Ship image=[[File:Agamemnon (1865).jpg|Agamemnon (1865)|300px]] |
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|Ship caption=''Agamemnon'' |
|Ship caption=''Agamemnon'' |
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|Ship flag= |
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{{Infobox ship career |
{{Infobox ship career |
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|Ship country= [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]] |
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|Ship flag= {{shipboxflag|UKGBI|civil}} |
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|Ship name= ''Agamemnon'' |
|Ship name= ''Agamemnon'' |
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|Ship namesake= [[Agamemnon]] |
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|Ship owner= [[Blue Funnel Line|Ocean Steam Ship Co]] |
|Ship owner= [[Blue Funnel Line|Ocean Steam Ship Co]] |
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|Ship operator= [[Blue Funnel Line|Alfred Holt Ltd]] |
|Ship operator= [[File:House Flag of the Blue Funnel Line.svg|22px]] [[Blue Funnel Line|Alfred Holt Ltd]] |
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|Ship registry= |
|Ship registry= [[Port of Liverpool|Liverpool]] |
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|Ship route= Liverpool to China and the Far East |
|Ship route= Liverpool to China and the Far East |
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|Ship ordered= |
|Ship ordered= |
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|Ship builder=[[Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company| |
|Ship builder=[[Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company|Scott & Co]], [[Greenock]] |
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|Ship original cost= |
|Ship original cost= |
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|Ship yard number= 116 |
|Ship yard number= 116 |
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|Ship in service= |
|Ship in service= |
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|Ship out of service= |
|Ship out of service= |
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|Ship identification= |
|Ship identification= *UK [[official number]] 54924 |
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*[[code letters]] JKGB |
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*{{ICS|Juliet}}{{ICS|Kilo}}{{ICS|Golf}}{{ICS|Bravo}} |
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|Ship notes= |
|Ship notes= |
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|Header caption= |
|Header caption= |
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|Ship type=cargo and passenger |
|Ship type=cargo and passenger steamship |
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|Ship tonnage= |
|Ship tonnage={{GRT|2270}}, {{NRT|1550}} |
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|Ship displacement= |
|Ship displacement= |
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|Ship length= {{convert|309.3|ft|abbr=on}} |
|Ship length= {{convert|309.3|ft|abbr=on}} |
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|Ship height= |
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|Ship draught= |
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|Ship draft= |
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|Ship depth= {{convert|20.6|ft|abbr=on}} |
|Ship depth= {{convert|20.6|ft|abbr=on}} |
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|Ship decks= |
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|Ship sail plan= 3-masted [[barque]] |
|Ship sail plan= 3-masted [[barque]] |
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|Ship power=300 hp |
|Ship power=300 hp |
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|Ship propulsion= |
|Ship propulsion=*[[Marine steam engine#Compound|compound steam engine]], |
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*single screw |
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|Ship speed= {{convert|10|kn|km/h}} |
|Ship speed= {{convert|10|kn|km/h}} |
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'''SS ''Agamemnon''''' was one of the first successful long-distance merchant [[steamship]]s. She was built in 1865 to trade between Britain and China, and competed with tea [[clipper]]s before and after the opening of the [[Suez Canal]] in 1869. She brought together three improvements in steamship design: higher boiler pressure, an efficient and compact [[Marine steam engine#Compound|compound steam engine]], and a hull form with modest power requirements. |
'''SS ''Agamemnon''''' was one of the first successful long-distance merchant [[steamship]]s. She was built in 1865 to trade between Britain and China, and competed with tea [[clipper]]s before and after the opening of the [[Suez Canal]] in 1869. She brought together three improvements in steamship design: higher boiler pressure, an efficient and compact [[Marine steam engine#Compound|compound steam engine]], and a hull form with modest power requirements. |
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Before ''Agamemnon'', steamships were not a practical commercial option for trade between Britain and the Far East. The amount of coal that they needed to carry left little space for cargo. ''Agamemnon'' could steam at {{convert|10|kn|km/h}}, consuming only 20 tons of coal a day. This was substantially less than other ships of the time |
Before ''Agamemnon'', steamships were not a practical commercial option for trade between Britain and the Far East. The amount of coal that they needed to carry left little space for cargo. ''Agamemnon'' could steam at {{convert|10|kn|km/h}}, consuming only 20 tons of coal a day. This was substantially less than other ships of the time{{snd}}a saving of between 14 and 23 tons per day was achieved.<ref name="Jarvis">{{cite book |last=Jarvis |first=Adrian |editor1-first=Robert |editor1-last= Gardiner |editor2-first=Dr Basil |editor2-last=Greenhill |date=1993 |title=The Advent of Steam – The Merchant Steamship before 1900 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |pages=158–159 |chapter=9: Alfred Holt and the Compound Engine |isbn=0-85177-563-2}}</ref> This enabled her to steam to China with a coaling stop at [[Mauritius]] on the outward and return journey. |
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This was the first of five [[Blue Funnel Line|Blue Funnel]] ships to be named after [[Agamemnon]], the king of [[Mycenae]] during the [[Trojan War]]. Later examples include a [[motor ship]] {{HMS|Agamemnon|M10|2}} built in 1929, which in the [[World War II|Second World War]] was converted into an auxiliary [[minelayer]]. |
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==Building and performance== |
==Building and performance== |
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''Agamemnon'' was the first of three [[sister ship]]s, the others being ''Achilles'' (1866) and ''Ajax'' (1867). [[Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company]] of [[Greenock]], [[Renfrewshire (historic)|Renfrewshire]] built the three ships for [[Alfred Holt|Alfred]] and Phillip Holt's Ocean Steam Ship Company, later called the [[Blue Funnel Line]]. Each was {{GRT|2270}} and {{NRT|1550}}. Overall length was {{convert|309|ft}} and beam {{convert|38|ft}}.<ref name="Greenwich"/> |
''Agamemnon'' was the first of three [[sister ship]]s, the others being ''Achilles'' (1866) and ''Ajax'' (1867). [[Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company|Scott & Co]] of [[Greenock]], [[Renfrewshire (historic)|Renfrewshire]] built the three ships for [[Alfred Holt|Alfred]] and Phillip Holt's Ocean Steam Ship Company, later called the [[Blue Funnel Line]]. Each was {{GRT|2270}} and {{NRT|1550}}. Overall length was {{convert|309|ft}} and beam {{convert|38|ft}}.<ref name="Greenwich"/> |
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''Agamemnon'' (and her sister ships) combined three key features. |
''Agamemnon'' (and her sister ships) combined three key features. |
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The first was a higher boiler pressure than was normally used on British merchant ships. Alfred Holt had experimented with a boiler pressure of 60 [[Pounds per square inch| |
The first was a higher boiler pressure than was normally used on British merchant ships. [[Alfred Holt]] had experimented with a boiler pressure of 60 [[Pounds per square inch|psi]] in the ''Cleator'', a ship he used as a floating testbed. Holt overcame the [[Board of Trade]]'s objections to boiler pressures above 25 [[Pounds per square inch|psi]] in seagoing vessels. |
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The second feature was her compound steam engine, designed by Alfred Holt. As well as being more efficient than others of the time, it was a relatively compact engine, so used less cargo space. |
The second feature was her compound steam engine, designed by Alfred Holt. As well as being more efficient than others of the time, it was a relatively compact engine, so used less cargo space. |
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The third was |
The third was an iron hull that was strong in relation to its weight and cost and with modest power requirements{{snd}}again developed by Alfred Holt.<ref name=Jarvis/> |
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''Agamemnon''{{'}}s fuel efficiency enabled her to compete successfully with tea clippers between Britain and China. She could steam from London to Mauritius, a distance of 8,500 miles (roughly half the distance to China via the [[Cape of Good Hope]]) without coaling. |
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Her normal journey time from |
Her normal journey time from [[Fuzhou]] (Foochow) to Liverpool was 58 days,<ref name="Clark">{{cite book |last=Clark|first=Arthur H |year=1911 |title=The Clipper Ship Era 1843–1869 |url= https://archive.org/stream/cu31924020891416#page/n5/mode/2up |place=New York |publisher=[[G. P. Putnam's Sons]] |pages=332 }}</ref><ref name="Greenwich">{{cite web |title=Agamemnon (1865); Passenger/cargo vessel |work=Ship models |publisher=[[National Maritime Museum]] |url= http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/66013.html }}</ref> whereas clippers could take anything from a record-breaking 88 days to 140 or more, and averaged 123 days in 1867–68.<ref name="MacGregor">{{cite book |last=MacGregor |first=David R. |year= 1983|title=The Tea Clippers, Their History and Development 1833–1875 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |pages=225–243 |isbn=0-85177-256-0}}</ref> Further, her cargo carrying capacity was two or three times as much as these sailing ships.<ref name="Greenwich"/> |
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Scott built ''Agamemnon'' as yard number 116, launched her on 25 November 1865 and completed her on 31 March 1866.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?&ref=20030 |title=Agamemnon |work=Scottish Built Ships |publisher=Caledonian Maritime Research Trust |access-date=5 May 2023}}</ref> Alfred Holt [[Ship registration|registered]] her at [[Port of Liverpool|Liverpool]]. Her [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|UK]] [[official number]] was 54924,<ref>{{cite book |year=1867 |title=Mercantile Navy List |place=London |page=7 |url= https://www.crewlist.org.uk/data/viewimages?&name=Agamemnon&steamsail=Steam&submit=Enter&year=1867 |via=Crew List Index Project}}</ref> and by 1871 her [[code letters]] were JKGB.<ref>{{cite book |year=1871 |title=Mercantile Navy List |place=London |page=ii |url= https://www.crewlist.org.uk/data/viewimages?&name=Agamemnon&steamsail=Steam&submit=Enter&year=1871 |via=Crew List Index Project}}</ref> |
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==Maiden voyage== |
==Maiden voyage== |
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The newly |
The newly built ''Agamemnon'' arrived in Liverpool from Greenock on 1 April 1866, the year of the clippers' [[The Great Tea Race of 1866|Great Tea Race]]. She sailed for China on 19 April.<ref>{{cite news |title=Shipping Intelligence |date=21 April 1866 |newspaper=[[Liverpool Daily Post]] |page=8}} column 4</ref> Her outward passage was the quickest recorded to date, reaching Mauritius in 40 days and [[Port of Singapore|Singapore]] in 60. The whole journey from Liverpool to [[Port of Hong Kong|Hong Kong]] took 65 days.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Great Ocean Race from China |date=25 August 1866 |newspaper=Liverpool Daily Post |page=5}} column 1</ref> This beat the fastest tea clipper outward passage of 77 days by the ''Cairngorm'' in 1853. |
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==Later voyages== |
==Later voyages== |
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The opening of the [[Suez Canal]] in 1869 guaranteed the success of ''Agamemnon'' and her sister ships by shortening the route that a steamship could take from Europe to China whilst sailing vessels still had to travel |
The opening of the [[Suez Canal]] in 1869 guaranteed the success of ''Agamemnon'' and her sister ships by shortening the route that a steamship could take from Europe to China whilst sailing vessels still had to travel via the [[Cape of Good Hope]]. In a few years the predominance of tea clippers in the China trade had ceased. Associates and competitors of Alfred Holt built similar ships and the nature of long-distance maritime trade had taken a major technological change. |
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==Fate== |
==Fate== |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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* {{Commons category-inline}} |
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[[Category:1865 ships]] |
[[Category:1865 ships]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Ships built on the River Clyde]] |
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[[Category:Ships of the Blue Funnel Line]] |
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[[Category:Steamships of the United Kingdom]] |
[[Category:Steamships of the United Kingdom]] |
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[[Category:Victorian-era merchant ships of the United Kingdom]] |
[[Category:Victorian-era merchant ships of the United Kingdom]] |
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Latest revision as of 03:19, 7 August 2024
.jpg) Agamemnon
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Agamemnon |
| Namesake | Agamemnon |
| Owner | Ocean Steam Ship Co |
| Operator |  Alfred Holt Ltd |
| Port of registry | Liverpool |
| Route | Liverpool to China and the Far East |
| Builder | Scott & Co, Greenock |
| Yard number | 116 |
| Launched | 6 October 1865 |
| Identification |
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| Fate | Scrapped 1898 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | cargo and passenger steamship |
| Tonnage | 2,270 GRT, 1,550 NRT |
| Length | 309.3 ft (94.3 m) |
| Beam | 38.8 ft (11.8 m) |
| Depth | 20.6 ft (6.3 m) |
| Installed power | 300 hp |
| Propulsion |
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| Sail plan | 3-masted barque |
| Speed | 10 knots (19 km/h) |
SS Agamemnon was one of the first successful long-distance merchant steamships. She was built in 1865 to trade between Britain and China, and competed with tea clippers before and after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. She brought together three improvements in steamship design: higher boiler pressure, an efficient and compact compound steam engine, and a hull form with modest power requirements.
Before Agamemnon, steamships were not a practical commercial option for trade between Britain and the Far East. The amount of coal that they needed to carry left little space for cargo. Agamemnon could steam at 10 knots (19 km/h), consuming only 20 tons of coal a day. This was substantially less than other ships of the time – a saving of between 14 and 23 tons per day was achieved.[1] This enabled her to steam to China with a coaling stop at Mauritius on the outward and return journey.
This was the first of five Blue Funnel ships to be named after Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae during the Trojan War. Later examples include a motor ship Agamemnon built in 1929, which in the Second World War was converted into an auxiliary minelayer.
Building and performance
[edit]Agamemnon was the first of three sister ships, the others being Achilles (1866) and Ajax (1867). Scott & Co of Greenock, Renfrewshire built the three ships for Alfred and Phillip Holt's Ocean Steam Ship Company, later called the Blue Funnel Line. Each was 2,270 GRT and 1,550 NRT. Overall length was 309 feet (94 m) and beam 38 feet (12 m).[2]
Agamemnon (and her sister ships) combined three key features.
The first was a higher boiler pressure than was normally used on British merchant ships. Alfred Holt had experimented with a boiler pressure of 60 psi in the Cleator, a ship he used as a floating testbed. Holt overcame the Board of Trade's objections to boiler pressures above 25 psi in seagoing vessels.
The second feature was her compound steam engine, designed by Alfred Holt. As well as being more efficient than others of the time, it was a relatively compact engine, so used less cargo space.
The third was an iron hull that was strong in relation to its weight and cost and with modest power requirements – again developed by Alfred Holt.[1]
Agamemnon's fuel efficiency enabled her to compete successfully with tea clippers between Britain and China. She could steam from London to Mauritius, a distance of 8,500 miles (roughly half the distance to China via the Cape of Good Hope) without coaling.
Her normal journey time from Fuzhou (Foochow) to Liverpool was 58 days,[3][2] whereas clippers could take anything from a record-breaking 88 days to 140 or more, and averaged 123 days in 1867–68.[4] Further, her cargo carrying capacity was two or three times as much as these sailing ships.[2]
Scott built Agamemnon as yard number 116, launched her on 25 November 1865 and completed her on 31 March 1866.[5] Alfred Holt registered her at Liverpool. Her UK official number was 54924,[6] and by 1871 her code letters were JKGB.[7]
Maiden voyage
[edit]The newly built Agamemnon arrived in Liverpool from Greenock on 1 April 1866, the year of the clippers' Great Tea Race. She sailed for China on 19 April.[8] Her outward passage was the quickest recorded to date, reaching Mauritius in 40 days and Singapore in 60. The whole journey from Liverpool to Hong Kong took 65 days.[9] This beat the fastest tea clipper outward passage of 77 days by the Cairngorm in 1853.
Later voyages
[edit]The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 guaranteed the success of Agamemnon and her sister ships by shortening the route that a steamship could take from Europe to China whilst sailing vessels still had to travel via the Cape of Good Hope. In a few years the predominance of tea clippers in the China trade had ceased. Associates and competitors of Alfred Holt built similar ships and the nature of long-distance maritime trade had taken a major technological change.
Fate
[edit]In 1897 Agamemnon was transferred to Alfred Holt's Dutch subsidiary Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij Ocean. She was scrapped in 1899.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Jarvis, Adrian (1993). "9: Alfred Holt and the Compound Engine". In Gardiner, Robert; Greenhill, Dr Basil (eds.). The Advent of Steam – The Merchant Steamship before 1900. Conway Maritime Press. pp. 158–159. ISBN 0-85177-563-2.
- ^ a b c "Agamemnon (1865); Passenger/cargo vessel". Ship models. National Maritime Museum.
- ^ Clark, Arthur H (1911). The Clipper Ship Era 1843–1869. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. p. 332.
- ^ MacGregor, David R. (1983). The Tea Clippers, Their History and Development 1833–1875. Conway Maritime Press. pp. 225–243. ISBN 0-85177-256-0.
- ^ "Agamemnon". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ Mercantile Navy List. London. 1867. p. 7 – via Crew List Index Project.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Mercantile Navy List. London. 1871. p. ii – via Crew List Index Project.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Shipping Intelligence". Liverpool Daily Post. 21 April 1866. p. 8. column 4
- ^ "The Great Ocean Race from China". Liverpool Daily Post. 25 August 1866. p. 5. column 1
External links
[edit]
Media related to Agamemnon (ship, 1865) at Wikimedia Commons
