Sunday 19th June 2011 Unicorn Evening Lecture:
“The High Point of the Merchant Sailing Ship”
(Engineering to India, Jute to Dundee 1865 – 1905)
Speaker: Graham Cumming, Maritime Historian
Don’t miss this talk by our Guest Speaker on Scottish Maritime History. This is planned to be the first in The New Unicorn Lecture Series, a series of evening talks onboard Unicorn. Watch this website for further details.
The Unicorn Preservation Society is pleased to announce this special Sunday-evening lecture, onboard HM Frigate Unicorn on Sunday 19th June 2011 at 1900 (7.00pm).
Based on real people and events, this is a gripping account of the repercussions of the launch of the world’s first 4-masted iron merchant ship in 1875. The unexpected success of this ship named “County of Peebles” prompted the owners, R&J Craig of Glasgow, to launch a total of 12 magnificent ‘jute clippers’. These ships were well known on Tayside, as they traded between Cardiff (South Wales), Calcutta – East India and ‘home to Dundee’. Later they took general cargoes all round the world up to 1905 and beyond.
This story illustrates in particular the careers of R&J Craig’s renowned 4-masted merchant ships – known as ‘Craig’s Counties’. One of these the “County of Roxburgh” was perhaps the fastest merchant wind-ship ever created. Remarkably the dilapidated hulls of the “County of Peebles” and the “County of Roxburgh” still survive – and there are recent images of them in the talk!
We are delighted to welcome back to Dundee the speaker Graham Cumming, a Chartered Engineer and Marine Historian. Although he lives near Harrow, England, he has many family links with Tayside.
Tickets £7.00, may be booked by telephone or e-mail.
Inquiries and bookings: 01382-200900 / mail@frigateunicorn.org
Book early, don’t miss this special introductory event!
Download a POSTER here:-
