Clipper ship ANTIOPE

Photographer William James Hall (Australian, 1877 - 1951)

Date1866 - 1921

Object numberANMS1092[139]

NameGlass plate negative

MediumEmulsion on glass

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Mr and Mrs Glassford

Terms

HistoryANTIOPE was built by John Reid & Company of Glasgow in 1866. for merchant firm Joseph Heap & Sons, Liverpool. The vessel was used primarily for trading to Australia carrying general cargo as well as transporting migrants. In 1882 ANTIOPE was sold to Gracie Beazley & Company, also of Liverpool, and registered to the Australasian Shipping Company Ltd. The vessel changed hands several times in the next two decades. First it was sold to George Murray of Liverpool who converted ANTIOPE from ship to barque rig before himself selling the vessel to Frederick Whitney of Honolulu in 1901. Three years later Whitney sold ANTIOPE to Captain Peter Mathieson of Ladysmith, British Columbia for use as a lumber carrier. Mathieson, who travelled with his wife Gertrude, made ANTIOPE his home, fitting out the vessel with comforts such as pianos, plants and rugs. In 1905, during the Russian-Japanese war of 1904-905 and while transporting a load of rock salt between San Francisco and Russia, ANTIOPE was seized by Japanese naval units. ANTIOPE was later found to be a neutral ship and while the cargo was seized, the vessel was returned to Captain Mathieson. In 1915 ANTIOPE was sold to the Otago Iron Rolling Mills Company Ltd of Dunedin as a cargo ship. In September 1916, while carrying a load of timber between Tasmania and Port Chalmers ANTIOPE was grounded off Bluff, New Zealand, and a costly but successful salvage operation was undertaken. In 1921 while at anchor in Delagoa Bay, Mozambique, a fire broke out onboard ANTIOPE. The vessel had been carrying gun cartridges at the time which created a fire intense enough to buckle the stern. In response to the damage the decision was made to sell the ship to underwriters. The remains of ANTIOPE was used as a coal hulk in Mozambique for another 20 years.SignificanceThe Hall photographic collection provides an important pictorial record of recreational boating in Sydney Harbour from the 1890s to the 1930s. The collection documents the lively sailing scene in Sydney during this period and features images of vessels ranging from large racing and cruising yachts to the great array of skiffs and the emerging technologies of motorboats. Images of many iconic vessels are also included in this visual record.