LOCH CARRON off the Cape

Artist J M Drummond

Date1840-1860

Object number00049069

NamePainting

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsOverall (Framed): 885 x 635 x 31 mm, 3 kg

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionAn oil painting depicting the LOCH CARRON off the Cape. This painting depicts the fully rigged ship flying the British red ensign, under sail. Painting is signed by the artist J M Drummond.HistoryThe LOCH CARRON was built in 1885 at Clyde for the General Shipping Co (Aitken, Lilburn & Co, mgrs) in Glasgow as a general cargo and passenger ship for the United Kingdom to Australia run. The company became known as the Loch Line and at one stage ran 25 sailing vessels. The LOCH CARRON collided with INVERSKIP in 1904, resulting in £30,000 damages against Loch Line who were already financially suffering due to the advent of the steam trade. Their sailing vessels were losing money and LOCH CARRON was sold to Kristiansand, Norway in 1912 and renamed SEILEREN. On 11 October 1915 SEILEREN was sunk in a collision with SS VITTORIA off Torr Head, Ireland. This painting is part of the Young Collection. Herbert Edward (Bert) Young assembled a collection of maritime objects, books, papers, images and ephemera, and established Young's Maritime Museum from his home in Forestville, a suburb of Sydney, in the late 1960s. This private museum was short-lived and in 1972, Young presented his collection to the Department of Shipping and Transport to hold for incorporation into a future national maritime museum. The collection was transferred to the Australian National Maritime Museum in1987. SignificanceThis painting of the LOCH CARRON represents the beginning of the end for cargo sailing ships making the long run from the United Kingdom to Australia. As the new century approached, so too did passengers and merchants preference for steam ship transport. Sailing ships were no longer the profitable vessels they once were and were slowly put out of service.