Four masted barque ARCHIBALD RUSSELL

Dateafter 1905

Object numberANMS0047[831]

NamePhotograph

MediumBlack and white photographic print on paper

DimensionsOverall: 103 x 158 mm

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineANMM Collection Transfer from the Australian War Memorial

Terms

DescriptionA framed black and white photograph of the four masted steel barque ARCHIBALD RUSSELL. The ship is seen here from the air and a handwritten notation on the frame reads 'S.S.Archibald Russel [sic] taken from Graaf Zeppellin [sic]'.HistoryBuilt in 1905 by Scott Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. the ARCHIBALD RUSSELL was one of many ships carrying wheat for John Hardie & Son, Glasgow. In 1906 the ARCHIBALD RUSSELL, with a cargo of 4000 tons of wheat, made the fastest passage of the season from Sydney to Falmouth in 93 days. In December 1923 the ship was sold to Gustav Erickson, Mariehamn, and it continued to do the wheat run between Australia and Europe for its Finnish owners until 1939. The ARCHIBALD RUSSELL was one of the last square riggers or windjammers to be used for commercial purposes. It was part of the largest great deep water sailing fleet in history which was operated by Gustav Erikson in the 1920s and 1930s. Erikson chose the only remaining market in which sail still possessed clear advantages over steam: the Australian grain trade. South Australia was one of the world's largest grain growing areas but its shallow waters and lack of facilities made it uneconomical and hazardous for deep-draft steamers. Grain was the ideal cargo for windjammers, being light, easy to handle and once harvested, almost imperishable. The schedules of the farmers and the carriers dovetailed perfectly. The farmers could only produce one harvest a year and the carriers could only make one round trip per year. So between 1928 and 1939 Erikson's vessels 'raced' back to Britain with grain from Australia. After World War I there was a limited number of ships on which to train young sailors, so Erickson took on paying apprentices as crew. This assisted in making these ships economical to run. By the late 1930s a series of wrecks reduced Erickson's fleet. While he struggled through World War II, his death in 1947 signalled the end of the great windjammers as his company quickly changed to using steamers. The ARCHIBALD RUSSELL was detained by the British government in 1941 and was used as a store ship by the Ministry of Food. It was broken up by King and Co., Gateshead - on Tyne in 1949. SignificanceThe four masted barque ARCHIBALD RUSSELL made annual voyages to Australia from 1924 to 1939 and was particularly active in the grain trade from South Australia.