January 22, 2019

What my Great-Great-Granfather Had to Go Through

Continuing on from Submarine Matters' My 1st Australian Ancestor was a "hard driving" Scottish Captain of January 3, 2019 below is a photo of Captain Begg, ship route map and Youtube of clipper ship crew still living.


My great great grandfather Captain William Begg is seated as years before he had broken both legs in a storm at sea. Standing without hat is probably his first officer, maybe of The Murray. The two standing gentleman with hats look relaxed and upper class, maybe owners of the ship or shipping company. (Photo may have been taken in 1872 and is from the Begg and Coates family collection. Both my Mum and late Dad were descendants of Captain Begg).
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In his clipper ship Captain Begg would travel from Britain south down the Atlantic Ocean to catch the west to east blowing "Roaring Forties". Then south past the Cape of Good Hope (tip of Africa) and continue east through the southern Indian Ocean to Australia. Stopping at Adelaide to drop off passengers and UK manufactured goods, then take on Australian wheat, wool and return passengers. Travel east, maybe stop at Port Melbourne then south of New Zealand through the South Pacific and south around Cape Horn (tip of South America) see below. Once east of Cape Horn turn north, back to Britain (maybe London, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh).(Map and further details courtesy Wikipedia)
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Video above is most relevant to UK Australia run from 18:30.
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What Captain Begg (from the 1830s-70s) and his crew had to go through. The Last Cape Horner clipper ships were still economical for low value cargoes, through to the 1950s as ship insurance was minimal. As the 100+ year old ships had depreciated down to zero cost of capital. The cargo could be insured separately. And the crews were paid very little. Cape Horn, around South America, was particularly freezing and fierce, as the last survivors (some still alive in the 1990s?) describe in the Youtube.
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Pete

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't recall all the books I've read about sailing ships and the trials the crew went through. We don't understand that kind of life. Three sheets to the wind! Rum helped quell the fears. My Dad served in the US Navy during WW2, the USS Cassin Young, from 43-45. Has told me many a tale about survival including the typhoon that nearly wrecked the fleet. Thanks for showing what real sailors had to endure .

Pete said...

Hi Anonymous

I really appreciate your thanks. Your Dad would have gone through alot, as USS Cassie Young https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cassin_Young#Service_history
was so heavily engaged against Japan, including kamikazes .

Yes Typhoon Cobra aka "Halsey's Typhoon", December 1944, caused huge damage to the US fleet including sinkings of destroyers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Cobra#3rd_Fleet_damage.

Enemy action, nature and the hardship of a sailor's life took their toll.

Regards

Pete

Anonymous said...

Your great great grand father essentially did the Vendee Globe round the world race, before there is an IMOCA 60 and Kevlar carbon fiber. To round the 3 most feared Capes in the roaring 40s and howling 50s, bravo to him and the crew!
KQN

Pete said...

Thanks KQN

Luckily my great great grand father wasn't the only crewman on a clipper - especially when rounding Cape Horn https://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/19425/three-different-capes

Regards

Pete