About the 'Tamar'
 

Another great yarn from Lubbock:

Devitt & Moore's "Tamar."

During the nineties there were three full-rigged, full-built sailing ships
which gained an excellent reputation for speed amongst the cracks of the
Colonial wool and grain fleet. These were the Tamar, Brabloch, and
Neotsfield. The largest of the three was the Tamar; she was launched in
June, 1889, by Napier, Shanks & Bell of Glasgow for Devitt & Moore, and was
a steel ship of 2112 tons gross.

Her commanders under Devitt & Moore's house-flag were J. R. Brown, and the
well-known H. N. Forbes. Both of these captains were old and trusted
commanders of Devitt & Moore's; Brown, who commanded the Tamar from her
launch until 1896, had the following passages to his credit:-
1895 Sydney to Channel .. 84 days
Barry to Adelaide .. .. 77 days

The best passages made by Captain Forbes, who took over in 1896, we in
1897 Sydney to London with 7428 bales of wool- 87 days; in 1898, Newcastle,
N.S.W., to San Francisco-51 days. Both of these passages were the best of
the year for the respective runs.

In 1900 the Tamar was sold to T. A. Shute of Liverpool and henceforward was
mostly in the West Coast trade.

In 1903-4 the outward record from the Channel round the Horn to both Chile
and Peru was broken by Thomas Shute's vessels. The Tamar sailing from the
Tyne under Captain J. C. Amberman passed Dover on November 24, 1904-£8 days
out, whilst the Eudora taking her departure from the Lizard at 10 p.m.
November 30 arrived at Coquimbo at 9 a.m. on January 27-57 days 16 hours
out.

On her next voyage the Tamar, when bound from Hamburg to Seattle under a new
captain, aroused alarm at Lloyd's by suddenly
turning up in Plymouth Sound. It appears that her new captain was a hard
drinker, and whilst the ship was bound down Channel he suddenly took out his
revolver and fired at the man at the wheel. This headstrong method of
inducing good steering brought the mate on deck on the jump. It was about
two in the afternoon, and all hands perceived that their commander was so
drunk that he could hardly stand up.

Worse was to happen, for the skipper next proceeded to alter the course of
the ship, and soon after dark the mate was astonished to recognise the
Vierge light, near Ushant. In order to make certain he asked the captain for
the light book. This put the drunken man into a furious rage, and he
proceeded to tear up the light book and other navigation books which were in
the charthouse. The mate having satisfied himself that the light was that of
the Vierge and that the ship was heading straight for the rocks, next made
an attempt to put the helm up, upon which the captain swore that he would
shoot anyone who attempted to change the course.

At last in desperation, when the ship was less than two miles from the rocks
the mate again besought the captain to allow him course before the Tamar
went ashore. He got the usual drunken response, "I'll shoot you if you
interfere with the management of the ship. Let the ship go to the bottom, I
am responsible." He backed this up by firing a shot at the mate which
whistled past the latter's right ear. This was too much. The mate went
forward, fetched the second mate and all hands, and after seizing the
captain and placing him in irons, headed the ship back for Plymouth.

Tamar was the last survivor of Shute's fleet. She survived the warand has
been laid up at Bordeaux since October, 1921.