For twenty years the
County of Roxburgh sailed the Atlantic Ocean,
through the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific.
Built in 1885 by Barclay, Curle & Co., for R. & J. Craig of Glasgow, Scotland
the County of Roxburgh was a four masted iron ship, or 'barque',
285'6" in length by 43'5" in height x 24' in width and weighed 2209 tons
The County was a merchant ship, used in the Indian jute trade. She had a
cargo capacity of 2855.28 tons in the lower deck, and 1511.48 tons in the
tween deck. Two fresh water storage tanks (one fore, one aft)
held a total of 6560 gallons of water.
The final journey for the County of Roxburgh began on
December 18, 1905. While bound for Melbourne, Australia from Caldera, Chile,
she was caught in a cyclone. On February 8th 1906, her sails torn to shreds,
Captain James Leslie and his crew of 26 men were unable to avoid the
massive waves that dropped the ship high on the coral reefs of Takaroa.
Ten of Captain Leslie's crew members perished.
One account of the incredible struggle to save the ship was
Breakers Ahead written by Charles W. Domville-Fife in the book
Epics of the Square Rigged Ships
The full text of Breakers Ahead can be read in
Adobe Acrobat PDF format by clicking on the anchor to the left.
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Still resting on the shores of Takaroa
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| 1886 |
June |
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First Launched in Glasgow at the shipyard of Barclay, Curle & Co |
| 1891 |
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Cardiff, Wales to Colombo,Ceylon in 85 days |
| 1892 |
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Mauritius to Calcutta, India in 23 days |
| 1893 |
- 1894 |
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Calcutta to Dundee, Scotland in 99 days |
| 1894 |
December 16 |
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Calcutta to Boulogne, France in 96 days |
| 1899 |
September 16 |
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Barry, Wales to Cape Town, So. Africa in 68 days |
| 1901 |
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Cape Town, So. Africa to New York in 44 days |
| 1902 |
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New York, to Shanghai, China in 132 days |
| 1903 |
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Astoria to Queenstown, New Zealand in 108 days |
| 1905 |
December 18 |
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Left Caldera, Chile bound for Melbourne, Australia |
| 1906 |
February 8 |
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Shipwrecked on the Takaroa Atoll, French Polynesia |
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All photos on this page are courtesy of
Robert Veccella, head of the French
Polynesian office of the G.R.A.N.
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Le GROUPE de RECHERCHE en ARCHÉOLOGIE NAVALE
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For nearly one hundred years the County of Roxburgh
has withstood the elements. But time takes its toll.
To view earlier photographs click on the anchor.
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