The three-masted, iron-hulled barque James Craig was built by Bartram, Haswell & Co. in Sunderland, England in 1874 and originally named Clan Macleod. Her hull comprised 92 frames over which 424 iron plates were fixed with 50,000 rivets. Over the next 26 years, the ship carried cargo around the world, rounding Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America 23 times. In 1900, Clan Macleod was acquired by Mr JJ Craig and, in 1905, renamed James Craig. Although James Craig operated between Australia and New Zealand until 1911, making 35 round trips, the the rise of steam-powered freighters rendered sailing vessels uncompetitive and the barque was relegated to serving as a collier and later laid up. Used as a hulk in her last years, James Craig was eventually abandoned in Recherche Bay in southeastern Tasmania. In 1932, James Craig sank after fishermen blew a three-metre hole in her stern. In 1972, volunteers from the Lady Hopetoun and Port Jackson Marine Steam Museum refloated James Craig and towed her to Hobart, Tasmania for preliminary repairs. Towed to Sydney in 1981, full restoration commenced and continued over the next 25 years. In 1997, James Craig was relaunched and all restoration work was completed in 2001. Now seaworthy, James Craig is owned and operated by the Sydney Heritage Fleet, which takes paying passengers on sailing excursions in Sydney Harbour and beyond.
Displacement: 646 tonnes (empty) / approximately 1,500 tonnes (loaded)
Length (overall): 70 metres (229.6 feet))
Beam: 9.5 metres (31.3 feet)
Draught: 3.7 metres (12.3 feet)
Depth of hold: 5.5 metres (18 feet)
Height (at mainmast): 33 metres (108.2 feet)
Propulsion: 21 sails comprising 1,100 square metres in full barque rig
Speed: 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Cargo capacity: 1,100 tons
Complement (original): 18 (The Master, his wife, and 16 crew, including three apprentices)
Height (at mainmast): 33 metres (108.2 feet)
Propulsion: 21 sails comprising 1,100 square metres in full barque rig
Speed: 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Cargo capacity: 1,100 tons
Complement (original): 18 (The Master, his wife, and 16 crew, including three apprentices)
Photos taken 27 October 2014
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| The iron-hulled barque James Craig, berthed at Wharf 7 in Darling Harbour, next to the Australian National Maritime Museum. Her restoration between 1981 and 2001 cost nearly A$30 million. |
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| James Craig is sailed and maintained by volunteers of the Sydney Heritage Fleet. Fees from paying visitors, charters, events, and day sails for up to 80 passengers every two weeks help to cover her nearly A$1 million annual maintenance bill. |
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| James Craig is one of only a few 19th century barques in the world that still regularly go to sea. She has sailed several times to Hobart, Melbourne, Williamstown, and Newcastle. |
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| James Craig is representative of the thousands of similar sailing vessels that once carried the world's trade in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, before the advent of steam-powered freighters. Typical cargoes carried by James Craig included coal, kerosene, timber, general cargo, and wool. |