THE GRACE HARWAR

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 224, 21 August 1935, Page 4

THE GRACE HARWAR

46 YEARS AT SEA. FOR SCRAPPING YARD. The Grace Hanvar, a steel lull-rigged ship of 1816 tons gross has arrived at llosytli, where she will be broken up after 46 years at sea. Besides being the last full-rigged merchant ship in the world, she was the oldest of the big sailing vessels engaged in the Australian grain trade. She was launched on the'Clyde in 1889 by those famous builders of sailing ships. W. Hamilton and Co., for an equally well known owner, William Montgomery, of London. In 1913 Montgomery sold her to Finland, and three years later she was purchased by Captain Gustaf Erikson, of Mariehamn, and with another exBritish ship, the Lawhill, formed the nucleus of what to-day comprises the world’s last fleet of deep water sailers. Few ships can claim a better record of hard work. She has been blown ashore, frozen up in the Baltic ice. almost completely washed out in a Cape Horn gale, run down by another sailing ship, and in collision with a steamer. She has ridden out a hurricane, and was once succoured by a British liner when, becalmed after 115 days at sea, all supplies were exhausted. Finally she traded unscathed throughout the war. Still she sailed on, 100 A 1 at

Lloyd’s to the end. and her last round vov'age was the best she ever made up'der the blue and white ensign of Finland. Leaving <■ Copenhagen last autumn, she reached Port Lincoln. South Australia, in 89 days having sailed outward in ballast to load the nrrnin which she subsequently carried home from Port Broughton to Falmouth in 98 days.