John Williams was a missionary ship under the command of Captain Robert Clark Morgan (1798–1864) and owned by the London Missionary Society (LMS). She was named after John Williams (1796–1839), a missionary who had been active in the South Pacific.[1]
She was paid for by the contribution of English school children.[2]
She sank in 50 fathoms after drifting onto a reef at Danger Island (Pukapuka) on 16 May 1864. The passengers and crew were rescued.[1]
Six more John Williams ships successively operated in the Pacific as part of the LMS's missionary work, the last, John Williams VII, being built in 1962 and decommissioned in 1968.[3]
General specifications
John Williams was launched at Harwich on 20 March 1844.
She was of 296 tons and had a length of 103 feet (31 meters) and beam of 24 feet 8 inches (7.52 meters). The depth of her hold was 16 feet (4.9 meters). She had 10 state rooms.
A medal was issued commemorating her first three-year voyage and an example of this is held at the Royal Museum of Greenwich.[4]
References
- ^ a b "TOTAL WRECK OF THE JOHN WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY BARQUE". Queanbeyan Age and General Advertiser (NSW : 1860 - 1867). NSW: National Library of Australia. 11 August 1864. p. 2 Edition: EVENING. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ^ "Missionary Ships". shippingwondersoftheworld. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Powerhouse Museum. "H4686 Ship model, SS "John Williams IV", London Missionary Society steamer". Powerhouse Museum, Australia. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ "Commemorative medal depicting the 'John Williams' Missionary ship". National Maritime Museum at Greenwich.
Further reading
- Prout, Ebenezer (1865). Missionary ships connected with the London Missionary Society.