BOMBAY / PROFESSOR GRUVEL

BUILT IN 1882 BY MITCHELL'S IN NEWCASTLE FOR NELSON DONKIN & CO. SHE WAS A VESSEL OF 3,130 TONS AND THE SISTER SHIP TO THE FLORIDA. HER OFFICIAL NUMBER WAS 86976.SHE HAD AN IRON HULL, THREE MASTS, TWO DECKS AND WAS FITTED WITH A COMPOUND STEAM ENGINE.SHE WAS REGISTERED IN LONDON. IN 1883 SHE DID TWO RETURN VOYAGES FOR SHAW SAVILL FROM LONDON TO LYTTLETON AND WELLINGTON VIA THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.CAPTAIN SELLERS HAD COMMAND OF THIS VESSEL FOR A WHILE. IN 1910 SHE WAS SOLD TO A NORWEGIAN COMPANY ( AKTIES NOR, WITH J CHRISTENSEN AS MANAGERS )  WITH  NO CHANGE OF NAME. IN 1922 SHE WAS SOLD AGAIN, THIS TIME TO A/S CONGO ( STILL MANAGED BY J CHRISTENSEN ) AND  RE-NAMED PROFESSOR GRUVEL.SHE WAS CONVERTED INTO A WHALE OIL REFINERY VESSEL AND SHE WAS ALSO EQUIPPED WITH WIRELESS AND AN ELECTRICAL GENERATOR AT THIS TIME.ON THE 12TH OCTOBER 1927 WHILE ABOUT 600 MILES SOUTH OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDS SHE STRUCK AN ICEBERG, AND SANK.

THERE WAS ANOTHER  SHAW SAVILL CHARTERED VESSEL, ALSO  NAMED " BOMBAY ". THE EARLIER VESSEL HAD DONE  FOUR TRIPS TO N.Z FOR SHAW SAVILL IN 1862 DOWN TO PORT CHALMERS, IN 1863 AND ALSO IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR DOWN TO AUCKLAND AND A TRIP TO LYTTLETON IN 1866.THERE WAS ALSO ANOTHER VESSEL CALLED BOMBAY WHICH HAD DONE A TRIP TO NELSON IN 1842, AND POSSIBLY SHE WAS IN BLUFF IN 1863 ( VESSELS COULD BEAR THE SAME NAME UP UNTIL ABOUT 1906, WHEN THE MERCHANT SHIPPING ACT CAME INTO FORCE PREVENTING THE USE OF DUPLICATE NAMES ) THIS VESSELTO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE WAS NOT ON A SHAW SAVILLE & CO CHARTER.