Baron of Renfrew (ship)

Baron of Renfrew, lithograph from the Peter Winkworth Collection of Canadiana, Library and Archives Canada
History
United Kingdom
Name:	Baron of Renfrew
Builder:	Charles Wood, Anse du Fort, Quebec, Canada
Launched:	1825
General characteristics
Class and type:	Disposable ship
Tons burthen:	5,294 GRT
Length:	304 ft (93 m)
Beam:	61 ft (19 m)
Draught:	34 ft (10 m)
Sail plan:	Four-masted barque
Complement:	Crew of 25

Baron of Renfrew was a four-masted barque of 5,294 gross register tonnage (GRT), built of wood in 1825 by Charles Wood in Quebec, Canada. She was one of the largest wooden ships ever built, although she was a disposable ship built for a one-way voyage to transport timber to England and did not complete a single voyage before breaking up.

Baron of Renfrew was built to transport timber from the New World to Europe and to be disassembled after discharging the timber cargo to sell the tax-free ship-timber, because the timber used to build the ship was exempt from the high taxes on imported timber. She was built by Charles Wood, Anse du Fort, Quebec, Canada, on his own account. She followed the construction of a similar disposable ship, the barque Columbus built the year before.

On August 23rd, 1825 under the command of captain Matthew Walker the ship left Quebec with a crew of 25 men and a cargo of 9000 tons timber (probably ship and cargo weight, both timber) bound for London, England. On October 21st of the same year the ship appeared in the English Channel but stranded the day after on the Goodwin Sands near Long Sound Head in the Channel already under tow of two tugs and a pilot on board. It is reported that parts of the ship and her timber cargo were found on the French coast near Dunkirk and Gravelines, according to other sources the ship, broken in three parts, were found near Calais.

The huge ship had a length overall of 92.65 metres with bowsprit and jibboom: 110,8 metres (363 feet), 18.59 metres wide and 10.36 metres tall (304 feet × 61 feet × 34 feet). She was rigged as a four-masted barque, with the square-rigged masts fitted with just three square sails (course, top, and topgallant sails) and the spanker mast with a spanker sail and a spanker topsail. Three foresails were fitted to the stays to the jibboom making 14 sails all in all. Instead of a bobstay the end of the bowsprit was supported by an extra spar (bar) resting on the cutwater above the waterline.