Marchioness (ship)

The Marchioness was a 176-ton brigantine built at Waterford, Ireland in 1851 and registered at Melbourne that sailed between Nelson, New Zealand and Melbourne, Australia in the 1850s. The ship's dimensions were 91.7 x 20 x 13 ft. It founded on rocks of the Taranaki coast in 1864 and was lost with no loss of life.

On 15 December 1852 the Marchioness under Captain Fowler sailed to Adelaide from Table Bay, near Cape Town. It then sailed on 22 February 1853 with 10,218 ounces of gold for Calcutta. By 1 August she was back in Cape Town preparing to return to Australia.

On 5 October 1853 under Captain Fowler while inward bound from the Cape of Good Hope, the Marchioness struck the Point Lonsdale Reef, Port Phillip heads. She was initially floated free, but was taking on water. She was then run ashore on Swan Island for repair.

Its next voyage from Melbourne was to Wellington on 3 February 1854. The ship would have been laid up at Melbourne being repaired and possibly refitted before sailing on the Tasman route. Ownership may also have changed.

On 29 July 1854 the Marchioness was in Wellington,

On 27 September 1854 the ship bought Nelson's first mayor, Joseph Dodson, his wife, and their four children to Nelson. On this journey under Captain Kreeft from Melbourne to Nelson the Marchioness sighted and talked to the barque Cordellia which had its foremast sprung and jib boom gone. The Cordellia had sailed from London and was heading for Wellington, New Zealand. The Marchioness sailed for Wellington on the 28 September.

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