Lot 221: Lai Fong (Chinese, active 1870-1910) The full-rigged merchantman Loch Long at sea under full sail

The full-rigged merchantman Loch Long at sea under full sail
oil on canvas laid down
65.4 x 89cm (25 3/4 x 35 in).

The iron full-rigger Loch Long was built by Thomson of Glasgow in 1876. Owned by the General Shipping Company, also of Glasgow, she was one of six new vessels ordered from various Clydeside yards to enhance the company's fleet in the mid-1870s. Registered at 1,261 tons gross (1,203 net), she measured 228 feet in length with a 34 foot beam and was regarded as a "fine wholesome ship" although no record breaker. After twenty or so successful years sporting her original ship-rig, she was cut down to a barque to save on crewing costs although did not survive the change for long. Arriving in Melbourne from Glasgow in January 1903, she went on to French New Caledonia, in the Pacific, to load a cargo of nickel ore. Sailing from there on 29th April, she disappeared and was never heard of again although debris discovered later around the Chatham Islands suggested she may have been wrecked in that vicinity.