''Miako'', A

composite Composite or compositing may refer to: Materials * Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances ** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts ** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic material ...

barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts of which the fore mast, mainmast, and any additional masts are Square rig, rigged square, and only the aftmost mast (mizzen in three-maste ...

, built by William Pile,

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

, at Yard No. 181 for

Killick Martin & Company Killick Martin and Company Ltd is a privately owned global transport and logistics company with its head office in the United Kingdom. The company can trace its origins back to 1861 when it was founded by James Killick, Captain James Killick a ...

, the company founded by Captain James Killick and launched on 15 April 1869. William Pile also built Miako's sister ship

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

, for Killick Martin & Company launched on 12 July 1869. The name Miako, today spelt Miyako is a city located in

Iwate Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture (behind Hokkaido) at , with a population of 1,165,886 (as of July 1, 2023). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Pre ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. William Pile also built

City of Adelaide The City of Adelaide, also known as the Corporation of the City of Adelaide and Adelaide City Council, is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the metropolitan area of greater Adelaide, South Australia. It is legally defi ...

the world's oldest surviving clipper ship, of only two that survive — the other being the

Cutty Sark ''Cutty Sark'' is a British clipper ship. Built on the River Leven, Dumbarton, Scotland in 1869 for the Jock Willis Shipping Line, she was one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest, at the end of a long period of desig ...

. Miako’s dimensions were 48.8 x 9.2 x 5.2 meters 60’1"×30’1"×17'1"and 535 GRT, 516 NRT. Under Killick Martin & Company's ownership Miako had five captains. The first was Captain William Anderson, between 1869 and 1874, former Captain of Challenger Between 1874 and 1876 Henry Cape took command. Then William Knight from 1876 to 1879 and then Frederick William Dexter from 1879 to 1883. Finally George Albert Coutanche from 1883 to 1885. Miako’s maiden voyage was to Yokohama, San Francisco, Sydney, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Whampoa, Buenos Aires, Antwerp, then back to London. Throughout her life she continued to make varied passages visiting an incredible range of ports from those listed above, to New York, Port Elizabeth, Swatow, Amoy, Samarang, Batavia, Saigon, Belfast and Boulogne carrying cargoes of coal, rice, sugar, coconut oil, coffee, and hemp. Miako was sold on 24 July 1885 to Thomas Roberts, Llanelly, Carmarthenshire. Two of Miako’s fastest passages were whilst she was owned by Thomas Robert. Mauritius to Melbourne in 1890 in 26.5 days and Melbourne to Boston in 1890-91 with a passage of 83.5 days. She was reported to have sailed 2200 miles in 9 days. Both these passages were said to be records at the time. In 1894 Miako’s was sold to E Borbones and J Borbones, later E Borbones of Barcelona and her name was changed on to Asunción. In 1908-11 she was owned by Perez, Castro & Company and registered at Santa Cruz de la Palms and in 1911 Tenerife. Her name was changed again from 1908 to Isla de la Palma. In 1912 she was converted into a barge in Cuba and her name drops out of the registers.

References

External links

Killick Martin & Company Ltd

North East Lore

City of Adelaide

City of Adelaide (Isle of Dogs Life)

Royal Museums Greenwich

{{clipper ships Tea clippers Individual sailing vessels Victorian-era merchant ships of the United Kingdom Ships built on the River Wear 1869 ships