|
a.
|
Note: Mark was listed as a 6 yo scholar on the 1851 Hastings census. It would seem he was away at sea at at the 1881 census which recorded as follows:Alice BREACH Head M Female 34 born London, London, Middlesex, England Wife Of Master Mariner. Archibald BREACH Son Male 5 Hastings, Mary BRYANT Servt Female 16 Hastings
Domestic Dwelling 48 Cambridge Gardens, Hastings Holy Trinity, Sussex, England. Mark was on the 1891 census in Poplar, London, down as Mariner, with his wife Alice Breach, the children were in Hastings at the time with Alice's mother. He was again away
for the 1901 census with his wife and children residing back in Hastings.
Cousin Nat Breach wrote " One other snippet that could interest you is that of one of my grandfather's ( John Alfred Breach b 20.4,1838 ) brothers was named Mark b 15.2.1845 at Hastings, he entered the Merchant Navy in 1862 and served his
apprenticeship until 1866 in the sailing ship Zealandia, acquired his 2nd mates cert on 13.2.1866 and on the same ship was 2nd mate 1866/7. Aquired a 1st mate cert on 2.10.1867,serving as 2nd mate and then 1st mate on the Thyatira 1867/72. As 1st mate
on the, ship Queen of Nations 1873/74, acquired Masters cert in 1874, served as 1st mate Miltiades 1874/77, as master on Jerusalem 1877/87, as master on Aviemore 1887/8. finally as master of the famous sailing ship Patriarch1891/98, he then retired
from sea to settle in Sydney."
The last sailing of the Patriarch into Sydnay was May 15 1899.
Guidldhall manuscripts wrote March 2007 : In response to your enquiry, I have consulted our index to masters and mates and the following has been extracted:
Name : Mark Breach Place and date of birth : Hastings 1845 Certificate number : C81993 Place certificate awarded : London. Date of certificate : 1874
Details of his voyages are also recorded in the Captains Registers. However the relevant entries are lengthy and I regret that shortage of staff time prevents us from extracting them for you. I can confirm that he appears in GL Mss 18567/16, 18567/29,
18567/44, 18567/59, 18567/74. I have checked the first volume he appears in, Ms 18567/16 and can confirm that he serves on voyages on the Jerusalem and the Miltiades between 1874-1879, which corresponds with the information you provide.
Nicholas True wrote in Sept 2006 - The fact that your Mark settled in Australia after retiring I had from a good source in Australia - the maritime museum, I think. He was a prominent clipper captain and the Patriarch was one of the most famous ships
on the Australia run. I have a postcard of the Patriarch unloading at ?Norseman's Creek which Mark sent to his cousin my great-grandfather John Breach. I think that he may have founded a new family in Australia - he resigned from Thompson's Line in
pique when they sold the Patriarch while it was still at sea on the last homecoming voyage.
Marriages and deaths of both Mark Breach and Herbert S Breach are recorded on the NSW BDM website. The parents of Mark Breach are recorded as Mark & Elizabeth ( perhaps incorrectly given or his mother was Ann Elizabeth ) The parents of Herbert S Breach
were recorded as Mark & Ann , which match up perfectly.
Mark Breach married an Emma R Satchell in Sydney 1909 and died in 1917 in the district of St. Leonards, NSW. (*** Marks first wife Alice had died Sept quarter 1908 )
The Card Index to the Gore Hill Cemetery shows a Mark Breach, address Neutral Bay, buried 6/2/1917, age 72, Church of England, Section D, Lot 132B. There is no headstone.
Following is from website - "Schooner Man" http://www.schoonerman.com/ - THYATIRA - The Thyatira, Thompson`s first composite ship, was also a very ticklish vessel to handle when wool-laden. One her maiden voyage she went out to Melbourne in 77 days,
but took 96 days to get home, during which passage she gave her officers much anxiety owing to her extreme tenderness.
Captain Mark Breach, one of the best known of the Aberdeen White Star captains, entered the employ of the firm as the second mate on the newly launched Thyatira. The Thyatira was on the berth for Melbourne when he joined her. One his second y aboard he
was superintending the stowage of cargo in the hold, when old Stephen Thompson cam down to have a look around. The Thyatira`s owner happened to be smoking a fine meerschaum pipe, an young Breach, being completely ignorant of the identity of the
visitor, immediately went up to him and informed him in no uncertain language that his lighted pipe was dead against all rules and regulations. Mr. Thompson, without disclosing his identity, at once apologized and returned his pipe to its case.
Presently when the visitor had departed, the mate asked Mr. Breach what he had been talking to Mr. Thompson about. And one may well imagine tat the new second mate was somewhat scared when he learnt that it was his owner to whom he had been laying down
the law. However, the mate comforted him by telling him that Stephen Thompson had been very pleased and prophesied that he would be a good servant to the company.
Mark Breach afterwards served as mate of the Miltiades, then commanded the Jerusalem, Aviemore, and finally the famous Patriarch.
The Thyatira was a very favourite ship and mad some very good passages. She and the Jerusalem both loaded team home for China on more than one occasion, and made passages of under 110 days in the N.E. monsoon.
From Mariners and ships in Australian Waters - vessel - JERUSALEM OF ABERDEEN, MARK BREACH, MASTER, BURTHEN 901 TONS FROM THE PORT OF LINAM TO SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, 21ST JULY 1878 - Mark Breach - Master - Source: State Records Authority of New
South Wales: Shipping Master's Office; Passengers Arriving 1855 - 1922; NRS13278, [X141-142] reel 437-438. Transcribed by Elizabeth Lopez, 2005. A scan of the ships crew with the signature of the ships Master Mark Breach is on this webite :
http://mariners.records.nsw.gov.au/index.htm
From website " The ships list" http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/aberdeen.html
The Fleets Aberdeen Line / Aberdeen & Commonwealth Lines
Set up in 1825 by George Thompson of Aberdeen to run sailing ships to the St. Lawrence with a few passengers and returning with timber. By 1837 he was running a fleet of 12 sailing vessels and trading to South America, the Pacific, West Indies and the
Mediterranean and in 1842 commenced regular London - Australia sailings. In 1882 a regular steamship service was introduced between London and Australia and in 1899 all ships of the line were fitted to carry frozen produce. In 1905 the company came
under the joint control of White Star Line and Shaw, Savill & Albion Line, but retained it's own identity. White Star Line purchased the Australian Government owned Australian Commonwealth Line and it's fleet in 1928, but in 1931 the Kylsant shipping
group which owned White Star Line, collapsed. In 1932, the Aberdeen Line was purchased by Shaw, Savill & Albion and in 1933 the fleet of the former Australian Commonwealth Line which had not been fully paid for, was also acquired and the Aberdeen &
Commonwealth Line formed. In 1936 Furness Withy & Co took control of Shaw Savill & Albion, in 1938 the Aberdeen name was dropped from the title and in 1957 the last of their ships was scrapped and the company disappeared.
Many thanks to Ted Finch for his assistance in collecting this data. The following list was extracted from various sources.
Routes: - Aberdeen Line - Sail
1854-1870 Aberdeen - Quebec - St.Lawrence.
1824-1840 Aberdeen - London / Aberdeen - Baltic / Mediterranean / West Indies / South America / Pacific.
1840-1845 London - Australia - New Zealand - East Indies / China - South America.
1841-1850 Aberdeen - Baltic / Mediterranean / West Indies / South Africa / North and South America.
1846-1906 London - Cape Town / Durban - Melbourne / Sydney - East Indies - India - London.
1849-1881 London - Melbourne / Sydney - Shanghai / Foochow / Whampoa - London.
Vessel Built Years in Service Tons
Aviemore 1870 Australia trade, 1889 sold to Norway. 1,147
Jerusalem 1867 China and Australia trade, 1887 sold to Norway. 901
Miltiades (1) 1871 Australia trade, 1902 sold to Italy. 1,495
Patriarch 1869 Australia trade, 1898 sold to Norway. 1,405
Aberdeen line vessel - http://www.shawsavillships.co.uk/aberdeen.htm ( ** all of Mark Breach's vessel's he captained are pictured)
PATRIACH- BUILT IN 1869 BY W HOOD & CO AT ABERDEEN, SHE WAS A VESSEL OF 1,405 TONS.SHE HAD AN IRON HULL, AND WAS A PASSENGER CARRYING CLIPPER SHIP. IN 1898 SHE WAS SOLD TO A NORWEGIAN COMPANY ( G MONSON OF STRAVANGER ) RETAINING HER ORIGINAL NAME. IN
1898 SHE WAS SOLD TO ALEXANDER BECH. IN 1912 SHE WAS WRECKED OF CAPE CORRIENTES, CUBA.
Roy Breach wrote in March 2007 " I have the postcard of the ship Patriarch in my possession. She is anchored in Mossman Bay, Sydney, discharging explosives into a smaller vessel which lays alongside. The poscard I hold of the PATRIARCH was not posted.
The message on the reverse says 'Cousin John Breach from Cousin Mark. Ship PATRIARCH in Mosman Bay discharging powder Oct 27th 1897'. As she was sold in 1898 this photo was probably taken during Mark's last voyage in her.
Also have a newspaper cutting regarding a bottle he threw overboard to test the current and which turned up 36 years later at Coorang, in South Australia. He and his ship were long gone by then. I have a photo of Captain Mark Breach on the poop of
PATRIARCH whilst at Sydney. Image is a photocopy of article which appeared in "Sea Breezes" magazine years ago and so the reproduction is not so good.Centre is Mark, with beard (typical Breach features)and to his left (the tall lad) is Third Mate
G.Randell who went on to become Marine Superintendent of the P & O Stm Nav Co. And on the vessel Patriach "The wheel looks awfully near the after part of the poop and it must have been a bit 'scarey' being at the helm in a large following sea when she
was running her Easting down. However, by all accounts she was particularly dry (for an iron ship) and Mark Breach says that during his time aboard her she was so sea kindly, no matter the weather, she never stranded a rope yarn.
It must be said that her good sea qualities were probably helped in a great part to Mark's ability to 'snug' his ship down and ride out the prevailing conditions"
From The Ship's modellers association website http://www.ship-modelers-assn.org THE "PATRIARCH "
This famous sailing ship was the 49th of the Aberdeen Line of George Thompson's fleet and the first made of iron. She was the thirty-first clipper ship built by Walter Hood for Mr. Thompson, being launched in September 1869. Her measurements were:
1,405 tons gross, 1,339 tons net; 221 feet 1 inch length; 38 feet 1 inch breadth; 22 feet 3 inches depth; 4 feet 3 ½ inches freeboard. She was very luxuriously fitted for passengers and had a 90 foot poop which provided accommodation for 40 saloon
passengers, all of which were full on her maiden voyage to Sydney. She was built of the best iron plating and was immensely strong.
She was very fast and fine lined, but had one rare quality for an iron ship - she was very dry. So seaworthy was she that she never had a serious accident and never came in on the overdue list in twenty-nine years of racing out and home. Her spars and
rigging also were special. Walter Hood showed his enterprise by introducing topmast and lower masts in one piece and telescoping topgallant masts, which could be housed inside the topmasts! This saved a great deal of weight aloft resulting in the fact
that, although the PATRIARCH was heavily sparred with double topgallants at fore and main and a full set of stunsails, she was never dismasted like many of her sister ships in the Australian trade.
The best 24-hour log run on the books was set by her last captain, who claimed she ran 377 miles during that time. Her best week's work was over 2,000 miles. Captain Pile took George Thompson's new ship from the stocks and had her until 1876. Captain
Plater then had her for ten voyages followed by Captain Allan, who had her for four voyages, from 1888 to 1891. Her last captain under the Red Ensign was Captain Breach, who had her until she was sold.
Her maiden voyage was her best. She anchored in Port Jackson on February 10th, 1870, only 74 days from the London Docks. Her passage home was even better, entering the West India Docks only 69 days out. Although she never again beat this time, her
times were always good - 80-day runs being considered very good. She was more often under 80 days than over.
On her wool passages home PATRIARCH rarely missed the sales, but, like all iron ships, she had to be lucky to get in under 80 days - on the average she made it between 85 to 95 days, which was considered good. She did have some interesting races with
some of the other crack clippers of her day. In 1875-76 she was beaten by the TWEED, but not by much. In 1877-78 the PATRIARCH had a great race with the SIR WALTER RALEIGH. The former was 99 days out, the later 98. In 1880 she beat the LOCH VENNACHAR
by one day. In 1890 PATRIARCH beat the TORRIDON by two days, the former arriving in 89 days, the later in 91 days.
In 1891 Captain Mark Breach, on his first passage in command of the PATRIARCH, found himself in a race with the CUTTY SARK. Captain Breach left three days ahead of the CUTTY SARK and hoped to beat her to Sydney. As it wound up, both ships arrived at
Sydney on the same day, the PATRIARCH being 82 days out, while the CUTTY SARK was 79 days out. In 1897, for the first time, PATRIARCH missed the wool cargo in Sydney and had to load black diamonds at Newcastle. A further shock was experienced when they
arrived home, for the ship had been sold to the Norwegians!
For the next dozen years the ship went between timber and sugar ports, picking up a living as best she could. Thus the Dutch, the Chinaman, the Malay and the Spanish got to admire her beautiful lines in such ports as Montevideo, Delagoa Bay, Bantjar,
Sourabaya, Tvedestrand and Port Natal. In 1903 she ran onto the shore on the Rio Grande Coast while carrying lumber and was put on the black list, but she was refloated and continued her wandering ways. Her end came in 1912. She left Algoa Bay under
Captain Johansen on passage to a Gulf port. While going through the Yacatan Channel she ran unto a reef in the Bay of Corrientes, Cuba. She was abandoned as a total loss.
|
