Montague Dawson

(British, 1890-1973)

'The Great Republic'

Footnotes

Provenance
With Watson Art Galleries, Montreal, no. 13844
Private collection, UK.

The so-called 'extreme clipper' Great Republic was a truly remarkable vessel which, when completed in 1853, was the largest merchant sailing ship ever constructed in the United States. Built as a speculation by the renowned Donald McKay in his shipyard at East Boston, she was registered at 4,555 tons, measured 335 feet in length with a 53 foot beam, and was rigged as a 4-masted barque. McKay designed her with four decks and she was capable of carrying 6,000 tons (dead weight) of cargo in addition to sporting some particularly luxurious passenger accommodation. Launched to huge public acclaim on 4th October 1853, she was towed to New York when ready for sea where she loaded a cargo of provisions valued at US$300,000. With her crew engaged, she was preparing to sail when, on 26th December, a fire broke out on Front Street, New York; in no time, a strong wind blew hot cinders over the Great Republic and she was soon ablaze. Despite every effort to save her, including scuttling her at the dockside, she was essentially destroyed and McKay declared her to be a total loss.

However, her insurers sold what remained of her to A. A. Low & Brother who had her rebuilt at Greenpoint, Long Island. Cut down to three decks and with all her spars reduced in length, she was ready for sea again in February 1855 and cleared New York for Liverpool on the 24th of the month. Despite a rough passage, the crossing only took 19 days and her captain stated that she had "behaved nobly". Her maiden voyage as effectively the second Great Republic marked the start of a highly successful career which, despite several mishaps – including a brief seizure during the American Civil War – continued until 1869 when she was sold to new owners in Liverpool and renamed Denmark. Her life under British colours proved brief however, and she was abandoned in a sinking condition in the Atlantic after storm damage in March 1872.