Murdo Stewart MacDonald
Encyclopedia
Captain Murdo Stewart MacDonald (1849 or 1852–1938) was known to the whole of the nautical world as the last of the Sea-Barons.
, Isle of Lewis, Scotland
. He was the 6th child of John MacDonald 'an Domhnullach' of Tigh a Chaolais. An Domhnullach was the son of Donald MacDonald, tacksman of Little Bernera
and was a direct descendant of Dòmhnall Cam.
trades. From an early age he proved himself a competent seaman and ship driver. When he was 24 he was first mate on the May Queen the captain was injured during a storm. MacDonald remained on deck and drove the ship for 33 days and nights while the ship was battered by storms. The second mate was also washed overboard.
In 1882 when he was at home in Bernera he received a telegram asking him to report to Greenock
to take captaincy of a vessel. This in itself was no mean feat as the nearest the telegram office was in Stornoway
.
The vessel he was to take charge of was the Sir Lancelot
one of the most famous clipper
s on the China run. The Sir Lancelot was a very fast vessel and frequently overtook other ships on the same routes by a matter of days.
Under MacDonald the ship was on the sugar and rice trade, taking sugar from Mauritius
to the Indian coast or the Gulfs and salt to Calcutta or Rangoon. It took six cargoes a year, when speed meant money, and when almost every passage saw the breaking of a record.
The Sir Lancelot was sold to a merchant in Bombay in 1886 and in 1887 MacDonald settled in Mauritius
. He was appointed Examiner for Masters' and Mates' Certificates in 1890, Surveyor to the Vice-Admiralty Court in 1892, and Surveyor to Lloyd's Register
in 1895. He held the latter position until his son took over in 1923.
Early life
MacDonald was born in about 1852 in Tigh a Chaolais, Great BerneraGreat Bernera
Great Bernera , often known just as Bernera is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. With an area of just over , it is the thirty-fourth largest Scottish island....
, Isle of Lewis, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He was the 6th child of John MacDonald 'an Domhnullach' of Tigh a Chaolais. An Domhnullach was the son of Donald MacDonald, tacksman of Little Bernera
Little Bernera
Little Bernera is a small island situated off the west coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.Little Bernera lies between the sea lochs of West and East Loch Roag, immediately to the north of Great Bernera...
and was a direct descendant of Dòmhnall Cam.
Career
MacDonald went to sea at the age of eighteen as an apprentice in the Glasgow ship, Assaye. He served for four years in the Calcutta and New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
trades. From an early age he proved himself a competent seaman and ship driver. When he was 24 he was first mate on the May Queen the captain was injured during a storm. MacDonald remained on deck and drove the ship for 33 days and nights while the ship was battered by storms. The second mate was also washed overboard.
In 1882 when he was at home in Bernera he received a telegram asking him to report to Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
to take captaincy of a vessel. This in itself was no mean feat as the nearest the telegram office was in Stornoway
Stornoway
Stornoway is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William...
.
The vessel he was to take charge of was the Sir Lancelot
Sir Lancelot (clipper)
Sir Lancelot was a clipper ship which sailed in the China trade and the India-Mauritius trade.Built in 1865 by Robert Steele & Co, Greenock, Sir Lancelot was "a beautiful tea clipper" called the Yacht of the Indian Ocean....
one of the most famous clipper
Clipper
A clipper was a very fast sailing ship of the 19th century that had three or more masts and a square rig. They were generally narrow for their length, could carry limited bulk freight, small by later 19th century standards, and had a large total sail area...
s on the China run. The Sir Lancelot was a very fast vessel and frequently overtook other ships on the same routes by a matter of days.
Under MacDonald the ship was on the sugar and rice trade, taking sugar from Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
to the Indian coast or the Gulfs and salt to Calcutta or Rangoon. It took six cargoes a year, when speed meant money, and when almost every passage saw the breaking of a record.
The Sir Lancelot was sold to a merchant in Bombay in 1886 and in 1887 MacDonald settled in Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
. He was appointed Examiner for Masters' and Mates' Certificates in 1890, Surveyor to the Vice-Admiralty Court in 1892, and Surveyor to Lloyd's Register
Lloyd's Register
The Lloyd's Register Group is a maritime classification society and independent risk management organisation providing risk assessment and mitigation services and management systems certification. Historically, as Lloyd's Register of Shipping, it was a specifically maritime organisation...
in 1895. He held the latter position until his son took over in 1923.