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Steve Reynolds

More About Captains Begg & Legoe and the Hesperus

Updated: Aug 23, 2022

I have acquired the book "Sagas of Steam and Sail" by Neil W. Cormack since writing "Captain John Legoe & More About the Hesperus".


The book covers the topics of the Hesperus, Captain William Begg and Captain John Legoe. Although there are two spellings for Hesperus (Hesperus/Hersperus), the book confirms the building of the 1777-ton* ship after Robert Steele & Co of Greenock were commissioned (by Anderson, Anderson & Co.*) to build the iron clipper for the South Australian wool & passenger trade in 1871.

* (1859 grt / 1777 nrt )



* (Anderson, Anderson & Co. had originally been the Orient Line, of which William Begg and John Legoe were both masters - see below.)


According to the book, William Begg and John Legoe were both masters in the Orient Line before migrating to South Australia. They established the South Australian Stevedoring Co. The South Australian Stevedoring Co. eventually merged with the Adelaide Stevedoring Co. and eventually became P&O Ports Ltd.


Captain William Begg was appointed as the first Lloyd's surveyor in South Australia. The Hesperus was Captain John Legoe's last command before settling at his home at Legoe Street (named after him) at Semaphore (NOT Semaphore South) .



(Photo courtesy of the State Library of South Australia)


According to the web page found at Harbinger (nautilusint.org), the Hesperus and its sister ship Harbinger "were bought for Lord Brassey's training scheme (Ocean Training Scheme) early in 1890. However, the economics of Australian trades coupled with the growing use of steamships meant both vessels were increasingly judged to be inappropriate, and Harbinger was sold in 1898, followed by Hesperus in 1899. Harbinger operated in the Baltic for a Finnish shipowner until being sold for scrapping in Belgium in August 1910, while Hesperus was broken up in Italy in 1923."



The Hesperus was renamed GRAND DUCHESS MARIA NIKOLAEVNA in 1899 after the Czar's third daughter. It was renamed SILVANA in 1921 and broken up in 1923.

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