David Bruce (captain)

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David Bruce (July 1816 – 25 February 1903) was a Scottish master mariner, remembered as skipper of the well-known clipper ships Irene, City of Adelaide and South Australian.

Contents

History

Captain Bruce made his first of many trips to South Australia as captain of the clipper ship Irene in 1855, [1] then took command of the clipper City of Adelaide for her first voyage to Adelaide in 1864. He was a keen rival of Captain John Legoe and his clipper Yatala , both being primarily engaged in the wool trade, but with accommodation for passengers in some style and comfort, and quite speedy to boot. [2] His last command of the "City" was notable for the race between these two from Port Adelaide to London, narrowly won by Yatala. [3]

<i>City of Adelaide</i> (1864) clipper ship built in 1864

City of Adelaide is a clipper ship, built in Sunderland, England, and launched on 7 May 1864. The ship was commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Carrick between 1923 and 1948 and, after decommissioning, was known as Carrick until 2001. At a conference convened by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in 2001, the decision was made to revert the ship's name to City of Adelaide, and the duke formally renamed her at a ceremony in 2013.

John Legoe was a ship's captain, associated with the sailing ships Celestial, The Murray, Yatala and Hesperus, before settling in South Australia, where he and his family were notable citizens.

<i>Yatala</i> (clipper ship)

Yatala, 1,127 tons, was a clipper built in 1865 for the Orient Line. She traded to South Australia from London for seven years until she was wrecked on 27 March 1872, near Cape Grisnez, France. Until the advent of the Torrens, she was arguably the fastest on the route. Her only master was Captain John Legoe, previously of Celestial and The Murray.

After making several voyages in the City of Adelaide, Captain Bruce in 1868 brought out the South Australian , of which he was part owner. His elder son John Bruce succeeded him as master of City of Adelaide, and the younger, Alexander Bruce, succeeded him as master of South Australian.

<i>South Australian</i> (clipper ship)

South Australian was a clipper ship that voyaged annually between London to South Australia for about 20 years. She was a successor to clippers St. Vincent and City of Adelaide (1864)

Family

David Bruce married Janet McIntyre ( – ). Their ten children included two ship's captains:

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References

  1. ↑ "Handsome Testimonial". Adelaide Observer . XIII, (647). South Australia. 17 November 1855. p. 3. Retrieved 5 April 2017– via National Library of Australia.
  2. ↑ "Obituary". Adelaide Observer . LX, (3, 209). South Australia. 4 April 1903. p. 34. Retrieved 4 April 2017– via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ "The Ocean Race". Adelaide Observer . XXV, (1342). South Australia. 22 June 1867. p. 2 (Supplement to the Adelaide Observer.). Retrieved 4 April 2017– via National Library of Australia.
  4. ↑ "Bruce, John". City of Adelaide: The Splendid Clipper Ship. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  5. ↑ "An Old Mariner". The Register (Adelaide) . LXXVII, (20, 599). South Australia. 18 November 1912. p. 7. Retrieved 12 April 2017– via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ "Bruce, Alexander". City of Adelaide: The Splendid Clipper Ship. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  7. ↑ "Death of Captain A. Bruce". South Australian Register . LVI, (13, 981). South Australia. 4 September 1891. p. 4. Retrieved 5 April 2017– via National Library of Australia.
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