Lithograph of the CITY OF ADELAIDE with its original rig.

Images(7)

Stern View of the CITY OF ADELAIDE on the slipway in 2006.

CITY OF ADELAIDE in 2015 at Port Adelaide SA

City of Adelaide

Vessel numberHV000014

Official Number50036

Builder William Pile, Hay and Company

Previous owner Morris and Co

Designer William Pile

Date1864

DimensionsRegistered Dimensions: 53.88 m x 10.15 m x 5.72 m, 791 tons (176.8 ft x 33.3 ft x 18.8 ft)

DescriptionCITY OF ADELAIDE is a wooden planked, wrought iron framed hull and nearly 56 metres long. The fully rigged ship was launched in 1864 from the yard of its designer and builder William Pile from William Pile, Hay and Company in Sunderland UK. It was commissioned for immigrant passages and trade between South Australia and England and was managed by Devitt and Moore, a British shipping company formed in 1836.

William Pile and his brother John were amongst the pioneers in iron ship building in this era, recognising that there would be advantages in the use of metal for ship building, and CITY OF ADELAIDE was one of their early ships that included iron in its structure. The design of the ship was carefully considered and featured quite luxurious appointments for passenger accommodation, along with cargo holds for wool and other freight.

CITY OF ADELAIDE was a well-known vessel on its regular voyages sailing between England and South Australia. It made yearly voyages between the two countries, making a total of 23 from 1864 to 1886 carrying cargo and passengers. The outward cargo from England was of a general nature, but the return voyage included minerals, wheat and wool. A number of migrants whose families still remain in South Australia came out on one of the ship's regular voyages. It was considered a fast ship taking around 65 days for the passage to Adelaide.

In 1887 it was sold to Charles Mowll and went to work on the Canadian timber trade. In 1893 it became a floating hospital in Southampton, and then in 1923 it became part of the Naval Reserve in England and was renamed the HMS CARRICK. The vessel was later used as a training ship and then barracks for naval accommodation by the Royal Navy.

In 1992 the hull was salvaged and removed to Irvine in Scotland for preservation and potential restoration. The hull remained in one piece sitting on a slipway in Scotland for many years. Owners had been trying to raise funds for a planned restoration project but one feasibility report had indicated that a restoration was not possible without replacing and rebuilding almost all of the hull's structure.

In 2005 the intended fate was to record the vessel and retain selected parts only for display. A new party then expressed interest in taking over the CITY OF ADELAIDE to ensure its preservation as a complete vessel, and plans were put in place to build a cradle and have it shipped to South Australia. In October 2013 the vessel was moved by barge on a new cradle from Irvine to London's Chatham Dock as the first stage of its passage to Australia and in early February 2014 the vessel arrived in Port Adelaide aboard its transporting ship.

SignificanceThe CITY OF ADELAIDE was built in 1864 in Scotland as a clipper ship by William Pile, Hay and Co. It is possibly the oldest surviving composite construction sailing vessel still in existence, and shows this method of construction in detail, representing the steps made toward complete construction of ships in iron and then steel. It also shares connections to Australia, its original task, from 1864 until 1886, was to work as a cargo and immigrant ship making passages to South Australia.