Hi Chris, I can't help with crew lists but I do have some info on the history of the *Rachel Thompson*. The 52 ft. (overall), 16 ton fishing smack *Rachel Thompson *was built by my great X3 grandfather, Jacob Chandler, at Battery Point (Tas.) in 1877 for Llewellyn (Louis) Jones. The vessel was launched on Saturday 26 May 1877. She was ketch-rigged and, at the time of launch, described as the “most commodious fishing smack owned in the port”. The vessel was estimated to hold 30 to 40 dozen fish. The *Rachel Thompson *went into service at the end of June 1877, first arriving in Melbourne with a catch of rock-cod, perch and crayfish in mid-July. She spent several years involved in the deep-sea fishing trade off the east coast of Tas. and into Bass Strait, transporting her catch to Hobart or Melbourne to be sold. In 1884, she was notably in Sydney being commended for having brought with her a cargo of live fish from Tasmania deemed to be in excellent condition. This event was due to vessel’s holds which were perforated along the bottom and sides to allow water to flow through, thereby keeping the fish in a natural state. The live fish were so eagerly received that Captain Jones was urged to return with a similar cargo as soon as possible. However, before the vessel left port she was chartered by the New South Wales Fisheries Commission to examine the possibility of transporting live fish caught off the New South Wales coast to Sydney for immediate sale. This experiment proved successful, with the fish determined to be in excellent condition and fit for sale. The *Rachel Thompson *continued her regular deep-sea fishing runs along Tasmania’s east coast, and occasional private charters up until 1901. However, disaster struck the vessel in August of 1901 when lying at anchor, at Pleasant Boat Harbour near St. Helens, Tas., Captain Jones and two crew decided to flee the vessel during a storm and make for the safety of the shore. Unfortunately, the dinghy in which they were travelling was swamped and overturned, drowning Captain Jones and one of the crew. The *Rachel Thompson *survived the storm, and in 1904 an advertisement appeared in *The Mercury *classifieds seeking for a certified master to take the vessel to Port Adelaide. However, she was back in Hobart the following year and involved in the recovery of items from the wreck of another fishing boat, the *Lucy Adelaide*. By 1907, the *Rachel Thompson *was owned by the Rattenbury Brothers and being chartered for fishing excursions off Tasmania’s east coast. Though she changed hands several more times, she continued in this role up until July of 1922 when she was unfortunately wrecked at Victoria Rocks, near Eddystone Point, Tas., during a storm; her crew landing safely. There is a photo of the vessel available here: http://catalogue.statelibrary.tas.gov.au/item/?id=NS2511-1-166 Nicole On Tue, Sep 2, 2014 at 11:14 PM, Chris Nilsen via <aus-tasmania@rootsweb.com > wrote: > His name was George Willis. > He married Jane Read on 28-10-1872 at the residence of the Congregational > Church Minister. > He was aged 20, she 18. > He was a mariner. > The ship I do not know. > But in Dec. 1879 there is mention of him in court records and newspaper > articles that state he was a seafaring man who had gone fishing. > I am pretty sure that at that time he was a crew member aboard the vessel > 'Rachel Thompson'. > It seems as though crew lists for the 'Rachel Thompson' are not available > but some of the vessels that sailed just after his marriage are. > I have been compiling a list of possible vessels in the hope that one day I > can visit Tassie and have a search at those crew lists. > I can place him in Hobart in the period 1872-1879, but prior to that and > beyond that I am at a loss. > Ship lists should at least tell me if he was a native of VDL. > Any help would be appreciated. > Regards, > Chris. > Adelaide. > > On 1 September 2014 10:47, Mike Hurburgh <mike_robin@aapt.net.au> wrote: > > > Chris, > > > > Why don't you tell the list the name of your ancestor, the vessel and the > > details of his marriage, especially the name of his bride - there is sure > > to be someone who can tell you more. The list has 500+ subscribers and > > there are not too many requests which go unanswered. > > > > > > > > On Mon, 01 Sep 2014 10:34:05 +1000, Chris Nilsen < > > nilsen.christopher@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > Excellent. > >> Thank you so much for your help. > >> My plan is to hopefully get to the archives one day ( I live far away ) > >> and > >> search through the crew lists for vessels to try to find some details of > >> my > >> ancestor. > >> He has been very elusive. > >> However I know he was a mariner, and I also know his marriage date. So I > >> figured he must have been in Hobart on the day he was married. > >> So I have been searching the newspapers to see what vessels left Hobart > in > >> the following month or two after the marriage date. > >> Hopefully if I get to the archives I can look at those vessels and he > >> might > >> be a crew member of one. > >> You have to start somewhere I guess. > >> Thanks for the info. > >> Chris. > >> > > > > -- > > > > Regards > > > > Mike Hurburgh > > > > --- > > This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! 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