Penarth Dock, South Wales - the heritage and legacy

Volume Ten - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - Even more aspects - The Lloyd's Register at Penarth Dock . . .

'Pacifique' - 'Pazifique'
The four masted, steel hulled, barque, 'Pacifique' was originally built as 'Knight of St. Michael' and launched during February 1883 at W. B. Thompson & Company at the Park Shipbuilding Yard, Whiteinch Glasgow for owners for R. L. Greenshields, Cowie & Company, at the Port of Liverpool. She was initially registered as a barque, though other sources have her as initially ship-rigged and converted to a barque in 1897. She was rigged with Royal sails over double top and top-gallant sails being 2,278 gross and 2,221 net register tons. Her vital statistics were 294.7 ft long x 42.2 ft breath x 24.1 ft depth. Upon change of ownership she was renamed 'Pacifique' during 1897 and once again, in 1916, the year of her loss, to 'Pazifique'. [425] The explanation for the incorrect vessel name within the Lloyd's returns for 1916 is that the change of ownership and name had only recently been actioned and had not been updated at Lloyds.


The barque 'Knight of St. Michael' under the ownership of Messrs. Robert Greenshields & William Cowie of Greenshields, (Cowie & Co), Liverpool between the years 1883 and 1897. [425]


A half-hull model of the four masted barque 'Knight of St. Michael'. [002] These models were prepared by the shipwright and used to model the lines prior to taking scaled cross-section views to layout the full scale frames in the mould loft. This design methodology ensured symmetry and continued in common use until the turn of the 20th century.



The vessel as 'Pacifique' between the years 1897 and 1916 when she was lost without trace. The lower image has been colourised. [425]