Pericles (ship)

History
United Kingdom
Name	Pericles
Owner	Aberdeen Line
Builder	W. Hood & Co, Aberdeen
Launched	11 July 1877
History
Norway
Acquired	1912
Renamed	Sjurso, 1916
Fate	Scrapped at Kiel, Sept. 1923
General characteristics
Class and type	Iron hulled, three masted sailing ship
Tons burthen	1,598 tons

Pericles, named after the Athenian leader Pericles, was a 1,598 ton, iron hulled, three masted sailing ship, that was built by W. Hood & Co of Aberdeen, and launched in July 1877 to transport wool for the Aberdeen Line.^[1]

Pericles was a fast ship and her maiden voyage from London to Melbourne took 71 days. She continued to be used on the passenger route to Australia, arriving in Sydney from London, via Plymouth on 5 December 1877 and 10 November 1878.^[2] On 31 July 1879 en route to Sydney she grounded on Pericles Point near the Helford River in thick fog. Pericles had a close call as Penere Point is near The Manacles, a reef which has claimed over one hundred ships. Two hours later, on a rising tide, she refloated and continued on her journey to Sydney. The following day her fore peak was found flooded and Captain Largie turned the ship around and returned to Plymouth for repairs.^[3]

She made a trip to Fiji carrying 461 Indian indentured labourers and arriving at Suva on 3 July 1884. There was an outbreak of cholera during the voyage, with thirty-five cases being reported and twenty deaths.

In 1904, Pericles was sold to a Norwegian buyer and changed ownership twice more before being renamed Sjurso in 1916. She was scrapped at Kiel in September 1923.^[4]

• Indian indenture ships to Fiji
• Indians in Fiji
• Indian indenture system

• Winchester, Clarence, ed. (1937), "Two great racing rivals", Shipping Wonders of the World, pp. 467–470 illustrated description of Pericles and Brilliant