Travel Tuesday - Crusader to New Zealand

In December 1874, Captain Renaut sailed his ship The Crusader into Lyttleton Harbour, New Zealand with 374 passengers on board.

Photo A Large Sailor's Woolie of the Clipper Ship The Crusader at Anchor in New Zealand
Circa 1875-85courtesy of Paul Vandekar  
 http://www.vandekar.com/archives/details.asp?inventoryNumber=NY07221

The Crusader departed from Plymouth on the 25th of September and made the passage in 97 days with very little illness reported.  The surgeon superintendent was Dr. John Guthrie who settled in Christchurch.  On the voyage Dr Guthrie found it necessary to appoint two nurses, Mrs Cleaver and Mrs Lindon.


My great great grandparents, Robert Forsyth and his wife Jessie nee Farquhar were on board the Crusader with their little son Alexander.  

Robert and Jessie Forsyth went on to have a large family once they settled in New Zealand

The Press newspaper reported the Arrival of the Crusader in its edition on the 1st of January 1875.

Everyone spoke most highly of the Captain  "The passengers and Immigrants alike testifying to his unwearying care and devotion during the passage".


Click here to read a story, recorded in the "Lyttelton Times" of February 3rd 1925.  It is the recollection of John Henry Timms who, in 1874 at the age of 8, sailed to New Zealand on board Crusader with his parents John and Caroline and two sisters Ann and Mary.


The Crusader developed a hole and the well was taking in water.
The water was successfully pumped out throughout the voyage but the pump kept breaking down and not too much water continued to come in.  It is said that on arrival at Lyttleton harbour a fish skeleton was found in the well and so it was thought that the fish body had blocked the hole thus stopping the ship taking on more water and sinking!