Welsh Journals

The last vessel to be launched here was the 33 ton sloop Three Sisters (later rigged as a ketch), in 1882. Altogether ninety-five sloops were built at New Quay and Cei Bach it is interesting to find that until the last days of shipbuilding the eighteenth century name was used in preference to the more modem smack. Of course after 1837 vessels under 15 tons were not required to be registered so it is possible that the number should be higher nine smacks were built at New Quay, the last being the Antelope in 1868, rigged as a ketch in 1888, and wrecked near New Quay five years later. The ketch rig became common in the second half of the nine- teenth century as it was considered to be the most economical and handy of all rigs for small merchant sailing ships, hence its employment in the last days of sail for coasting vessels, when falling freights and compet- ition from steamers were driving sailing ships off the sea. No ketches were built at New Quay, but as has been seen the Three Sisters and the Antelope were re-rigged as ketches, so was the Ina Lass which continued to work under this rig until 1920 and the last vessels owned here were all ketch-rigged-the Main, John Ewing and the Fleetwing. Seventy- nine schooners were built here, thirteen brigs, ten brigantines and three barques. At least 209 vessels were built and fifty more acquired by New Quay owners, from Conway, Runcorn, Appledore and Whitehaven, all well-known schooner ports. In the 1860s Prince Edward Island-built boats began to appear-a dozen were owned here at various times, the last to survive being the barquentine Raymond typical of the smaller vessels built at Prince Edward Island for sale in the British market, launched as a brigantine at Summerside by John Lefourgey in 1876, she was still afloat during the second World War. In the first fifty years of the nineteenth century the island and the neighbouring Canadian provinces built innumerable vessels for the British market,13 one of their agents being William Richards of Swansea who supplied some of the New Quay-owned vessels. The first seen at New Quay was the Glenara built at New Brunswick in 1859 and owned in Aberaeron in 1860 with some shares held by New Quay people then came the Annie Ramsay, 407 tons, a barque, built in Quebec in 1863 by Anderson and Paradise New Quay owned as she was, she was too big for this little harbour and was never seen here-she was lost at sea in 1867 the Susannah Knap built at Port Hill, Prince Edward Island in 1863, a 178 ton brig, was however a familiar sight and in typical Welsh fashion was adopted as a means of describing the family who owned her-although it is nearly a hundred years since she was lost off the French coast in 1883, her master's daughter was still being described until her recent death as Miss Davies "Susannah Knap". Another brig the 144 ton Walter I. Cummins followed her to New Quay