Afon Cefni (1892 ship)

Afon Cefni was an iron, four-masted barque. She was named after Afon Cefni, one of the rivers of Anglesey. Her sister ship was Afon Alaw, also named after an Anglesey river. Like Afon Alaw, Afon Cefni was built in Glasgow, Scotland by A. Stephens & Sons for Hughes & Co from Menai Bridge, Anglesey.

History
Name: Afon Cefni
Owner: Hughes & Co.
Port of registry: Liverpool
Builder: A. Stephens & Sons for Hughes & Co, Glasgow, Scotland
Yard number: 339
Launched: 10 March 1892
Completed: April 1892
Fate: Wrecked 1894
General characteristics
Type: Barque
Tonnage: 2,066 GRT
Length: 87.0 m (285 ft 5 in) pp
Beam: 12.5 m (41 ft 0 in)

The ship's career, however, was not long. In January 1894 it was en route to San Francisco from Swansea when it was lost with all crew. Later, pieces of the ship washed up on the Cornish and Sussex coasts.

Description

Afon Cefni was a four-masted barque of 2,066 gross register tons (GRT). The vessel measured 87.0 metres (285 ft 5 in) long between perpendiculars with a beam of 12.5 metres (41 ft 0 in).[1] A newspaper account from the period states the ship as having been measured at 1,996 gross register tons (GRT) with a capacity for 3,330 long tons (3,380 t) of cargo. On Afon Cefni's final voyage, the ship had a draught of 0.8 metres (2 ft 6 in).[2]

Service history

The barque was constructed by A. Stephens & Sons at their yard in Glasgow, Scotland on behalf of Hughes & Co with the yard number 339. The vessel was launched on 10 March 1892 and completed in April of that year. The ship was registered in Liverpool.[1] Named Afon Cefni for the river in Anglesey, the barque had a short career.

On 5 January 1894, Afon Cefni departed Swansea, Wales for San Francisco, California.[2] The vessel was last seen off Lundy and was not heard from again.[1] From 20 January to 5 February pieces of wreckage from the ship were collected along the Cornish and Sussex coasts. The identity of the wreckage was ascertained when a lifebuoy bearing Afon Cefni's name washed up on the Sussex coast.[2]

gollark: Or granduncle or whatever.
gollark: I think I have one which is a great uncle of that
gollark: Looks like my stuff is non-viewbombed, yay.
gollark: <@372386431416401920> What did happen, then?
gollark: Hail the great TJ09!

References
  1. "Afon Cefni (1099392)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  2. "Afon Cefni Wreck". Evening Express. 13 October 1894. Retrieved 13 April 2019 – via The National Library of Wales.
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