Historic Vessels B
uilt in Aberdeen by Alexander Hall and Sons at a cost of just under £6000, Mimosa was launched on 21st June 1853. Weighing in at 447 tons, Mimosa was 139.9ft (42.6m) long and had a beam of 25.5ft (7.8m). The tea and cargo clipper, with her three masts, plied her trade in relative obscurity for nearly 12 years prior to becoming a very important part of Welsh history. In the middle of the nineteenth century, many Welsh people had become disillusioned with the imperialistic policies of Victorian Britain. So, they formed their Emigration Committee, whose aim was to establish a pacifistic democratic community at a location where they would be freed from being bombarded by the English language. The place selected to achieve this aim was the Chubut Valley in Patagonia, Argentina, and the ship that would deliver them to their chosen land was Mimosa. Of course, being a cargo clipper, she was not built to carry passengers and, therefore, had to be converted at a cost of £2500, which included the charter and supply of provisions, before beginning the transatlantic voyage. On 28th May 1865, Mimosa, under Captain George Pepperell, set sail from Liverpool with 153 passengers on board. Hundreds of wellwishers gathered on the banks of the River Mersey to say goodbye. The Welsh banner was proudly raised, and as recorded by a passenger called Thomas Jones “.., the anchor was raised and we bade farewell to the land of our birth.” Unfortunately, Mimosa had to wait on the Mersey for three days before the winds became favourable for the voyage. The passengers who had paid £12 or £6 (children) had to endure storms either side of the Atlantic, so the vast majority of their voyage occurred in calm waters. The biggest problems the passengers had to face were boredom, poor food and
Mimosa
Source: Wikipedia.org
cramped accommodation, but they gained relief by playing games, singing together and sharing stories. Their monotony was also broken during the crew’s celebration of crossing the equator on 28th June. Almost a month later, on 26th July, Mimosa arrived at New Bay and on the following day, the immigrants took their first steps on Patagonian soil. The colony they developed, which was centred on Gaiman, Trelew and Trevelin, was known as Y Wladfa (The Colony). Today, there are an estimated 50,000 Patagonians of Welsh descent, around 5,000 of whom are Welsh speakers. Many of these descendants live in Welsh cottages that despite seeming somewhat incongruous, are a proud reminder of those intrepid emigrants who left their beloved homeland in search of a better future. Source: www.casgliadwerincymru.co.uk, www.clwydfhs.org, w ww.wikipedia.en Davies, JD. Britannia’s Dragon: A Naval History of Wales (2013)
HMT Empire Windrush
T
he Empire Windrush was the name given to a vessel captured by the British at Kiel at the end of WWII. Having been built in Hamburg by Blohm & Voss in 1930, she alternated between transporting immigrants to South America and operating as a cruise ship. The 500ft (152.48m) long, 8,530DWT vessel that could achieve a speed of 14.5 knots took up military duties during the war, serving as a barracks ship, a troop ship, an accommodation recreational ship and as a vessel to transport deportees. She survived several attacks during this period, but managed to complete her last duty, which was to carry German refugees away from the Red Army. After being renamed in January 1947, HMT Empire Windrush functioned as a troop transporter. On one of her voyages from Australia to Britain, she stopped over at Kingston, Jamaica to pick up British servicemen who were on leave and take them back to the UK. Apart from these servicemen and those who had left Australia, there were 66 Poles who had boarded in Mexico with the aim of making the UK home under the Polish Resettlement Act. Since there was still plenty of space left on the vessel, a decision was taken to advertise passage to the UK at a transit cost of either £44 or £28 depending on accommodation. At that time, in 1948, the British Nationality Act, which would allow residents of any British colony to be granted UK citizenship, was on the way to being passed in parliament. In anticipation of the Act being passed, the number of West Indians applying for transit far exceeded the number of available spaces on board. The successful applicants, the vast majority of whom were from either Jamaica or Bermuda, took with them a wide range of skills.
Source: www.wikipedia.org
There were mechanics, carpenters, electricians, civil servants and even a judge seeking a new life in the UK. This was to be the first voyage in the wave of migration from the Caribbean to Britain between 1948 and 1971. Those who remained in the UK were named the “Windrush Generation” after the vessel responsible for taking the first West Indians to the UK. HMS Empire Windrush continued her service, which included the transportation of the last troops stationed in Greece back to the UK. Four years after this, HMS Empire Windrush began her final voyage in February 1954. After leaving Yokohama in Japan, she suffered a huge explosion in the engine room that resulted in her being abandoned. An effort was made to tow her to Gibraltar, but this failed and she sank off the coast of Algeria. Like Mimosa, HMS Empire Windrush has become part of national history. Their voyages have become symbols of the Welsh and Caribbean spirit to seek out the best for their progeny without compromising their cultural heritage following integration. Source: www.bbc.com, www.en.wikipedia.org
