Another well-known Aberdeen firm which was a pioneer in the Australian trade was Duthies. They were builders as well as owners. The original William Duthie started his shipbuilding business over 100 years ago. Besides owning many of the ships he built, he was also a large timber merchant, and kept some vessels in the North American timber trade. He was also one of the first to send ships to the Chinchas and Peru for guano. He eventually turned over his shipbuilding business to his brothers John and Alexander, but retained his interest in some of the ships.
The first of Duthie’s ships of which I have any record is the _Jane Pirie_, of 427 tons, built in 1847 for the Calcutta trade and commanded by a well-known skipper of those days, Captain James Booth.
The next vessel to be launched by Duthie was the _Brilliant_ in 1850. She measured 555 tons, and, commanded by Captain Murray and sailing under Duthie’s house-flag, she became a very popular passenger clipper in the time of the gold rush. On her first outward passage she went from London to Melbourne in 87 days, and this was about her average. She generally loaded wool for the London market at Geelong, and made the homeward run in under 90 days.
Few ships came home from the Antipodes in those days without gold dust on board; and the _Brilliant_ on one occasion brought home 7 tons of gold, giving Captain Murray an anxious time until he had it safely handed over to the Bank of England. After a dozen years as a first class passenger and wool clipper the _Brilliant_ was debased to the guano and nitrate trades, being finally lost at sea when homeward bound from Callao with a cargo of guano.
The next of Duthie’s ships was the _James Booth_, of 636 tons, named after the celebrated captain. She was launched in 1851 for the Calcutta trade.
In 1852 Duthie built the _Ballarat_, 713 tons, for the great shipowner Duncan Dunbar. The _Ballarat_ distinguished herself by coming home from Melbourne in 69 days in 1855. All these early ships had the famous Aberdeen clipper bow and painted ports, and ably maintained the high reputation of the Aberdeen clipper.
In the sixties Messrs. Duthie launched the following well-known wool clippers, all called after various members of the family:—