John Griffiths. Son of Jonathan.
The following is only a few examples of the documented Griffiths’ voyages. On 13 March 1829 John Griffiths returned to Launceston in the “Henry” from Kangaroo Island and the West Coast of New Holland with 800 fur seal skins, 400 black seal skins, 2500 kangaroo skins, 2 casks seal oil, besides 20 tons of salt collected from the natural pans at Kangaroo Island. This cargo was taken on to Sydney arriving on the ninth of April. In December 1830 John, in the “Henry”, sailed for New Zealand and adjacent islands on a trading voyage. He returned in March 1831 with 1600 sealskins, 1300 wallaby skins, 41 ton of oil, 500 lbs. salt fish and 2 passengers. Jonathan and his sons expanded their interests in Van Diemens Land to include farming, grazing, boat building, ship chandlery.
1831 was also the year that John completed the construction of the first bridge over the North Esk River where the Tamar Street Bridge stands to day.The bridge was built to transport timber to his nearby shipyard.
It took three years to build, and stood until being replaced by the Victoria Bridge for the Queens Jubilee in 1899.
In the depression of 1842, John Griffiths is said to have lost £70.000, 10,000 sheep, the whaling station, and several of his ships at depression prices. However, he soon recovered. The following April he was building the steam flour mill at Belfast (Port Fairy), and lived in a cottage facing the Moyne River in Gipps Street (between Cox and Banks Streets).
In 1844, he took over the liabilities of Archer, Gillies & Co. Launceston. John moved back to Tasmania and continued his shipping and farming interest there. He reopened his shipyard and in 1850 the barque, “Sydney Griffiths” came off the slips. She was of 368 tons, one deck with a quarter, three masted, square sterned and carvel built, (reputedly) to carry the first cargo of wool direct from Port Fairy to London.
Described as a “perfect model” she started loading in Launceston for the London voyage. The ship under the command of Captain Cowtan departed Launceston on the 14th December 1850, her cargo was comprised of twenty ton of bark and timber.With eighty-five steerage passengers she left Port Fairy the 8th February. A cyclone hit the ship in the Indian ocean at Lat.25S Lon.60E on the 21st March she was thrown on her beam ends where she stayed for more than an hour at the height of the storm. She lost the top gallant mast, mizzen top mast, sprung her bow sprit, and most of her rigging, making it impossible to go to the assistance of several other ships in distress that she had passed. They put into Port Louis in Mauritius for a refit on the 27th March; she sailed again on the 12th April. Having picked up a bottomry bond of £1696.63 at 10%, then reached Table Bay 19th May. Then finally docking at Gravesend, London on the 16th August.
On the return trip, she arrived with ninety-four steerage passengers to Port Fairy in December, before returning to England one month later in January 1851. The “Sydney Griffiths” was named after John’s son Sidney, forever known after as Sydney. The “Sydney Griffiths” was later lost with all hands.
Also in 1851 he built the Tamar brewery with his son-in-law John Scott, The beer they brewed sold as “ the King of Beers XXX”, son Thomas was the Managing Director for twenty-Four years of the thirty-two years he spent with the Company. The next ship understandingly was named “Bitter Beer”, in which John lost two sons. Then sadly at the Tamar Regatta on March 8th. 1839 his sons John and Harry were drowned, one trying in vane to save the other.
Jonathan had built the two masted Schooner “Henry” in 1827. (See story Jonathan) The “Thistle” built in Calcutta and owned by James Henty in 1832 was purchased by J. Henty, Michael Connolly and John Griffiths. She was wrecked at Port Fairy 21st.Dec.1837.
The schooner “Resolution 1” owned by John and William Griffiths departed Launceston on the 6th.Nov.1832 bound for Twofold Bay, and has not been seen since.
The cutter “William 2” built in 1833 in Launceston by John was still owned by John when she was wrecked at Yankalilla South Australia in September 1838.
The two masted schooner “Richmond” owned and built by Jonathan Griffiths was transferred back to Sydney in February. 1835.
John Griffiths, Michael Connolly, Charles Henty, John Sinclair and James Henty owned the three masted ship “Socrates” built in England in 1821. In 1836 John Ward Cleandon became a partner, by 1840 John was the sole owner, she was wrecked in 1843.
The one masted sloop “Sarah Ann” built in 1834 at Launceston and owned by Joseph Penny and John Griffiths was lost from the records 1855. The shipping register notes that this does not appear to have been the vessel lost at Port Fairy in 1836.
In 1839 his father helped him to build the" Brothers" which was sent to Melbourne under Captain Paddy Grant, who sold her for £90 and levanted with the proceeds.
The three masted Ship “Isabella” built in Yarmouth England in 1826 was owned by Michael Connolly and John. In Jan.1836 she was wrecked 30th. March 1837. (See story Jonathan)
The two masted brig “Essington” built in 1826 at the Government Dockyards Sydney was owned in 1843 by Michael Connolly, John Griffiths, William Fletcher and Phillip Oakden, she was transferred to Portland Bay 1845.
The above list of ships is by no means the full extent of vessels owned, or built by the Griffiths.
Leslie George Griffiths was lost when the tug Nyora went down with the loss of 14 lives on July 9, 1917, between Robe and Cape Jaffa. She was towing the American auxiliary schooner Astoria at the time. Leslie was one of five that survived the sinking but he died of exposure in the swamped life boat.
Not all of the children died very young, Sydney was sixty-one leaving a widow and thirteen children, Percy was ninety-three, Elizabeth was eighty-nine, and Lewis was seventy-two. John Scott went on to be Mayor of Launceston, then a member of the Tasmanian Parliament.
The restored “Merseyview Lodge” on Victoria Parade, Devonport was originally John’s home known as “Waverley House”.
John Griffiths started building ships at Port Sorell in 1869, then at a shipyard he established at Formby (now called Devonport), where among other ships he built was the brigantine “Leslie” launched May 1867.
With this very swift brig Captain John Murray challenged the yacht “Sangolie” to a race in New Caledonia winning a side bet of £100. Soon to follow was the ketch “Linton” and the schooner “Rubicon”. The “Eveline" named after John’s daughter, was made of Blue Gum and Stringy bark tree, then launched in 1874, by his daughter Anne in the presence of two hundred spectators.“Eveline” was wrecked on Three Hummocks Island 24 November 1895. Youngest son Leslie in the presence of two thousand people christened the “J L. Griffiths” in June 1876, the Latrobe Brass band and the Torque Flute Band enlivened the launching ceremony.
She had a carrying capacity of four hundred tons, and earned the distinction of being the fastest sailer in Tasmanian waters.
While under the command of Captain D. Brown she picked up the barque “Swordfish” off Kangaroo Island and engaged in a race. The “J L Griffiths” got well clear but that was the last seen of her, not a piece of wreckage was ever found.
Vessels built, owned or part owned, by the Griffiths Family.
Betsy, Bertha, Bitter Beer, Brothers, 1, 2, and 3, Camilla, Dusty Miller, Elizabeth, Elizabeth and Mary, Essington, Eveline, Foam, Friendship, Glory, Hazard, Henry, 1, 2, and 3, Isabella, J. L. Griffiths, Kathlyn, Lady Mary Pelham, Leslie, Linton, Lydia, Mary Ann, Raven, Maid of Richmond, Nancy, Rebecca, Resolution 1, 2. Ripple, Rosetta, Rubicon, Ruby, Sally Ann, Sarah Louisa, Socrates, Speedy, Swift, Sydney Griffiths, Teaser, Thistle, Violet, William 1, 2, and 3.