Captain Harrison DouglasMaster Mariner

1857 - 1919

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Hello there Peter and John Douglas here ... The following pages are an initial attempt to outline and

document some things of the “sea-life” of our grandfather, Harrison Douglas.

When growing up we were exposed to story, reference and anecdotes of his and our father’s family-life. Many of the stories, names, incidents and connections sounded like “the stuff of legends.” But, with the advent of internet-broadband, some basic online-searches have yielded up records from newspapers, photograph libraries, maritime indexes and general historical websites based in New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom and the USA; these “finds” confirm, frame and expand the story.

Our first-purpose in these pages is to pass on to our own slowly-aging children, some of the “Captain Harrison Douglas legend” .. . . .. with more sea-legs than sea-mist.

Peter Harrison (b1938) and John Charles (b1943)Photos: top ca1948, lower 2008

Right: Photos of shipbuilding at Harrington Harbour in the 1860’s

Left: Harrison Douglas, Second Mate

Harrison was born at Harrington Harbour, Cumbria, Great Britain in 1857 and died in Auckland in 1919; he and Louisa (d.1942) are buried at O’Neil’s Point Cemetery, Bayswater, Auckland.

The son of ship’s carpenter Jonathan Douglas he went to sea at the age of twelve serving his apprenticeship, was certified by the British Board of Trade as a second mate in 1875 and obtained his masters ticket in 1880 in Auckland and later, extra-masters certification.

He settled at Devonport in Auckland where his three children (Jack, Harry and Mary) and subsequently his two grandsons were born. From his Port of Auckland base he engaged for over thirty-five years in both the transpacific and inter-colonial shipping trade, as master mariner, publican, ship owner, investor, businessman and an influential opinion-leader in the maritime industry.

Queen's Wharf, Auckland about 1905.The view is looking along Queen's Wharf to the city with west of Queen street, Gladstone's Coffee house, the new

Custom's House building back on Custom's Street, and then the Harbour Board Building. Sailing ships berthed at the

tees, or fingers, have broken out their sails to dry after rain.

VESSEL* TYPE FORMER NAME BUILDER YEAR BUILT TONNAGEYEAR ACQUIRED OR SAILED BY H.

DOUGLASYEAR SOLD

Minnie Hare Schooner --Lane & Brown, Totara North, Whangaroa

1874 50 gross ca1886 --

Clansman Schooner -- Not known ca1884 150 gross 1891 1896

Ngunguru Steamer --Wm. Holmes, Devonport, Auckland

1893 105 gross 1893 --

Empreza Barque Empress Govan, Scotland 1865 236 gross 1896 1899

Aldebaran Barque -- Russia ca1885 349 gross 1899 --

Bankfields BarqueJames

Beazley

Osborne, Graham and Co.,

Sunderland1876 859 gross 1908 --

Casablanca Barque --T. Royden and Sons, Liverpool 1868 601 gross 1910 1911

Rona BarquePoly

WoodsideWorkman, Clark and Co., Belfast 1885 678 gross 1911 1914

*Vessels sailed/owned and sailed by Harrison Douglas in this presentation

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XV, Issue 5295, 8 October 1888, Page 2

Star , Issue 6523, 16 April 1889, Page 3

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 295, 12 December 1889, Page 4

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 107, 7 May 1890, Page 1

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 34, 10 February 1891, Page 8

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 267, 10 November 1891, Page 1

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 287, 3 December 1891, Page 8

Evening Post, Volume XLI, Issue 146, 23 June 1891, Page 2

Note: The “P” Douglas is a typo, subsequent records confirm his ownership of the Clansman.

Otago Witness , Issue 2189, 13 February 1896, Page 38

Northern Advocate , 9 December 1893, Page 5

The Ngunguru tied up at the Whakatane Hotel, 1899

Observer, Volume XV, Issue 877, 12 October 1895, Page 8

West Coast Times , Issue 10307, 24 June 1896, Page 4

The Brisbane Courier, Tuesday 15 December 1896, page3.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10346, 22 January 1897, Page 4

Evening Post, Volume LV, Issue 28, 3 February 1898, Page 6

Evening Post, Volume LV, Issue 44, 22 February 1898, Page 6

Star , Issue 6254, 11 August 1898, Page 3

Empreza undergoing repairs, Port Adelaide ca1890

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11126, 19 January 1899, Page 1

A Panorama of Auckland.  1905.

The view ranges from St. Patrick's Cathedral on the left to Albert Park on the right.  The wooden tower to

the right of centre was the fire-watching tower for the fire station. 

Queen's Wharf and the Railway Wharf are visible.

Evening Post, 17 October 1899, Page 4 - by telegraph from Onehunga, 16th October

Barque Aldebaran in basin, Newcastle Harbour 1899

Evening Post, Volume LVIII, Issue 142, 13 December 1899, Page 6

Excursionists boarding at the Devonport Ferry Terminal.

The cheap and easy travel into town provided by the introduction of electric trams in 1902 provided a huge opportunity for the ferry companies and coastal steamers.  The trams enabled people to travel easily and quickly into the city from the suburbs and day excursionist crowded on to the vessels at weekends and holidays, it was cheap and took the passengers out to the lovely near islands of Rangitoto, Motuihe, Browns Island, Motutapu and Waiheke and to the wharves at the vvarious bays on the city and North Shore.  The trippers were packed in  ... there must have been some regulation but one would not believe it when the vessels seemed to have standing room only, with people sittting on the rails and crowding every deck.  There was competition to be first away on a fine day and frequently the ferries and steamers raced each other down harbour.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 11503, 6 April 1900, Page 3

The “Douglas’ boys” Harrison (Harry) and John (Jack) ca1899

Evening Post, Volume LXI, Issue 110, 11 May 1901, Page 4

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9766, 11 June 1903, Page 4

Taranaki Herald, 16 February 1904, page 4

Evening Post, 15 May 1908, Page 6 - by telegraph.

Note: The “James Zeazley” is a typo, subsequent records show name to be “James Beazley”.

Star , Issue 9322, 24 August 1908, Page 3

The Bankfields at Wallaroo, Australia 

ca1909 – Jack, Louisa, Mary (b.1903), Harry, and Harrison

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13693, 29 March 1910, Page 9

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14371, 16 May 1910, Page 4

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1166, 29 June 1911, Page 9

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 52, 30 August 1911, Page 8

Rona at sea in full sail

Rona on the rocks Pencarrow Heads 1921

Lynda Paris (nee Douglas) eldest great granddaughter of Captain Harrison Douglas beside the Polywoodside (formerly Rona) moored in Melbourne, Australia as a museum site 3/3/2013.

Auckland slipways and scows.  1911.For those who know present day Auckland this brings home the extensive changes that have taken place over the years. The location from which this view is seen is now in the heart of The America Cup Village and the Viaduct Basin is 100 metres or so behind the viewer.  The location can clearly be identified even today for the yellow building behind the scow on the slip is that of Foster's Ship Chandlery which is still there at the bottom of Hobson Street.  Gleason's Hotel on the right, a notorious seamen's' pub, is no longer there.

The scow Alltair, one of the few hold scows, is on the slipway of the well known firm of Bailey and Lowe.  The other two scows are theBee and the Hobsonville. Harrison Douglas II served his apprenticeship as a boatbuilder and shipwright with Bailey’s

The “original Douglas boys and the sea” . . . Both of Harrison’s sons working life was connected to

the sea. Our father Harry served his apprenticeship as a boat-

builder and shipwright, and except for a break of nearly four years to serve in the New Zealand Army overseas during WWI, spent his life in that trade mainly working for the Auckland Harbour Board. He became the Dockmaster of the Calliope Dock at Devonport.

Jack studied marine engineering rising to the Merchant Navy rank of Chief Engineer. While serving with the British Phosphate Commission in 1940 his ship (Triaster) was sunk by a German raider and he spent three and a half years in a German POW camp for merchant marine officers.

Jack and Minnie (nee: Mactier) 1957

Harry and Dorothea (nee: Liddell) 1965

Harry as an apprentice, 1911

Cantilever loading of phosphate at Nauru Island, 1939

Jack (back row, second left) with an international group of fellow Merchant Navy officer POW’s in Germany, July 1941

Calliope Dock, Devonport

At Devonport ca1921 – Mary, Jack, Louisa, and Harry

Reference SourcesReference SourcesPapers Past Website (NZ)

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/New Zealand Maritime Index

http://www.maritimemuseum.co.nz/State Library of Victoria

http://search.slv.vic.gov.au/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?vid=MAINState Library of South Australia

http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfmNational Library of Australia

http://www.pictureaustralia.org/Newcastle Cultural Collections

http://collections.ncc.nsw.gov.auDigital New Zealand

http://search.digitalnz.org/The Maritime Paintings of Roger Morrishttp://www.seapainter.com/index.htmHarrington Photographic Archive (UK)

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/photoarchive/index.htmlIndex of Workington and Harrington Sailing Ships (UK)

http://www.mightyseas.co.uk/marhist/workington_harrington/workington_harrington_index.htmThe Mother of All Maritime Links (USA)

http://www.boat-links.com/linklists/boatlink-39.htmlRose, John. Akarana: The Ports of Auckland. Auckland: AHB, 1971.

Douglas Family Collection of photographs, postcards and documents 1857 - 2013