City Of Ragusa

''City of Ragusa'' of Liverpool was a yawl (in 19th-century terms), owned by Nikola Primorac, which twice crossed the Atlantic in the early days of 19th-century small-boat ocean-adventuring. She carried the former alternative name of Dubrovnik, the birthplace of her owner. She was originally a ship's boat of a merchantman. The 1870 east-west trip between Ireland and the United States was crewed by John Charles Buckley, a middle-aged Irishman with seagoing experience, and Primorac, a Croatian and tobacconist. The crew on the west–east return trip of 1871 were Primorac and a "lad" called Edwin Richard William Hayter from New Zealand, who had been a steward on the steamer ''City of Limerick'' of the Inman Line.

Following each trip, the ship and crew were the subject of much international public attention, and President Grant viewed the ''City of Ragusa'' after she reached America. From 1872, the ship was exhibited in various places in England including the Crystal Palace, and finally at Liverpool Museum where she was destroyed in 1941 when Liverpool was bombed. After the adventure, Primorac resumed his life as a tobacconist in Liverpool, and ultimately died in Rainhill Asylum. Hayter returned to New Zealand, and Buckley made at least one other ocean adventuring trip at the end of 1871: a cargo-ship race involving the ''Hypathia''.

Ship

''City of Ragusa''

The ''City of Ragusa'' of Liverpool, no. 2,020, carried the old name of Dubrovnik, the city of Nikola Primorac's birth. She was originally a clinker-built ship's boat. By 1870 the boat had been decked, and "yawl-rigged" (in 19th-century terms), which allowed " square sails on both masts, spreading altogether of canvas, in eight or nine sails." Before the mizzen mast was a windmill which powered a two-bladed screw propeller. Should the wind fail, the screw could be powered by hand; it could also be raised to prevent reef-damage. The same hand-worked mechanism also pumped water out of the ship. Her tanks took of fresh water, and she could carry three months' victuals. At this point she was described as a ship (albeit "diminutive") by the press. She was "strongly built, double-floored inside, and asdecked over, leaving a small cockpit aft, so that there asa cabin wide, and high from floor to roof." She was double-floored and had a ballast of of iron, a condenser for distilling drinking water from saltwater, and there was coal on board, although cooking was done with a spirit lamp.

The 1870 yawl conversion (in 19th-century terms) was undertaken in Liverpool under the supervision of J.C. Buckley, who received much local support in the form of victualling for the expedition. ''The Graphic'' reported: "The ''City of Ragusa'' is the smallest vessel ever cleared at the Liverpool Custom House, and the gentleman who performed that duty for her also cleared the '' Great Eastern''." The ship carried the English ensign in 1870, and the US ensign in 1871. Throughout the two transatlantic trips, the ship had the option for one square sail on the main mast, and all the rest would be gaff sails, plus staysail and jib. According to the ''Cork Daily Herald'' in June 1871, "She is yawl rigged, and returns to Ireland just as she left it, except that a gaff topsail is added, and that her sails have been enlarged. She bears all the traces of her long passage, being coated green with what sailors call "sea grass."

In 1872, following the 1871 transatlantic crossing, the ship was exhibited at the Crystal Palace, but there was an accident. When lowering the ship to allow visitor boarding, the jackscrew holding the stern gave way, and the keel fell on Primorac's leg, causing a compound fracture. No help came. Hayter managed to lift the boat little by little, as Primorac gradually inserted wood under the keel. Primorac, bleeding profusely, was eventually taken to Guy's Hospital. The ship was acquired by Mrs Simms, and was displayed at the Royal Castle Hotel, Chester Road, Tranmere, Merseyside. She then presented it to Birkenhead Park for use on the lakes. Following repairs, the ship "remained a prominent feature in the lower park for some years." On 22 July 1875 "a small boat with red bottom and two top strakes painted white, name on stern ''City of Ragusa, Liverpool''," was picked up by Captain Hewett of the schooner ''Success'', off Douglas Head. The ship was later displayed in the Liverpool Museum, until it was destroyed by a bomb in 1941.

Transatlantic crossings

Liverpool to Boston, 1870

On 2 June 1870 the ''City of Ragusa'', crewed by Captain John Charles Buckley and Nikola Primorac, left Liverpool for New York. Between Liverpool and Queenstown, County Cork they hand-wound the propeller once. The log said: "Shipped propeller and worked it by hand for six hours, and gained thereby two knots per hour." They stopped en route between 12 and 16 June at Queenstown due to the stuffing box of the prop shaft leaking, and they probably removed the windmill gear from above decks at that point. The trip had its share of pranks from the public. For example, on 12 June 1870, a bottle was found on the shore near Bootle. It contained a message in pencil, saying: "''City of Ragusa'' June 4th 1870. Off the coast of Ireland making for Waterford. Captain Buckley washed overboard." The document was taken to the police office, but when the ''Ragusa'' arrived at Queenstown on 12 July the note was recognised as a forgery. The ship arrived at Cork on 18 June, becoming the "centre of attraction" there. Buckley did not mind the attention, but Primorac tended to lose patience, "and for all the visitors knew might have more than once consigned them to all sorts of future pains and sufferings."

The Press monitored the ship's progress via reports from transatlantic vessels which spoke her at sea. For example, the Cunard SS ''Russia'', and SS ''Abyssinia'', spoke her on 13 August, off the Banks of Newfoundland. At that point, Primorac was introducing himself as "Antonio Romano, a native of Ragusa." According to the log, on one day of the passage, the ''Ragusa'' ran ; the slowest day covered . They had a dog on board, but it died on 29 August. They reached Boston on 8 September, the 1870 Atlantic crossing having taken 92 or 98 days. "There were strong westerly winds almost from the beginning of the journey, and two or three heavy gales." The ''Cork Constitution'' reported that:

All things considered, she made a capital voyage across the Atlantic, and became the admiration of the nautical men of New York. No doubt was cast on the voyage of the ''City of Ragusa'', and Captain Buckley reaped the full reward of the honours he had earned by his enterprising and extraordinary voyage. Whatever may have been the object or intent of the voyage of the tiny craft, one thing would seem certain as already published, that Capt. Buckley with his man reached the harbour of New York without aid or assistance.

''Ragusa'' suffering a "serious leakage", the crew took her to Boston for repairs first, then to New York, where she remained on exhibition over winter. The ship continued to attract attention for a while, then Buckley returned to Liverpool by steamer. He said "he asglad the journey asover, and, although he never had any serious doubts about being successful, he idnot care to undertake the experiment again. In 1878 Hayter wrote to ''The Times'' to say,

The ''City of Ragusa'' was visited in America by President Grant and all the State officials of Boston and by the Governor and ex-Governor of Rhode Island, and was seen by Admiral Northcott and many other officers of Her Majesty's Navy and over 400,000 persons at the Crystal Palace. She ... now lies at Liverpool ... I hope next year to have her on view at my boat house t Maidenhead">Maidenhead.html" ;"title="t Maidenhead">t Maidenhead E.R.W. Hayter.

New York to Liverpool, 1871

After Buckley returned to Liverpool from New York in 1870, Primorac remained with the ship as Captain, looking for a replacement Chief mate">mate