''Skoda'' was a
barquentine
A barquentine or schooner barque (alternatively "barkentine" or "schooner bark") is a sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts.
Modern barquentine sailing r ...
built in
Kingsport, Nova Scotia
Kingsport is a small seaside village located in Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada, on the shores of the Minas Basin. It was famous at one time for building some of the largest wooden ships ever built in Canada.In the Wake of the Windships, Frede ...
in 1893 by shipbuilder Ebenezer Cox, marking the end of an era as the last vessel built by Cox and the last large vessel built in Kingsport.
Background
''Skoda'', a 658-ton
barquentine
A barquentine or schooner barque (alternatively "barkentine" or "schooner bark") is a sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts.
Modern barquentine sailing r ...
, was built in
Kingsport, Nova Scotia
Kingsport is a small seaside village located in Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada, on the shores of the Minas Basin. It was famous at one time for building some of the largest wooden ships ever built in Canada.In the Wake of the Windships, Frede ...
, designed by veteran master shipbuilder Ebenezer Cox. The barquentine marked the end of his thirty-year shipbuilding career, and was also the last deep sea vessel built and launched in Kingsport, bringing the shipbuilding era to a close at a yard that built some of the largest sailing ships in Canada.
''Skoda'' was commissioned for C. Rufus Burgess of
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Wolfville is a Canadian town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. The town is home to Acadia University and Landmark East School.
The town is a tourist destination du ...
, who was the largest builder and owner of ships in the area.
The vessel was named a patent medicine factory in Wolfville, also owned by Burgess. ''Skoda'' was launched on June 1, 1893. She loaded lumber at nearby
Parrsboro
Parrsboro is a community located in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada.
A regional service centre for southern Cumberland County, the community is also known for its port on the Minas Basin, the Ship's Company Theatre productions, and t ...
after the launch for a maiden voaye to the west of England.
''The Acadian and King's Co. Times'' Vol. XII, No. 41, June 2, 1893, p. 1
/ref>
Shipbuilder
In his time, Ebenezer Thomas Cox (b. 19 Dec 1828, d. 8 Sept 1916) was one of the leading shipbuilders. He spent thirty years as designer and master builder at the shipyard in Kingsport. He built thirty ships during this span, with his ships averaging at 1,000 tons each. Cox died in Kingsport, Nova Scotia
Kingsport is a small seaside village located in Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada, on the shores of the Minas Basin. It was famous at one time for building some of the largest wooden ships ever built in Canada.In the Wake of the Windships, Frede ...
in 1916 at the age of eighty-eight years.
Later Use
Burgess owned the barquentine until 1900 when the Barquentine Skoda Company, Limited of Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Wolfville is a Canadian town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. The town is home to Acadia University and Landmark East School.
The town is a tourist destination du ...
took ownership. In 1912, the Skoda was sold to Lester Ashley Rodden of Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
and was registered at that port in 1915.
References
{{Shipbuilding in Atlantic Canada , state=expanded
Barquentines
Sailing ships of Canada
Transport in Kings County, Nova Scotia
Maritime history of Canada
Individual sailing vessels
Ships built in Nova Scotia
Victorian-era merchant ships of Canada
1893 ships