Orontes was the last clipper addition to the Aberdeen & Commonwealth Line fleet, having been launched in 1881 at the Walter Hood shipyard in Aberdeen. An iron ship of 1318 tons, the Orontes was fairly sluggish compared to her stable mates Samuel Plimsoll and Thermopylae.
She lead a fairly ordinary “plodding” life with no particular adventures, plying the Australian trade until she was run into and sunk on 23rd October 1903 by the British tugboat Oceana, just off Ostend.
She was the last ship built by the Walter Hood shipyard, as steam had largely replaced sail. Walter Hood did not have the capacity to build steam engines and was unable to compete. The shipyard merged with Alexander Hall in 1881.
Orontes (1881)
Last updated May 2019 Bruce Hannah
