MAGELLAN (1) was built in 1868
by Randolph & Elder at Glasgow with a tonnage of 2856grt,
a length of 359ft 7in, a beam of 41ft and a service speed
of 13.5 knots. The first of four ships costing £74,550
each she was launched on 30th December 1868 and commenced
her maiden voyage on 13th March 1869. Under the command of
Capt. C. H. Sivell she commenced the monthly advertised service
from Liverpool to Valparaiso. On 29th March 1870 the sailings
were increased to twice monthly at a service speed of 12 knots.
She continued in service until 1893 when she was broken up
in the River Thames.
PATAGONIA was built in 1869
by John Elder & Co. at Glasgow with a tonnage of 2866grt,
a length of 353ft, a beam of 41ft and a service speed of 13.5
knots. Sister of the Magellan she commenced her maiden voyage
from Liverpool to Valparaiso on 13th May 1869. In March 1877
she was transferred to the River Plate service and on 4th
May 1880 was chartered to the White Star Line for one voyage
between Liverpool and New York. On 1st October 1895, during
a voyage from Liverpool to Valparaiso, she grounded 7 miles
north of Tomé at Lingueral without any loss of life.
ARAUCANIA was built in 1869
by John Elder & Co. at Glasgow with a tonnage of 2877grt,
a length of 354ft 8in, a beam of 41ft and a service speed
of 13.5 knots. Sister of the Magellan she commenced her maiden
voyage on 13th July 1896 from Liverpool to Valparaiso. She
was transferred to the River Plate service in July 1877 and
remained for a further twenty years before being sold to Macbeth
& Gray of Liverpool in 1897 and her subsequent career
is unrecorded.
CORDILLERA was built in 186
by John Elder & Co. at Glasgow with a tonnage of 2860grt,
a length of 353ft 2in, a beam of 41ft and a service speed
of 13.5 knots. Sister of the Magellan she was launched on
26th June 1869 and commenced her maiden voyage to Valparaiso
on 13th August. She was transferred to the River Plate service
in August 1877. On 20th September 1882 she was lost in the
Straits of Magellan.
JOHN
ELDER was built in 1869 by John Elder & Co. at Glasgow
with a tonnage of 3832grt, a length of 381ft 10in, a beam
of 41ft 7in and a service speed of 12.5 knots. She was launched
on 29th August 1869 with her intended name, Sarmiento, but
as John Elder died before completion, the name was changed
as a tribute to the man invented the compound engine; an engine
which revolutionised maritime transportation. She was PSNC's
largest vessel at the time and the first of 11 similar ships.
Comparing favourably with the transatlantic liners of the
day she was well advanced of other ships but under-powered.
On 2nd February 1872,after completing four round voyages,
she returned to the shipyard where she was rebuilt at a cost
of £17,000. Her length was increased to 406ft 5in and
new boilers and a second funnel were installed. In 1877 she
was placed on the joint Orient - PSNC service to Australia
and after the mizzen mast was removed commenced her first
sailing on 19th April 1877 from Adelaide to Liverpool via
the Suez Canal. She reverted to the Liverpool to Valparaiso
service on 3rd November 1886. On 17th January 1892 during
a voyage from Valparaiso to Talcuhuanco with 139 passenger
she stranded on Cape Carranza Rocks in fog without any loss
of life.
ATACAMA was built in 1870 by
John Elder & Co. at Glasgow with a tonnage of 1821grt,
a length of 290ft, a beam of 38ft 2in and a service speed
of 11 knots. One of a class of four ships she was built for
the Chilean coastal service and was wrecked in 1877.
COQUIMBO was built in 1871
by John Elder & Co. at Glasgow with a tonnage of 1821grt,
a length of 290ft 7in, a beam of 38ft 2in and a service speed
of 11 knots. Sister of the Atacama she was built for the South
American coastal service at a cost of £42,495 and launched
7th December 1869. After twenty one years service she was
hulked in 1901.
VALDIVIA (2) was built in 1870
by John Elder & Co. at Glasgow with a tonnage of 1821grt,
a length of 287ft, a beam of 38ft 2in and a service speed
of 11 knots. Sister of the Atacama she was built for the South
American Pacific coastal services. In 1882 she was wrecked
off Huacho with the loss of 1 life.
ETEN was built in 1871 by Laird
Bros. at Birkenhead with a tonnage of 1853grt, a length of
292ft, a beam of 38ft 2in and a service speed of 11 knots.
Sister of the Atacama she was built for the South American
Pacific coastal services. In 1877 she was wrecked of Ventura
Point with the loss of 120 lives. The cause of the accident
was put down to a change of current following an earthquake.
AREQUIPA (1) was built in 1870
by John Elder & Co. at Glasgow with a tonnage of 1065grt,
a length of 231ft 9in, a beam of 35ft 2in and a service speed
of 11 knots. A side wheel paddle steamer she was ordered as
the Casma and built for the South American services at a cost
of £38,750. She was hulked in 1883 and sold in 1887.
HUACHO was built in 1870 by
Thos. Royden & Sons at Liverpool with a tonnage of 329grt,
a length of 149ft 5in, a beam of 25ft 6in and a service speed
of 9 knots. One of a pair she was built for the Callao - Arica
- Iquique service on the Peruvian coast. In 1882 she was sold
to the Governor of Ecuador and in 1894 the registers showed
her as being owned by M. J. Kelly of Guayaquil. She was finally
deleted from the Register in 1914.
IQUIQUE was built in 1871 by
Thos. Royden & Sons at Liverpool with a tonnage of 323grt,
a length of 149ft 5in, a beam of 25ft 6in and a service speed
of 9 knots. Sister of the Huacho and costing £9,350
she was built for the Peruvian coastal service and based at
Callao. She was wrecked in 1877.
CHIMBORAZO was built in 1871
by John Elder & Co. at Glasgow with a tonnage of 3847grt,
a length of 384ft, a beam of 41ft 4in and a service speed
of 13 knots. At a cost of £91,010 she was built for
the Liverpool to Valparaiso service, was launched on 21st
June 1871 and commenced her maiden voyage on the following
13th October. This class of ship undertook the voyage to Callao
in 56.5 days calling at nine ports. Steaming time was 40.5
days at an average speed of 11.4 knots with a coal consumption
of 47 tons per day. In 1877 she was chartered to Anderson
& Anderson for the Orient - Pacific service and in the
following year was purchased by the Orient Steam Navigation
Co. without a change of name. On 12th May 1887 she commenced
her final voyage from London to Sydney via the Suez Canal
and in 1889 was cruising to the Norwegian Fjords. She was
sold to P. J. Pitcher of Liverpool in 1894 and renamed Cleopatra
for use a a cruise ship by the Polytechnic Touring Association.
By 1895 she was owned by the Ocean Cruising & Yachting
Co. of London and was broken up at Preston, Lancashire in
1897.
CUZCO
(1) was built in 1871 by John Elder & Co. at Glasgow with
a tonnage of 3898grt, a length of 384ft, a beam of 41ft 4in
and a service speed of 13 knots. Sister of the Chimborazo
she cost £90,990 and was built for the Liverpool to
Valparaiso service commencing her maiden voyage on 13th January
1872. In 1877 she was chartered to Anderson & Anderson
for the Orient - Pacific Line and commenced her first voyage
from London to Sydney via the Suez Canal on 29th September.
The passage time to Adelaide took 40 days 12 hours which was
a record. In the following year she was sold to the Orient
Steam Navigation Co. without a change of name. In 1888 she
was fitted with a triple expansion engine by her builder who
had now become the Fairfield Ship Building Co. She was broken
up at Genoa in 1905.
GARONNE was built in 1871 by
John Elder & Co. at Glasgow with a tonnage of 3871grt,
a length of 382ft 1in, a beam of 41ft 4in and a service speed
of 13 knots. Sister of the Chimborazo she commenced her maiden
voyage on the Liverpool to Valparaiso on 29th June 1871. In
June 1877 she was sold to the Orient Pacific Line for service
to Australia via the Cape and commenced her first sailing
to Australia on 17th April 1878. On 6th July 1889 she made
her last voyage to Australia before operating as a cruise
ship. She was sold to F. Waterhouse of Seattle in 1897 for
use during Alaska gold rush and two years later was used by
the U. S. Government for trooping during the Spanish - American
war. In 1905 she was broken up at Genoa.
LUSITANIA was built in 1871
by Laird Bros. at Birkenhead with a tonnage of 3825grt, a
length of 384ft, a beam of 41ft 4in and a service speed of
13 knots. Sister of the Chimborazo she was built at a cost
of £91,852 and commenced her maiden voyage to Valparaiso
on 29th September 1871. A few hours into her return voyage
she shed three of her four propeller blades. There wasn't
a dock big enough to take her at Valparaiso and it wasn't
feasible to beach the ship for repairs. Consequently a wooden
caisson 24ft x 26ft was built around the stern and when pumped
dry the spare propeller was fitted. In February 1877 she was
chartered to Orient Line for the Australia service and on
28th June was sold to the Orient Pacific Line. She completed
her first voyage from Plymouth to Melbourne via the Cape of
Good Hope in 40 days 6 hours at an average speed of 13 knots
beating the previous record by 10 days. He return voyage through
the Suez Canal took 41 days. In 1878 she came under the ownership
of Orient Line and in 1886 was fitted with a triple expansion
engine. On 31st March 1900 she was acquired by Elder Dempster's
Beaver Line for their Liverpool - Halifax - St John (New Brunswick)
service. In July of the same year she returned to PSNC for
six months before returning to Elder Dempster in February
1901 and chartered to Allan Line. On 26th June 1901 she was
wrecked on Cape Race during the charter which was only for
the summer months.
ACONGAGUA was built in 1872
by John Elder & Co. at Glasgow with a tonnage of 4105grt,
a length of 404ft 9in, a beam of 41ft 5in and a service speed
of 13 knots. Sister of the Chimborazo she was lengthened during
construction at a cost of £5,685. Costing £90,970
she was virtually a single funnelled version of the rebuilt
John Elder and commenced her maiden voyage to Valparaiso on
28th September 1872. In 1878 she was used by the Orient-Pacific
Line as a standby vessel and made her first sailing to Australia
via the Cape in 1880. On 24th October 1883 she returned to
the Liverpool - Valparaiso service where she remained until
1895 when she was sold to Verdeau et Cie of Bordeaux and renamed
Egypte for their Levant routes. She was scrapped in 1896.
SANTIAGO (3) was built in 1871
by John Elder & Co. at Glasgow with a tonnage of 1451grt,
a length of 251ft 7in, a beam of 35ft 6in and a service speed
of 11 knots. A side wheel paddle steamer she was built at
a cost of £44,000 for the west coast of South America
services. She was sold in 1882 and her subsequent career is
unknown.
TABOGUILLA was built in 1871
by Bowdler Chaffer & Co. at Liverpool with a tonnage of
154grt, a length of 115ft 4in, a beam of 21ft 1in and a service
speed of 9 knots. She was built as a tender based at Callao
and was disposed of in 1893.
SORATA
(1) was built in 1872 by John Elder & Co. at Glasgow with
a tonnage of 4014grt, a length of 401ft 4in, a beam of 42ft
9in and a service speed of 12.5 knots. At a cost of £106,725
she was launched three months late on 2nd October 1872 and
on 8th January 1872 commenced her maiden voyage, inaugurating
the weekly Liverpool - Bordeaux - Vigo - Lisbon - Rio de Janeiro
Sandy Point - Valparaiso - Callao service. She was transferred
to Orient Line management in 1879 and on 13th February 1880
made her first voyage for them from London to Australia via
Cape Town. After completing her last voyage for Orient Line
on 29th April 1886 she reverted back to PSNC and sailed on
the Liverpool - Valparaiso service on 22nd September 1886.
She was broken up at Tranmere in Cheshire during 1895.
JOHN
ELDER was built in 1869 by John Elder & Co. at Glasgow
with a tonnage of 3832grt, a length of 381ft 10in, a beam
of 41ft 7in and a service speed of 12.5 knots. She was launched
on 29th August 1869 with her intended name, Sarmiento, but
as John Elder died before completion, the name was changed
as a tribute to the man invented the compound engine; an engine
which revolutionised maritime transportation. She was PSNC's
largest vessel at the time and the first of 11 similar ships.
Comparing favourably with the transatlantic liners of the
day she was well advanced of other ships but under-powered.
On 2nd February 1872,after completing four round voyages,
she returned to the shipyard where she was rebuilt at a cost
of £17,000. Her length was increased to 406ft 5in and
new boilers and a second funnel were installed. In 1877 she
was placed on the joint Orient - PSNC service to Australia
and after the mizzen mast was removed commenced her first
sailing on 19th April 1877 from Adelaide to Liverpool via
the Suez Canal. She reverted to the Liverpool to Valparaiso
service on 3rd November 1886. On 17th January 1892 during
a voyage from Valparaiso to Talcuhuanco with 139 passenger
she stranded on Cape Carranza Rocks in fog without any loss
of life. 
CUZCO
(1) was built in 1871 by John Elder & Co. at Glasgow with
a tonnage of 3898grt, a length of 384ft, a beam of 41ft 4in
and a service speed of 13 knots. Sister of the Chimborazo
she cost £90,990 and was built for the Liverpool to
Valparaiso service commencing her maiden voyage on 13th January
1872. In 1877 she was chartered to Anderson & Anderson
for the Orient - Pacific Line and commenced her first voyage
from London to Sydney via the Suez Canal on 29th September.
The passage time to Adelaide took 40 days 12 hours which was
a record. In the following year she was sold to the Orient
Steam Navigation Co. without a change of name. In 1888 she
was fitted with a triple expansion engine by her builder who
had now become the Fairfield Ship Building Co. She was broken
up at Genoa in 1905. 
SORATA
(1) was built in 1872 by John Elder & Co. at Glasgow with
a tonnage of 4014grt, a length of 401ft 4in, a beam of 42ft
9in and a service speed of 12.5 knots. At a cost of £106,725
she was launched three months late on 2nd October 1872 and
on 8th January 1872 commenced her maiden voyage, inaugurating
the weekly Liverpool - Bordeaux - Vigo - Lisbon - Rio de Janeiro
Sandy Point - Valparaiso - Callao service. She was transferred
to Orient Line management in 1879 and on 13th February 1880
made her first voyage for them from London to Australia via
Cape Town. After completing her last voyage for Orient Line
on 29th April 1886 she reverted back to PSNC and sailed on
the Liverpool - Valparaiso service on 22nd September 1886.
She was broken up at Tranmere in Cheshire during 1895.
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