WHITE WINGS
Sir Henry Brett
Page 149
The barque Berwick Castle, a small vessel of 342 tons, under Captain Latto, occupied 190 days in 1852 on the passage from the Downs to Auckland. She sailed on the 13th June, and brought out 148 passengers, including a large number of pensioners. Being under contract to visit the Falkland Islands, she called there on the 11th August, and whilst beating in ran aboard the store ship Margaret, causing considerable damage to both vessels. The barque sailed from Port Stanley on the 1st October, and for several days experienced nothing but gales, snow and sleet. On the 21st October a heavy sea struck the rudder, carrying it clean away. The gale continued for eight days without a lull, and the barque was steered by means of a spar and a hawser, but finding these too heavy, a temporary rudder was rigged with a guy lashed to the foot of it. With this, the ship was carried all safe into Hobart Town on the 6th November. Having shipped a new rudder, she sailed again on the 1st December, and had a pleasant run, making the New Zealand coast on the 9th, arriving at Auckland on the 13th December, 1852. During the voyage there were nine deaths and seven births.