I have been looking into the record of a sea captain, William C Thompson, who was born in Ireland but followed his father to America. He eventually became captain of several ships, most of which carried mail between Liverpool and New York and sailed under the American flag.
On his statement of service for his Master’s Certificate in 1857, he gave details of the various ships he had served on during his 40 years at sea, with the last two entries being:
Dec 1846 to Dec 1852 (crossed out and 1853 added) : Ship: "Sarah Sands"; Port of Liverpool; Captain (7 years)
Oct 1854 to Aug 1857: Ship: "Pacific", Port of London; Captain (3 years)
(Note on record: These vessels are Iron Steamers built by me and I am the principal owner.)
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I have not been able to confirm the ownership of these two ships, except that there was an article in the “Liverpool Mercury” of 14 August 1846 which stated that the “Sarah Sands” was launched. In summary, it said - Owned by Messrs Thomas and Joseph Sands and Co. Description. Named after Mrs Sands.
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Both these ships did runs between Liverpool and New York, with each doing at least one trip to Australia, and both being fitted out to transport troops to the Crimea.
My question is: How can I confirm the owner/s of these ships?
