# Ice carriers?



## blueprint2002

Not sure if this is the appropriate forum for this topic, but it does seem possible.

During the late nineteenth century, ice (yes, ice) was shipped from the US West Coast to the Indian port of Calcutta (now Kolkata), but further information is hard to find: so far, I have drawn a blank.

Since practical refrigeration plants of the necessary capacity did not exist at the time, it seems that the loss by melting was low enough for this to remain commercially viable. Which seems to imply wooden hulls, or at least wood planking on iron or steel frames, the so-called composite construction. Sacking and/or sawdust would suffice as insulation around every block, being quite surprisingly effective. And, it seems probable, the ice blocks would have been placed on a kind of (wooden) inner bottom, to avoid contamination by the inevitable seawater leaks that would be found in the bilges.

In fact, it seems to me, the loading, stowage and unloading of such a cargo would have unique difficulties, and perhaps unique solutions. Though it seems unlikely that, at the time, special ships were built for this trade. Much more probable that ordinary cargo ships were adapted, temporarily, as far as possible. 

History tells us that at the time, sailing ships were being steadily superseded by steamers except in the lowest-paying trades. One such was nitrates, shipped from Chile to Europe, in which the Hamburg P-Line was a leader. It seems possible that ice was not a high-value trade, in which case the ships that carried it may also have been sailing ships.

All this is mere speculation; does anyone know any facts?


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## davidrwarwick

Here you go :-






Ice Ships and Ice Trade - the Slow Birth of an Industry


The ice trade was started largely through the efforts of three men, and one of them, Frederic Tudor, became known as "The Ice King" due to his monopolization of much of the ice market in the early 18th century. In 1806 Tudor purchased a small ship named the Favorite and used it to carry a cargo...




www.brighthubengineering.com


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## Ron Stringer

Pedant's note: 1806 was in the early 19th century.


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## taffe65

davidrwarwick said:


> Here you go :-
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ice Ships and Ice Trade - the Slow Birth of an Industry
> 
> 
> The ice trade was started largely through the efforts of three men, and one of them, Frederic Tudor, became known as "The Ice King" due to his monopolization of much of the ice market in the early 18th century. In 1806 Tudor purchased a small ship named the Favorite and used it to carry a cargo...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.brighthubengineering.com


Cracking read that,thx.


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## blueprint2002

davidrwarwick said:


> Here you go :-
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ice Ships and Ice Trade - the Slow Birth of an Industry
> 
> 
> The ice trade was started largely through the efforts of three men, and one of them, Frederic Tudor, became known as "The Ice King" due to his monopolization of much of the ice market in the early 18th century. In 1806 Tudor purchased a small ship named the Favorite and used it to carry a cargo...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.brighthubengineering.com


Many thanks. Couldn't have hoped for a better response!


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