43-464: SS Florizel , a passenger liner, was the flagship of the Bowring Brothers ' Red Cross Line of steamships and one of the first ships in the world specifically designed to navigate icy waters. During her last voyage, from St. John's to Halifax and on to New York City , she sank after striking a reef at Horn Head Point, near Cappahayden , Newfoundland , with the loss of 94 including Betty Munn ,
86-494: A barque rig of sail on three masts, including a full set of studding sails on fore and mainmast. This rig enabled the corvette to serve in areas where coaling stations were rare, and to rely entirely on sails for propulsion. The class was well-suited to its designed role: trade protection and distant cruising service for the British Empire at its Victorian peak. While the class was designed for long-range protection of
129-511: A passenger liner , built for the Bowring Brothers to replace an earlier ship, the SS Silvia , which had been lost at sea. At the time of Florizel' s construction she was considered a luxury liner; she had room for 145 first-class accommodations. She was one of the first ships in the world to be specifically designed to navigate the icy waters around Newfoundland and Labrador . The vessel
172-448: A British military force in proximity to the French territory in the event of a dispute. These objections were felt to be outweighed by cost, convenience, and accessibility of staff to the colonial government, and St. John's was chosen to host the ship. Calypso arrived at St. John's on 15 October 1902. The vessel was hulked ; the masts were removed, as was the funnel from the boilers, and
215-426: A desire to protect the larger city from the conjectured debaucheries of sailors, and conversely to protect the reservists, many of whom were married, from the temptations (including prostitution) which might be available in the city. In a time of tensions between Britain and France, Argentia also had the benefit of being closer to the French territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon , and it was thought beneficial to have
258-496: A drill hall was erected on the weather deck . Without sail or working boilers the vessel could no longer go to sea and was permanently moored wharfside at the western end of the St. John's harbour. Prior to the outbreak of war candidates had to be fishermen or sailors, and the RNR maintained a reserve strength of 500–600 men. By 1914, over 1,400 seamen had been trained, and more than 400 answered
301-621: A large department store on Water Street . Bowring Brothers became shipowners, fish and general merchants, and steamship agents. In the late 19th century, the Bowring Brothers chartered the ship Nelly , captained by Robert Austin Sheppard (1865–1909), to carry fish to ports in Pernambuco, Brazil and Sydney, New South Wales. The Bowring Brothers ran the Red Cross Line of steamships around Newfoundland and Labrador. It owned SS Florizel , one of
344-486: A powerful engine. Among the first of the smaller cruisers to be given steel hulls instead of iron, the hull nevertheless was cased with timber and coppered below the water line, as were wooden ships. Unlike Calliope , the more famous member of the class, Calypso had a quiet career, consisting mainly of training cruises in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1902 the warship was sent to the colony of Newfoundland and served as
387-587: A series of "home stores" in power centres across Canada, at its peak numbering 34 — including one in St. John's — but continued to operate 31 mall stores in larger Canadian centres. After U.S. retailer Bombay Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on September 20, 2007, Bombay's Canadian operations (after inventory disposition) were acquired by the Benitahs and combined operations with Bowring and Benix & Company. On November 6, 2018, Fluid Brands Inc (which supplies for Bowring and The Bombay Company) and
430-450: A small, slow armed patrol vessel were the Dominion's only warships, and Calypso could not go to sea. In 1916, Calypso was renamed HMS Briton , and the former name was given to a new light cruiser laid down in that year, which entered service in 1917. Before the war the owner of the dock where Calypso was berthed had sought the vessel's removal. The matter was held in abeyance during
473-502: A three-year-old girl, in whose memory a statue of Peter Pan was erected at Bowring Park in St. John's. Bowring Brothers were the operators for the New York, Newfoundland and Halifax Steamship Company, Limited. The Bowring fleet of ships of that era were given names from Shakespearean plays: Florizel was named after young Prince Florizel in The Winter's Tale . Florizel was primarily
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#1732884132501516-760: A training ship for the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve before and during the First World War. In 1922 Calypso was declared surplus and sold, then used as a storage hulk. Her hull still exists, awash in the Bay of Exploits south of Embree in Newfoundland. Calypso and Calliope comprised the Calypso class of corvettes, designed by Nathaniel Barnaby . Part of a long line of cruiser classes built for protecting trade routes and colonial police work, they were
559-489: Is owned by retail mogul, Fred Benitah, claimed insolvency. They obtained protection from creditors under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. According to documents, Fluid Brands Inc is 50 million in debt. As of November 2018, both Bowring and The Bombay Company have shut down all supplier websites and are in liquidation process. As of January 2019, all Bowring and Bombay stores are closed. HMS Calypso (1883) HMS Calypso
602-676: The Board of Trade Medal for Saving Life at Sea , (or Sea Gallantry Medal). Brown, Cassie (1976) A Winter's Tale—The Wreck of the Florizel . Doubleday. ISBN 0-9698767-4-2 . 46°50′56″N 52°56′20″W / 46.84889°N 52.93889°W / 46.84889; -52.93889 Bowring Brothers Bowring Brothers Ltd. (or simply Bowring ) was a Newfoundland-based operator of retail stores, that, after Newfoundland became part of Canada, expanded its operation and narrowed its focus to gifts and home decor throughout Canada. Bowring
645-520: The Calypso -class had guns sponsoned out both fore and aft and had no gunports under the quarterdeck and foredeck. They were also slightly longer, had a deeper draught, and displaced 390 tons more. Calypso ' s engine produced were of 4,023 indicated horsepower , over 50 per cent more powerful than those of its nine half-sisters, which yielded one more knot of speed. This compound-expansion engine could drive Calypso at 13¾ knots, or 14¾ knots with forced draught. The vessel nevertheless carried
688-601: The Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty , and Calypso was assigned to carry out the ceremony of transfer to the German Empire and bring back the island's last British governor. From the time of first commission in 1885 until was placed in reserve in 1898, Calypso was part of the Sail Training Squadron, the "last refuge of the sailing navy" apart from a handful of smaller vessels. The warship made cruises to
731-454: The Atlantic for Europe. Florizel departed St. John's on Saturday, 23 February 1918, for Halifax and then on to New York, with 78 passengers and 60 crew. Among the passengers were many prominent St. John's businessmen. Shortly after the vessel passed through the St. John's Narrows at 8:30 pm the weather turned nasty. The vessel's log was not deployed due to the ice conditions. After sighting
774-539: The Bay Bulls Lighthouse and losing sight of land at 10:20 pm, none of the three lighthouses south of Bay Bulls were sighted. Nevertheless, after eight hours of steaming southward, Captain Martin reckoned that he had rounded Cape Race , maintained his order for full speed, and ordered the final course change at 4:35 am to West by South. At this point, without the benefit of either the log or lighthouse sightings,
817-568: The Bowring family between 1818–1937 were catalogued by Arthur Wardle. After World War II , the company focused on its retail business, including the department store in St. John's and a chain of over 100 gift shops in shopping malls across Canada and the US. By the late 1980s, the Bowring family had sold the chain to American retailer Hallmark Cards , and in 1993 it was acquired by Royal Canadian Securities through subsidiary Tereve Holdings, following which
860-496: The Captain had only soundings and engine RPM to verify DR position ; however, neither were utilized. Florizel, had actually travelled just 45 miles and was well short of the Cape. The sea crashing against the rocks at Horn Head Point was white with froth and Captain Martin mistook it for ice and crashed full speed into the rocks at 4:50 am. Most of the passengers and crew that survived
903-469: The Newfoundland RNR, and there being no further need of the ship, Briton was made available for disposition. Briton was sold in 1922 and was used in St. John's for the storage of salt. In 1952 the hulk was moved to Lewisporte harbour. Some thought was given to preservation, but in 1968 it was towed to a coastal bay near Embree , and burned to the waterline. The hull still is there, awash in
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#1732884132501946-633: The RCMP for disposal as it has been suspected to still be live. Those two shells from the Calypso sat on a shelf in the Branch 12 Military Museum for over 35 years in plain view and accessible to everyone. (From the Historical Committee, Royal Canadian Legion, Grand Falls Branch #12, NL) These remnants are not the sole remaining legacy. Calypso , created as a ship of war, has given its name another training institution, but one with peaceful purposes. Inspired by
989-645: The St. John's store closed, leaving Bowring without any retail presence in the province for over a decade. Fred Benitah, owner and chief executive officer of the privately owned home-goods retailer Benix & Company, Inc. (based in Toronto, Ontario), purchased the insolvent Bowring Brothers chain in October 2005. Fred Benitah and his brother Isaac Benitah together privately controlled a number of retailers including Fairweather, International Clothiers and Benix & Co. Following this sale, Bowring began to shift its energy towards
1032-680: The West Indies, the Canary Islands, and Norway. In 1895 Calypso was part of the squadron which conducted surveys well above the Arctic Circle, and a landfall and cluster of buildings on Svalbard , Norway, now a cultural heritage site, were named in honour of its visits to those waters. On other occasions it assisted in the salvage of a civilian ship, for which its officers and crew were awarded salvage money, and passed on hydrographic information from waters near Iceland. On 26 June 1897 Calypso
1075-540: The call to arms on the outbreak of the Great War. The Reserve provided crew for ships of the Royal Navy, including over 100 seamen taken aboard HMCS Niobe a month after the start of the war, the first group of Newfoundlanders to go to war. She also provided home defence, including manning coast artillery at the entrance to the St. Johns harbour, and the protection of Newfoundland's shore and shipping. Calypso and
1118-526: The command of Commander Frederick Murray Walker, and was sent across the Atlantic to become a training ship for the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve (RNR), which trained men for service in the Royal Navy. The Reserve had been founded in 1900 as an experiment to assist the Admiralty in the manning of ships, and to enable the Newfoundlanders to assist in the defence of the empire, training their seafarers in
1161-450: The established practice of copper sheathing was extended to protect them; the metal plating of the hull was timber-cased and coppered below the waterline. The Calypso -class differed from the ships of the preceding Comus -class in armament, including new 6-inch rifles in place of the 7-inch muzzleloaders and 64-pounders that originally armed the first ships of the parent class. Although similar in general appearance to their predecessors,
1204-480: The evening of 24 February, the first rescue ships had arrived to no sign of life. The weather had abated somewhat when light was spotted and a rescue attempt was carried out after the storm had calmed. Of the 138 passengers and crew, 44 had survived the initial crash and 27 hours after the ship had struck ground, the last of the passengers and crew were rescued. Medals of bravery were awarded to several crew members of HMS Briton and HMS Prospero who had responded to
1247-464: The first passenger ships in the world specifically designed to navigate icy waters. It also took part in the annual seal harvest off Newfoundland's northeast coast. Florizel was used as a troopship and in October 1914 carried the first 540 volunteers of the Newfoundland Regiment into World War I. Florizel ran aground and sank in 1918 with significant loss of life. The numerous vessels owned by
1290-539: The initial crash found shelter in the Marconi Shack , the least damaged portion of the ship. An SOS was sent out and received by the HM Wireless Station located at Mount Pearl . The Evening Telegram newspaper reported, "... first news of the disaster was picked up by the Admiralty wireless station at Mount Pearl in a radio from the stranded ship: 'SOS Florizel ashore near Cape Race fast going to pieces.'" By
1333-518: The last two sailing corvettes built for the Royal Navy. Corvettes had been built of iron since the Volage class of 1867, but the Calypsos and the preceding Comus class used steel. Corvettes were designed to operate across the vast distances of Britain's maritime empire, and could not rely on dry docks for maintenance. Since iron (and steel) hulls were subject to biofouling and could not easily be cleaned,
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1376-533: The seal hunt. Florizel was also used as a transport vessel during World War I . Before its conversion into a troopship, the sealing steamer only accommodated 50 crew and 250 passengers. In October 1914 she carried the first 540 volunteers of the Newfoundland Regiment , the Blue Puttees . She joined a fleet of 33 Atlantic liners and six Royal Navy warships, to form the largest contingent of troops to cross
1419-525: The speed of the vessel as soon as she left port, bypassing the captain's orders to proceed at full speed. This action had caused the ship to make less distance than had been thought. The reason cited for Reader's action was to prolong the trip to Halifax such that the vessel would have to dock overnight and allow Reader time to visit his family while there. 28. John Lambert, 57 These men, along with H. Clouter, C. W. Penny, R.N.R., Adolphus "Dolf" Morey, R.N.R., G. Westcott, R. Pierson, and J. Budden, also received
1462-481: The trade routes of the empire, and Calypso participated in war games, much of its career was spent in activities appropriate to an empire at peace. The ship served in home waters and participated in fleet exercises, including a simulated attack on Britain, and visited Kiel , site of a major base of the Imperial German Navy often visited by British vessels. In 1890, Britain gave up the isle of Heligoland in
1505-474: The traditions of the ship where Newfoundlanders once trained to be competent and able seamen for the Royal Navy, the Calypso Foundation of Lewisporte trains developmentally disabled individuals to become productive workers and live independently. This charitable foundation carries on the name of HMS Calypso . In the final chapter of James Joyce 's 1922 novel Ulysses , Molly Bloom recalls having had
1548-525: The war years, but after the conclusion of hostilities the subject arose anew. Relocation would have been a significant expense to the Admiralty, and the Colonial Office was informed that the dominion would accept complete withdrawal of the vessel. By 1922 naval estimates were being slashed and the Washington Naval Treaty limited the size of fleets. The Admiralty therefore summarily discontinued
1591-579: The waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The cruiser's anchor sits outside a local inn, and other artefacts are in museums. A 12lb deck gun was removed in 1965 and taken to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #12 in Grand Falls, Newfoundland and was positioned on the front of the Legion building. A 12lb shell that was removed from that same gun in 1965 as well as a 5" shell from Calypso was turned over to
1634-426: The winter months when the fishery was not worked. As the result of this trial, the Admiralty agreed to provide a vessel, and the colony agreed to pay for the refit, as well as an annual subvention to support the training programme. The location of the vessel was controversial, and the community of Argentia was proffered as a substitute for the colonial capital of St. John's . Reasons for this proposal included both
1677-504: The wreck; these were given by the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII , while he was in St. John's in 1919. Captain Martin, who had survived the tragedy, was held responsible for the disaster, because of the lack of soundings taken during the course of the voyage. His certificate was suspended for twenty-one months. It was not until later that Captain Martin was found not to have been at fault. The Chief Engineer, J.V. Reader, had reduced
1720-542: Was a corvette (designated as a third-class cruiser from 1887 ) of the Royal Navy and the lead ship of her namesake class . Built for distant cruising in the heyday of the British Empire, the vessel served as a warship and training vessel until 1922, when she was sold. Originally classified as a screw corvette , Calypso was also one of the Royal Navy's last sailing corvettes but supplemented an extensive sail rig with
1763-455: Was engaged in Newfoundland's commerce for over 200 years, with various operations across the globe at its peak. Bowring was formed in 1811 as a private company by Benjamin Bowring and his family, who had just moved to St. John's, Newfoundland . Benjamin Bowring, an English clockmaker , set up shop in that business, while his wife Charlotte established a dry goods store which evolved into
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1806-519: Was modified each spring to participate in the annual seal hunt , an additional source of income. She was built of steel and had a rounded bow and almost a flat bottom, to enable her to slide up on an ice floe and break through. Often captained by Captain Abram Kean , she participated in the rescue of sealers during the Great 1914 Newfoundland Sealing Disaster and she broke many records on her numerous voyages to
1849-578: Was present at the Review of the Fleet off Spithead held to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne. Paid off into reserve at Devonport in 1898, it was no longer considered a fighting ship by the turn of the century, and it was felt it could best be employed in training naval reservists for service at sea. On 3 September 1902 Calypso was placed back into commission under
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