Description

The Columbus was a disposable ship built in 1824 to transport timber from British North America to the United Kingdom. She was intended to be dismantled upon arrival and her considerable structure sold, thus avoiding an import duty on timber cargoes. Columbus was ten times the size of traditional timber-carrying cargo vessels and was built for economy, not speed. She made one successful voyage from Quebec to London carrying a cargo of 7,875 long tons (8,001 t) and became a spectacle for tourists in her dock at Blackwall, London. Instead of dismantling it was decided by her owners that the Columbus would return to North America in 1825 to deliver a second load. She hit a storm in the Atlantic and was sunk, her crew being rescued by a passing merchant vessel. A second disposable ship, the Baron of Renfrew, was launched in 1825. Declining freight transport costs, reduced timber prices and a reduction in timber duty thereafter made this method of transport uneconomic and no more disposable ships were built for the Atlantic timber trade.