Agnes Blaikie was a merchant ship chartered by the British government during the Crimean War

Crimean War

The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...

 for delivery of military cargoes and equipment to the army which was based in Balaklava

Balaklava

Balaklava is a former city on the Crimean peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol which carries a special administrative status in Ukraine. It was a city in its own right until 1957 when it was formally incorporated into the municipal borders of Sevastopol by the Soviet government...

. The vessel was presumably named in honour of the wife of the Lord Provost of Aberdeen of Sir Thomas Blaikie

Sir Thomas Blaikie

Sir Thomas Blaikie was a Scottish magistrate.Born in Aberdeen, he was the son of John Blaikie , a plumbing merchant and his wife Helen Richardson . His older brother was James Ogilvie Blaikie . He was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School and then went to Marischal College...

.

The Agnes Blaikie was first registered in Aberdeen

Aberdeen

Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....

 in 1841, owned by George Thompson Jr. of the Aberdeen Line and commanded by Alex Duthie. Her maiden voyage took her to Santiago de Cuba

Santiago de Cuba

Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....

. In 1849 she was registered in Swansea

Swansea

Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...

, Wales, under the ownership of W. Jenkins and Company. On 30 June 1852 she was bought by John Crow Richardson, and commanded by Thomas Thomas. However she soon changed hands again (perhaps twice), being bought by Henry Dobson, of 81 Princess Street, Bristol, England on 5 February 1853 (That purchase date may be a bit off as Dobson was advertising her voyage from Bristol direct to Melbourne, Port Philip, departure 10 February 1853, in The Times of 22 January 1853). In 1855, now registered in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, she was owned by Jordison, and commanded on her final voyage by Henry Hamden.

Agnes Blaikie sailed from the Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 on 22 January 1855 with a cargo consisting of 180 tons of shot

Round shot

Round shot is a solid projectile without explosive charge, fired from a cannon. As the name implies, round shot is spherical; its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the gun it is fired from.Round shot was made in early times from dressed stone, but by the 17th century, from iron...

 and 250 tons of coke

Coke (fuel)

Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...

. On 5 May 1855 the barque was sunk off Balaklava, after a collision with the paddle steamer HMS Medina. All of the crew were saved, but it was reported that the petty officer of the watch aboard Medina committed suicide by cutting his throat immediately afterwards.

The wreck of the Agnes Blaikie was discovered lying in 84 metres (275.6 ft) of water in September 2003, and was formally identified on 13 September 2006.