Below is the only known image of Captain John McMurdo (1825-1862) of Liverpool, England.
Snooze, Dick and Burke McMurdo (FB) were the sons of
Dr. John McMurdo, the son of
John McMurdo, mariner, the son of
Dalrymple McMurdo, mariner
John McMurdo (aka M'Murdo, McMurdie, McMurds etc) went to sea at age fourteen, and over the course of his life, visited at least five continents as a sailor. He sailed for the most part upon square rigged barques. He earned a ships master certificate in 1854, and was master of at least three different barques: the Irlam, the Thomas Sparks, and the Pandora.
A timeline of the life of John McMurdo
A Timeline of the Life of John McMurdo, Master Mariner
This link is to an image of John McMurdo's Certificate of Competency as a ship's master, issued in 1854. this certified that John McMurdo was competent to command any ship of sail in the British merchant marine fleet.
John McMurdo's Certificate of Competency as a Ship's Master, 1854
Facts about the voyages of John McMurdo aboard the British barque "Coaxer". John McMurdo was a sailor on this vessel from 1840 to 1845, his longest stay on any ship during his years at sea.
A Synopsis of the Voyages of John McMurdo on the English Barque Coaxer
From 1860 until April of 1862, John McMurdo was the master of the barque Pandora, as it plied the South American and Caribbean trade. Below is a document created in 1853 which gives the ships dimensions, as well as a listing of the shareholders in the ship at that time. Use the magnifying glass to zoom in on the document.
Ship's Specifications for the Barque Pandora from 1853
This is a link to an article found in a Mormon Youth Magazine from the late 1800's. Its contents include an amazing story about the shipwreck of the barque Pandora, on the reefs of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The Pandora was the last barque commanded by John McMurdo, from 1860 to April of 1862. He was drowned along with most of his crew in high surf, trying to escape the wreck of the Pandora after it had parted its anchor chains in a storm.
The Wreck of the Pandora, from "The Alpha's Log", Vision Magazine, 1890