Hornet (clipper)

This article is about a ship. For other meanings, see Hornet (disambiguation).
History
United States
Name: Hornet
Owner: Chamberlain & Phelps, New York.
Ordered: Westervelt & MacKay, New York
Launched: June 20, 1851
Out of service: 1866 (presumed sank)
General characteristics
Class & type: Extreme clipper
Tons burthen: 1426 tons
Length: 207 ft.
Beam: 40 ft.
Draft: 22 ft.[1]

Hornet was an 1851 extreme clipper in the San Francisco trade, famous for its race with Flying Cloud.

Race with Flying Cloud

Hornet had a two-day head start on Flying Cloud in their famous 1853 race. She left New York for San Francisco, April 26, 1853, with Flying Cloud departing two days later.

After the roughly 15,000 mile voyage around Cape Horn, both ships arrived in San Francisco harbor 106 days later at almost the same time, with Hornet sailing in just 45 minutes ahead of Flying Cloud.

Voyages

In 1866, Hornet took a cargo of candles, case oil, and oil in barrels from New York to San Francisco under Captain Josiah A. Mitchell.

Loss of the ship

Hornet caught fire and sank on May 3, 1866. The crew left the ship in three boats. The captain's boat reached Hawaii on June 15, 1866, but the two other boats disappeared.[2]

Images

References

  1. Crothers, William L. (1997). The American-Built Clipper Ship, 1850-1856: Characteristics, Construction, Details. Camden, ME: International Marine. pp. xvii. ISBN 0-07-014501-6.
  2. Bruzelius, Lars (1996-01-02). "Clipper Ships: "Hornet" (1851)". Hornet. The Maritime History Virtual Archives. Retrieved June 7, 2010.

Further reading

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