Commodore Perry

A medium clipper ship built in 1854 by Donald McKay, East Boston. Her dimensions were 202'×42'1"×28"5" and tonnage 1964 tons. A sister ship to the Great Tasmania.

1854: Launched at the shipyard of Donald McKay, East Boston, MA. Sold while still on the stocks to James Baines, Liverpool, for his Black Ball line of Australia clippers, for t£ 24.000.
1855 January 12: Made her first Australian voyage.
1856: Equipped with Clifford's patent boat-lowering apparatus.
1856 February: Left for the second Australian voyage which was completed in 72½ days.
1859 June 28 - Augst 23: Sailed from the British Isles to Australia in 87 days.
1861 August - 1863 June: Under command of Captain William Williams late of the Simla.
1861 August: Sailed from Liverpool to Melbourne.
1865 March 5: Sailed from London to Queensland in 107 days.
1866 December: Sold to Thompson & Harper, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, by Barned's Bank after the failure of Baines & Co. in April 1866.
1869 August 27: Caught fire with a cargo of coal from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and was beached the next day near Bombay and burned to the water's edge.

Select Bibliography:

Clipper ships, general references.
Clifford, Charles: How to Lower Ships' Boats. A treatise on the Dangers and Defects in the system at present in use, and their Remedy. To which is added A Description of new Improved Block, to be used for reducing and regulating strain, in lowering heavy bodies, and for other purposes.
Simkin & Marshall, London, 1855. Other editions 1858 and 1859.
McKay, Richard: Some Famous Sailing Ships and Their Builder Donald McKay.
C.P. Putnam, New York, 1928. pp 292-295.
Donald McLean: The New Packet Ship Commodore Perry Boston Daily Atlas, 1854. September 30.
Stammers: The Black Ball Line.
Teredo Books, Brighton, 1978. pp 338-341.

Updated 1998-04-24 by Lars Bruzelius

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