Red Jacket

An extreme clipper ship built in 1853 by George Thomas, Rockland, ME, to the design of Samuel H. Pook. Dimenions: 251'2"×44'×31' and tonnage 2305 tons.

Named after the Indian chief Sagoyewatha of the Seneca tribe.

1853 November 2: Launched at the shipyard of George Thomas, Rockland, ME, for Seacomb & Taylor, Boston.
1854 January 11 - January 23: Sailed from New York to Liverpool in 13 days, 1 hour and 25 minutes, a record which stands to this day. The best day's distance was 413 miles and the poorest 106 miles. The first master was Captain Asa Eldridge late of the Dramatic Line's packet Roscius.
1854: Chartered by the White Star Line.
1854 May 4 - July 12: Sailed from Liverpool to Melbourne in 67 days and 13 hours under command of Captain Samuel Reid. Sailed 400 miles on July 6. Was in company with the clipper ship Mermaid off Oporto. The Mermaid, which had sailed from London on May 3, arrived to Melbourne after a passage of 74½ days.
1854 August 3 - October 15: Sailed from Melbourne to Liverpool in 73 days. Rounded the Cape Horn 20 days out on August 23 and was 41 days to the Equator.
1854: Purchased by Pilkington & Wilson for the White Star Line for £ 30.000.
1855 September 20 - December 4: Sailed from Liverpool to Melbourne in 75 days under command of Captain Milward.
1856 January 12 - April 8: Sailed from Melbourne to Liverpool in 86 days.
1856 May 20 - August 13: Sailed from Liverpool to Melbourne in 83 [85] days.
1860 January 27: Sailed from Liverpool to Melbourne in 84 days.
1860 May 6 - May 17: Sailed from Melbourne to Auckland in 12 days.
1868: The owner is recorded as Wilson & Chambers, Liverpool.
1871 January 20: Lost her jibboom in a collision at the Downs.
1878: Collided with and sank the Eliza Walker. The entire crew of the latter ship was saved.
1880s: Reduced to a coalbarge at the Cape Verde Islands.

Was put in the trans-Atlantic Quebec timber trade during her last active years.

Pictures:

The American Clipper Red Jacket in the ice off Cape Horn in 1854. Lithograph by N. Currier, New York.
Painting in oil. Percy A. Sanborn [1849-1929], Penobscot Marine Museum, Searsport, ME.

References:

Clipper ships, general references.
Limerock Gazette, Nov. 5, 1853.
Rockland Gazette, Nov. 2, 1853.
Fairburn, William Armstrong: Merchant Sail.
Fairburn Education Foundation, Inc., Center Lover, ME, 1945-1955. 6 vols.
[John Willis Griffiths]: Clipper Ship Red Jacket.
U.S. Nautical Magazine and Naval Journal, Vol. IV, No. 3 June, 1856. p 198.
Howe, Octavius T. & Matthews, Fredric C.: American Clipper Ships 1833-1858.
Marine Research Society, Salem, 1926-1927.
[McLean, Duncan]: The Clipper Ship Red Jacket.
The Boston Daily Atlas, 1854, March 24.

Updated 2001-02-23 by Lars Bruzelius.

Sjöhistoriska Samfundet | The Maritime History Virtual Archives | Ships | American clipper ships | Search.