Bald Eagle (clipper)

Bald Eagle was a clipper ship launched in 1852 which made four round-trip passages from eastern U.S. ports before being lost on her fifth voyage in the Pacific ocean in 1861. She set the record, 78 days 22 hours, for the fastest passage of a fully loaded ship between San Francisco and New York.[1][2][3][4]

Bald Eagle sailing card
History
United States
Name: Bald Eagle
Owner: George B. Upton
Builder: Donald McKay of East Boston, MA
Launched: November 1852
Fate: Disappeared on a voyage after leaving Hong Kong on 15 October 1861
General characteristics
Class and type: Extreme clipper
Tons burthen: 1705 tons
Length: (keel) 195 ft. (59.4m)
Beam: 41.6 ft. (12.6m)
Draft: 22.5 ft. (6.9m)
Sail plan: "10,500 yards of canvas"[1]
Notes: Set a record for a fully loaded ship from San Francisco to New York

Her voyages

The Bald Eagle's voyages are listed here. Sources disagree on some departure and arrival dates and passage lengths; disagreements or ambiguities are individually cited. City names are entered as spelled at the time.

VoyageOriginDepartDestinationArriveDaysCaptain
1New YorkDecember 25[2] or 26[1][3], 1852San FranciscoApril 11, 1853108[2] or 107[1][3]Philip Dumaresq
1San FranciscoMay 8, 1853New YorkAugust 13, 185396Philip Dumaresq
2New YorkOctober 1 [2] or 2[3], 1853San FranciscoJanuary 25, 1854[2][1]116[2] or 115[1][3]Albert Henry Caldwell
2San FranciscoMarch 1[3] or 2[2], 1854New YorkMay 19, 185478 days 22 hours[2] or 79[3]Albert Henry Caldwell
3New YorkSan FranciscoFebruary 23, 1855115[3] or 117[1]Albert Henry Caldwell
3San FranciscoHong Kong47Charles T. Treadwell
3Swatow, ChinaCallao, PeruNovember 26, 1855Charles T. Treadwell
3CallaoPhiladelphiaMay 4, 1856Charles T. Treadwell
4New YorkJuly 18, 1856San FranciscoNovember 15, 1856120Charles T. Treadwell
4San FranciscoDecember 7, 1856[1]CalcuttaFebruary 5, 1857[1]58[2] or 59[1][3]Charles T. Treadwell
4CalcuttaApril 26, 1857BostonAugust 2, 185798Charles T. Treadwell
5BostonSeptember 21, 1857Hong Kong108[3] or 109[1]Edward Nickels
5Shanghai[2] or Hong Kong[3]August 6, 1859LiverpoolDecember 21, 1859120Edward Nickels
5LiverpoolFebruary 21, 1860Anjer, IndonesiaMay 24, 186093[1] or 94[3]Edward Nickels
5 Anjer, Indonesia Shanghai[5] June 25, 1860[5] 32 Edward Nickels
5Hong KongSan FranciscoApril 24[2] or 25,[1][3] 186141Edward Nickels
5San FranciscoJune 16, 1861Hong Kong via HonoluluAugust 25, 196156Edward Nickels
5Hong KongOctober 15, 1861San FranciscoLost during voyageMorris (given name unknown)

Her fate

Although Basil Lubbock wrote an account that in October 1861 Bald Eagle came under attack by Chinese pirates while enroute to Peru with a cargo of Chinese laborers, was put on fire, and then abandoned at sea some 500 miles east of Manila,[6] there is little evidence to support his account. Richard McKay calls it a "fake yarn" and cites F. C. Matthews, a "well-known authority of ships...of the past" that Bald Eagle sailed from Hong Kong for San Francisco with a cargo including rice, sugar, tea, and "treasure" and was never heard of again.[7]

References
  1. Howe, Octavius T.; Matthews, Frederick C. (1926). America Clipper Ships 1833-1858. I. Marine Research Society. pp. 33–35.
  2. Cutler, Carl C. (1967). Greyhounds of the Sea. United States Naval Institute. pp. 284, 419, 451, 492, 506.
  3. McKay, Richard C. (1928). Some Famous Sailing Ships and Their Builder Donald McKay. G.P. Putnam's Sons. pp. 201–225.
  4. Duncan McLean (Lars Bruzelius, transcriber) (November 17, 1852). "The New Clipper Ship Bald Eagle, of Boston". The Boston Daily Atlas. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  5. Fairburn, William Armstrong (1992). Merchant sail. Volume 6. Higginson Book Co. p. 3841.
  6. Lubbock, Basil (1876-1914). The China Clippers. ISBN 0-7126-0341-7. OCLC 490651672.
  7. McKay, Richard C. (2013). Donald McKay and His Famous Sailing Ships. Dover Publications, New York. pp. 220–225.

See also

List of clipper ships

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