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
Bald Eagle sailing card
History
United States
NameBald Eagle
OwnerGeorge B. Upton
BuilderDonald McKay of East Boston, MA
LaunchedNovember 1852
FateDisappeared on a voyage after leaving Hong Kong on 15 October 1861
General characteristics
Class and typeExtreme clipper
Tons burthen1705 tons
Length(keel) 195 ft. (59.4m)
Beam41.6 ft. (12.6m)
Draft22.5 ft. (6.9m)
Sail plan"10,500 yards of canvas"[1]
NotesSet a record for a fully loaded ship from San Francisco to New York

Her voyages

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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.

Voyage Origin Depart Destination Arrive Days Captain
1 New York December 25[2] or 26[1][3], 1852 San Francisco April 11, 1853 108[2] or 107[1][3] Philip Dumaresq
1 San Francisco May 8, 1853 New York August 13, 1853 96 Philip Dumaresq
2 New York October 1 [2] or 2[3], 1853 San Francisco January 25, 1854[2][1] 116[2] or 115[1][3] Albert Henry Caldwell
2 San Francisco March 1[3] or 2[2], 1854 New York May 19, 1854 78 days 22 hours[2] or 79[3] Albert Henry Caldwell
3 New York San Francisco February 23, 1855 115[3] or 117[1] Albert Henry Caldwell
3 San Francisco Hong Kong 47 Charles T. Treadwell
3 Swatow, China Callao, Peru November 26, 1855 Charles T. Treadwell
3 Callao Philadelphia May 4, 1856 Charles T. Treadwell
4 New York July 18, 1856 San Francisco November 15, 1856 120 Charles T. Treadwell
4 San Francisco December 7, 1856[1] Calcutta February 5, 1857[1] 58[2] or 59[1][3] Charles T. Treadwell
4 Calcutta April 26, 1857 Boston August 2, 1857 98 Charles T. Treadwell
5 Boston September 21, 1857 Hong Kong 108[3] or 109[1] Edward Nickels
5 Shanghai[2] or Hong Kong[3] August 6, 1859 Liverpool December 21, 1859 120 Edward Nickels
5 Liverpool February 21, 1860 Anjer, Indonesia May 24, 1860 93[1] or 94[3] Edward Nickels
5 Anjer, Indonesia Shanghai[5] June 25, 1860[5] 32 Edward Nickels
5 Hong Kong San Francisco April 24[2] or 25,[1][3] 1861 41 Edward Nickels
5 San Francisco June 16, 1861 Hong Kong via Honolulu August 25, 1961 56 Edward Nickels
5 Hong Kong October 15, 1861 San Francisco Lost during voyage Morris (given name unknown)

Her fate

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Although Basil Lubbock wrote an account that in October 1861 Bald Eagle came under attack by Chinese pirates while en route 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

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Howe, Octavius T.; Matthews, Frederick C. (1926). America Clipper Ships 1833-1858. Vol. I. Marine Research Society. pp. 33–35.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cutler, Carl C. (1967). Greyhounds of the Sea. United States Naval Institute. pp. 284, 419, 451, 492, 506.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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. ^ a b Fairburn, William Armstrong (1992). Merchant sail. Vol. 6. Higginson Book Co. p. 3841.
  6. ^ Lubbock, Basil (1876-1914). The China Clippers. ISBN 0-7126-0341-7. OCLC 490651672.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ McKay, Richard C. (2013). Donald McKay and His Famous Sailing Ships. Dover Publications, New York. pp. 220–225.

See also

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List of clipper ships