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Marco Polo (1851 ship)

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For other ships of this name, see Marco Polo (disambiguation).


Marco Polo
History
New Brunswick
OwnerJames Smith
BuilderJames Smith, Saint John, New Brunswick
Launched1851
United Kingdom
OwnerJames Baines, Liverpool, for the Black Ball Line of Australia Packets
Acquired1854
StatusRebuilt to be used in the passenger trade.
NotesRebolted with yellow metal bolts and coppered.[1]
Great Britain
OwnerJ. Wilson & Blain, South Shields Packets
Acquired1871
StatusPut in the coal and timber trade [1]
Norway
OwnerCapt. Bull, Christiania Oslo, Norway
Acquired1887
FateJuly 22, 1884, wrecked near Cavendish, Prince Edward Island[1]
General characteristics
TypeMedium clipper
Tonnage1,625 GRT
Length184 ft 1 in (56.11 m)
Beam36 ft 3 in (11.05 m)
Draught29 ft 4 in (8,940 mm)[1]
Depth of hold30 ft (9.1 m)[2]
Sail planShip rigged, with Cunningham's patent roller reefing topsails. Reduced to barque rig, 1874.[1]
NotesBuilt for passenger trade. 3 decks; height between decks, 8 ft (2.4 m)[2]

Marco Polo was a three-masted wooden clipper ship, launched in 1851 at Saint John, New Brunswick. It was named after Venetian explorer Marco Polo.

Design and description

Marco Polo was a 184 feet 1 inch (56.11 m) long with a beam of 36 ft 3 in (11.05 m) and a draught of 29 ft 4 in (8,940 mm).[1] The ship had a hold depth of 30 ft (9.1 m).[2] The vessel was ship rigged, with Cunningham's patent roller reefing topsails. Marco Polo was later reduced to barque rig in 1874.[1]

Marco Polo was constructed for the passenger trade. The clipper had three decks with a height between decks of 8 ft (2.4 m)[2]

Service history

Lumber trade

In summer of 1852, Marco Polo sailed from Saint John to Liverpool, England with a cargo of timber, making the crossing in 15.3 days.[3] The clipper made a second voyage to Liverpool, this time from Mobile, Alabama. It was after this trip that the vessel was sold by its owner.[4]

Emigrant ship

In 1852, the ship was purchased by the Black Ball Line and converted for passenger service between England and Australia. On Marco Polo's first voyage to Australia, the clipper carried 930 emigrants.[5] At the time of the clipper's departure, Marco Polo was the largest ship to travel to Australia.[6] Marco Polo sailed from Liverpool under the command of James Forbes on July 4, 1852 and arrived at Port Phillip, Australia in 68 days, on 18 September.[6][7] After spending three weeks in port, the ship returned to Liverpool in another 76 days. The total trip time was 5 months 21 days, making this the first recorded round trip in less than 6 months.[8] On her return voyage the ship carried £100,000 in gold dust.[9]

On the clipper's second voyage, Marco Polo sailed with 648 passengers and £90,000 of specie.[10] At the end of the second voyage, James Forbes was replaced as captain of the vessel by Charles McDonald. He captained the clipper for its third voyage, leaving in November 1853 with 666 passengers on board.[11]

McDonald was replaced as captain by W. Wild, who sailed on the fourth voyage, taking 95 days from Liverpool to Australia and 85 days for the return trip. He was replaced by Captain Clarke for the fifth voyage to Australia, taking a total of 167 days, round-trip. The fifth voyage transported 520 emigrants to Australia and returned with 125,000 ounces of gold.[11] It has been asserted, “One in every twenty Australians can trace his or her roots to the Marco Polo.”[12]

Incidents

In December 1855, the clipper parted her tow rope while leaving the Mersey, collided with a barque and ran aground. Marco Polo became unstuck without significant damage and sailed for Australia on 7 December. She made another trip to Melbourne in 1856.[11] On March 4, 1861 Marco Polo collided with an iceberg north of Cape Horn, her bowsprit lost, her bow and foremast damaged. The clipper arrived in Valparaiso leaking badly on May 2. After repairs the clipper continued to Liverpool where it arrived on May 22, 183 days after leaving Melbourne.[1][13]

Last voyages

The ship was sold by the Black Ball Line in the early 1860s, the clipper remained in passenger service until 1867.[13] In 1867, Marco Polo was converted back to cargo use. On a trip from Quebec on July 25, 1883, she sprang a leak north of Prince Edward Island. Pumps were not holding back the water so her crew grounded on a beach at Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. Her masts were cut down to prevent the wind from blowing Marco Polo further onshore, however a very strong wind the following month caused her to break up.

Wreck and reconstruction

Replica stern carvings from Marco Polo, on display in the Merseyside Maritime Museum.
Replica stern carvings from Marco Polo, on display in the Merseyside Maritime Museum.

Today the wreck site is in the waters immediately offshore from Prince Edward Island National Park and is considered a National Historic Site.

A ship portrait and many artifacts from the ship are on display at the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John, New Brunswick. Another ship portrait is displayed at the Yarmouth County Museum & Archives in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The original half-model of Marco Polo now lies in the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia.

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Bruzelius, Lars (1999-09-07). "Sailing Ships: Marco Polo (1851)". The Maritime History Virtual Archives. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d Bruzelius, Lars (1999-09-07). "Sailing Ships "Marco Polo"". The Illustrated London News, June 1851. The Maritime History Virtual Archives. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  3. ^ Jefferson, p. 54
  4. ^ Jefferson, p. 55
  5. ^ Lubbock, p. 32
  6. ^ a b Lubbock, p. 34
  7. ^ Jefferson, p. 60
  8. ^ Lubbock, p. 35
  9. ^ Lubbock, p. 36
  10. ^ Lubbock, p. 37
  11. ^ a b c Lubbock, p. 40
  12. ^ "National Film Board of Canada Video about the Marco Polo". The Marco Polo Project. 2001. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  13. ^ a b Lubbock, p. 41

Sources

  • Jefferson, Sam (2014). Clipper Ships and the Golden Age of Sail: Races and Rivalries on the Nineteenth Century High Seas. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4729-0028-9.
  • Lubbock, Basil (1921). The Colonial Clippers (Second ed.). Glasgow, Scotland: Maritime Press. ISBN 9783954274444.
  • MacGregor, David. Merchant Sailing Ships 1850-1875.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marco Polo (ship, 1852).


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