Golden Fleece (clipper)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Golden Fleece passing from behind an unidentified ship | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Owner | W.F. Weld & Co. |
| Builder | Paul Curtis, East Boston |
| Launched | Nov. 20, 1855 |
| Acquired | 1872, Thayer & Lincoln, Boston |
| Fate | Ran aground 22 February 1877; declared constructive total loss |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 1535 tons OM, 1475 tons NM |
| Length | 222 ft (68 m) LOA |
| Beam | 37 ft 9 in (11.51 m) |
| Draft | 25 ft (7.6 m) |
| Notes | [1][2][3] |
Golden Fleece was an 1855 medium clipper in the California trade, built by Paul Curtis. She was known for arriving with cargoes in good condition, for making passages in consistently good time, and for catching fire with a load of ice.
Voyages to San Francisco
Golden Fleece made 3 passages from Boston to San Francisco, with an average time of 117 days.
She made 12 passages from New York to San Francisco, with an average time of 125 days.
Other ports of call included Manila, Cebu, Honolulu, Yokohama, Callao, Liverpool, and Queenstown.
Race with White Swallow
In 1868, Golden Fleece made a 44-day passage from San Francisco to Hong Kong, arriving three days before White Swallow, a clipper known for her speed. White Swallow had left the Golden Gate with a two-day head start.
Race with Golden State
In 1860, the two clippers Golden State and Golden Fleece left New York on the same day. Despite taking different routes in the Atlantic section of their voyages, the two ships arrived in San Francisco a few hours apart, on Oct. 29th, after passages of 128 days.
Mishap outside the Golden Gate
Golden Fleece sustained relatively little damage for a ship with so many voyages around Cape Horn. Nevertheless, she had several mishaps.
In 1857, on her second voyage, as Golden Fleece was entering the Golden Gate, she struck Four Fathom Bar off Point Bonita, better known as the "Potato Patch".[clarification needed] Golden Fleece was run up on the mud flats, and made it to the wharf with 12–14 feet of water in the hold.
In 1873, Golden Fleece lost all her sails, and much of her rigging on an outbound voyage from New York. She put in for repairs in Rio de Janeiro.
