''Challenger'' was an extreme

clipper ship A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century merchant sailing vessel, designed for speed. Clippers were generally narrow for their length, small by later 19th century standards, could carry limited bulk freight, and had a large total sail area. "Cl ...

built in

East Boston East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts annexed by the city of Boston in 1637. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Revere, and Chelsea. It is separated from the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown and do ...

in 1853. She sailed in the San Francisco trade, and later in the guano trade in Peru.

Voyages

Between 1854 and 1863, ''Challenger'' made two voyages from Boston to San Francisco, in 112 and 134 days, and five voyages from New York to San Francisco, in 115 to 133 days. In 1861, she "collided with the ship ''Roswell Sprague'' in a gale in the roadstead of Bremerhaven".

Guano trade and shipwreck

In 1863, ''Challenger'' was sold to the Peruvian Government, and renamed ''

Camille Cavour Camillo Paolo Filippo Giulio Benso, Count of Cavour, Isolabella and Leri (, 10 August 1810 – 6 June 1861), generally known as Cavour ( , ), was an Italian politician, businessman, economist and noble, and a leading figure in the movement tow ...

''. She was "used in the transport of Chinese coolies to the guano islands". In 1875, she was "damaged in a gale on voyage from Port Discovery to Peru and was abandoned off the coast of Mexico. The wreck drifted ashore at Manzanillo."

References

{{coord missing, Colima California clippers Individual sailing vessels Age of Sail merchant ships of the United States Ships built in Boston Guano trade Coolie trade Shipwrecks of the Mexican Pacific coast Maritime incidents in 1861 1853 ships