''Helena'' was a China
packet built by
William H. Webb
William Henry Webb (June 19, 1816 – October 30, 1899) was a 19th-century New York City shipbuilder and philanthropist, who has been called America's first true naval architect.
Early life
William Henry Webb was born in New York on June 1 ...
in 1841. ''Helena'' is often called a "pre-
clipper
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. "C ...
"
or "early clipper ship",
type of the fast ships that were a precursor to the fast clippers that dominated the
China trade
The Old China Trade () refers to the early commerce between the Qing Empire and the United States under the Canton System, spanning from shortly after the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783 to the Treaty of Wanghia in 1844. The Old ...
routes for years to follow.
History
''Helena'' was owned by N. L. and G. Griswold and sailed in the China trade under the command of Captain Deliverance P. Benjamin.
Passages
In 1841, ''Helena'' commanded by Captain Deliverance P. Benjamin made an 83-day passage from New York to
Valparaiso, Chile in 83 days. ''Helena'' made two long stop in
Chile and then in
Lima,
Peru, before sailing to
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. She docked at
Macao on June 15, 1842 after 68 at sea. She rested in Macao until September 2, 1842, when she sailed to New York in less than 106 days, arriving there on December 21, 1842.
In 1843, ''Helena'' made a record by sailing from Valparaiso, Chile to Canton, China in 51 days.
She returned to New York the following year from Canton in 90 days.
[
]
In 1846, ''Helena'' sailed from New York to Java in just 73 days and 20 hours, averaging 183 miles a day.
Final Fate
She was lost at sea in 1857 under command of Captain Thompson on her passage from China to Havana.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helena (Packet ship, 1841)
1841 ships
Merchant ships of the United States
Lost sailing vessels
Maritime incidents in 1857