The ''Thatcher Magoun'', an extreme

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 ...

launched in 1855, was named after Medford's great shipbuilder,

Thatcher Magoun Thatcher Magoun (June 17, 1775 – April 16, 1856) was a shipbuilder who specialized in large ships and brigs, 250-tons and larger, built for the Old China Trade, China trade. His reputation, according to the maritime historian Admiral Samuel Elio ...

, who died the year that she was launched. In his book published in 1937, Hall Gleason comments on the appearance of ''Thatcher Magoun'' as follows: "Her figurehead was a life-like image of the father of ship building on the Mystic."

Voyages

According to Hall Gleason, ''Thatcher Magoun'' made five passages from Boston to San Francisco. For this route, the clipper's fastest journey was completed in 113 days, and its slowest in 152 days. Moreover, in 1869, ''Thatcher Magoun'' made seven passages from New York to San Francisco, averaging 96 days per voyage. On one of its voyages from New York to San Francisco, ''Thatcher Magoun'' carried locomotives CP 88, 89, and 95 for the

Central Pacific Railroad The Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) was a rail company chartered by Pacific Railroad Acts, U.S. Congress in 1862 to build a railroad eastwards from Sacramento, California, to complete the western part of the "First transcontinental railroad" in N ...

company. This voyage began July 10, 1868, and lasted 117 days.

Namesake

Thatcher Magoun established the first shipyard in Medford, MA on what is known today as Riverside Avenue, opposite the end of Park Street. In 1803, Magoun laid the keel of his first vessel, the ''Mt. Aetna'', the model of which he had made a few years before. He continued building ships at this location until 1836; eventually his yard was to be the only one in Medford with a ship house. Magoun amassed significant wealth by building 84 vessels over the course of his career. He specialized in big ships and

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

s, which are 250 tons and larger in size, built for Old China Trade. According to the maritime historian Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison, Magoun's reputation was "second to none among American shipbuilders."

References

External links

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The New Clipper Ship ''Thatcher Magoun'' of Boston
Individual sailing vessels California clippers Age of Sail merchant ships of the United States Merchant ships of the United States Merchant ships of Norway Ships built in Medford, Massachusetts 1855 ships {{Merchantship-stub