''Red Jacket'' was a

clipper A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century merchant sailing vessel, designed for speed. The term was also retrospectively applied to the Baltimore clipper, which originated in the late 18th century. Clippers were generally narrow for their len ...

ship A ship is a large watercraft, vessel that travels the world's oceans and other Waterway, navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally disti ...

, one of the largest and fastest ever built. She was also the first ship of the

White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping line. Founded out of the remains of a defunct Packet trade, packet company, it gradually grew to become one of the most prominent shipping companies in the world, providing passenger and cargo service ...

company. She was named after Sagoyewatha, a famous Seneca Indian chief, called "Red Jacket" by settlers. She was designed by Samuel Hartt Pook, built by George Thomas in

Rockland, Maine Rockland is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Maine, United States. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the town population was 6,936. The city is a popular tourist destination. It is a departure point for the Maine S ...

, and launched in 1853, the last ship to be launched from this yard.

History

''Red Jacket'' left Rockland under tow, and was rigged in New York. Her captain was a veteran packet ship commander,

Asa Eldridge Asa Eldridge (1809–1856) was a sea captain from Yarmouth, Massachusetts. In 1854, Captain Eldridge guided the clipper ship Red Jacket (clipper), ''Red Jacket'' from New York and to Liverpool in only in 13 days, 1 hour, and 25 minutes, dock ...

Yarmouth, Massachusetts Yarmouth ( ) is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, on Cape Cod. The population was 25,023 at the 2020 census. The town is made up of three major villages: South Yarmouth, West Yarmouth, and Yarmouth Port. History ...

, and she had a crew of 65. On the passage to Liverpool, she averaged for the latter part of the voyage, with sustained bursts of . A

Collins Line The Collins Line, formally the New York and Liverpool United States Mail Steamship Company, was an American maritime transport company started by Israel Collins and then built up by his son Edward Knight Collins. Under Edward Collins' guidance, t ...

steamer arriving in Liverpool (which had left New York two days before ''Red Jacket'') reported that ''Red Jacket ''was just astern. As she entered the harbor, tugs tried to get lines aboard the clipper but she was traveling too fast. Thousands, alerted by the Collins Liner, watched as Eldridge shortened sail and backed the vessel into its berth. On this voyage, ''Red Jacket'' set the speed record for sailing ships making the

Transatlantic crossing Transatlantic crossings are passages of passengers and cargo across the Atlantic Ocean between Europe or Africa and the Americas. The majority of passenger traffic is across the North Atlantic between Western Europe and North America. Centuries ...

from New York to

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

in 13 days, 1 hour, 25 minutes, dock to dock. The time between Sandy Hook and the Bell Buoy (at the entrance to the

Mersey The River Mersey () is a major river in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it ...

) was 11 days, but the harbour pilot refused to take her on into the port of Liverpool until the next day due to adverse weather conditions, so extending the passage time dock-to-dock. A few days after the ''Red Jacket''s arrival in Liverpool, the accuracy of the ship's log—and thus the integrity of her captain—was questioned in a letter to ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' of London. The letter came from a highly authoritative source,

Lloyd's of London Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is a insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gover ...

, but was signed only with the author's initials "A.W.J." It prompted a fierce rebuttal the following day from a second correspondent who also did not disclose his name, but was clearly American. Three days later, the final word in this correspondence went to Asa Eldridge himself; ''The Times'' printed a letter from him (sent in his own name) in which he patiently explained why the original correspondent was wrong in his interpretation of the ship's log. At Liverpool, the ''Red Jacket'' had her bottom coppered and cabins fitted out for the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n immigrant trade. She was purchased by Pilkington & Wilcox and other Liverpool investors with registry changing on April 24, 1854. (Most secondary sources say that the vessel was bought by the British a year later, copying a mistake made by earlier historians.) She was then chartered by the

for a run to

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Victoria. Under Captain Samuel Reid (who owned 1/16 of her), she reached in Melbourne in 69 days. Only one clipper, '' James Baines'', ever made the run faster. On 13 June 1859, whilst on a voyage from

to Melbourne, she collided with the British merchant ship ''Elizabeth Walker'', which sank. ''Red Jacket'' rescued the crew of ''Elizabeth Walker'', which was on a voyage from

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, Argentina to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. ''Red Jacket '' served in the immigrant trade until 1866, when she was sold to Portugal. In May 1871, she ran aground at

Ponta Delgada Ponta Delgada (; ) is the largest municipality (''concelho'') and executive capital of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in Portugal. It is located on São Miguel Island, the largest and most populous in the archipelago. As of 2021, it has 67,2 ...

whilst on a voyage from

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. She was refloated and completed her voyage.

Fate

In 1872 ''Red Jacket'' became a lumber carrier from

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, joining the clippers ''Marco Polo'' and ''Donald McKay'', which "ended their days" in the transatlantic Quebec timber trade. On 29 January 1878, she put in to

in a leaky condition, her crew refusing to proceed. She was recorded as a collier on a voyage from New York to

. In 1882, she dragged her anchors in a heavy gale whilst on a voyage from

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

and ran aground near Soria Kedima and was driven ashore on 16 December 1882; the sale of her wreckage fetched just £113. It completely disappeared in 1907.

References

External links

*
Era of the Clipper Ships, the ''Red Jacket''

Images and models

History & Painting of ''Red Jacket'' by Percy A. Sanborn

''Red Jacket'' in the ice off Cape Horn
Currier and Ives print, with less color, Springfield Museum

ship model
"Clipper Ship Red Jacket"
watercolor by David J. Kennedy {{DEFAULTSORT:Red Jacket (clipper) Clippers Individual sailing vessels Age of Sail merchant ships of the United States Victorian-era passenger ships of the United Kingdom History of immigration to Australia Ships of the White Star Line Ships built in Rockland, Maine Merchant ships of Portugal Lumber ships Barges Coal hulks Maritime incidents in June 1859 Maritime incidents in May 1871 Maritime incidents in 1878 Maritime incidents in December 1885 1853 ships

History

Fate

References

Further reading

External links

Images and models