''Westward Ho!'' was an 1852 clipper that made two very fast passages to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

; 100 days from

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 ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. She had a very close race with ''Neptune's Car'', and ended her days in the coolie trade.

Construction

''Westward Ho!'' had long, very sharp ends, with concave lines. Her frame was of white oak, and planking of hard pine. She was copper fastened, with yellow metal sheathing. The hull was painted black, the inside buff relieved with white, the waterways blue. The finish work below decks was quite fancy, with rosewood, mahogany, carvings, gold ornamentation, and paneled mirrors. Some of the cabins had stained glass windows with Venetian blinds. The figurehead was a Native American warrior giving chase.

Voyages

''Westward Ho!'' made a very fast passage to San Francisco between January 12 and April 22, 1855, under Capt. Johnson. She arrived in San Francisco just 100 days and 18 hours from Boston Light. One day later, the clipper ''Neptune’s Car'' left Sandy Hook, New York. She arrived in San Francisco one day after ''Westward Ho!'', after a passage of 100 days, 23½ hours. In 1856, ''Westward Ho!'' brought 800 coolies from Swatow to Callao, for work in the

guano Guano (Spanish from ) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. Guano is a highly effective fertiliser due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. Guano was also, to a le ...

deposits. ''Westward Ho!'' caught fire on , at anchor in Callao.

References

External links

Description of coolie trade in Peru in the time of ''Westward Ho!'' and ''Winged Racer''
{{1864 shipwrecks California clippers Individual sailing vessels Age of Sail merchant ships of the United States Ships built in Boston Ships designed by Donald McKay Ships of Peru Guano trade Coolie trade Maritime incidents in February 1864 1852 ships History of San Francisco Ship fires Shipwrecks of Peru