Ships from Hamburg to NY, 1853-1869 (was: List Archives)
Michael Palmer
On Tue, 9 Dec 1997, GKobernus <GKob...@aol.com> wrote:
> Looking for information on the following ships and voyages: All are Hamburg-NY
> voyages.
>
> "Herschel" Date of Arrival: 20.08.1853
The Hamburg ship HERSCHEL, [J. E.] Meier, master, arrived at New York on
18 August 1853, 60 days from Hamburg, with merchandise and 250
passengers, to Schmidt & Balchen.
The HERSCHEL was a 3-masted, square-rigged ship, built by Christian
Bergh, New York, in 1833, as the ORLEANS, for the Holmes Line of coastal
packets between New York and New Orleans. 599 tons; 127' 3" x 32' 6" x
16' 3" (length x beam x depth of hold). She sailed in the Holmes line
from 1833 to 1847, during which time her passage from New York to New
Orleans averaged 17.1 days, her short passage being 11 days, her longest
25 days.
On 30 October 1847, the OCEAN was purchased from Barrett & Sears, of New
York, for $15,000, by the Hamburg shipowner Robert Miles Sloman, who
renamed her HERSCHEL, and placed her in the North Atlantic trade, carring
emigrants to New York or New Orleans and returning to Europe with a cargo
of tobacco or cotton.
Master:
1847-1852 - J. C. Wienholtz
1852-1853 - J. H. Jacobs
1853-1855 - J. E. Meier
1855-1856 - O. P. Nielsen
1856 - P. Foppes
1856-1859 - C. Hauschild
Voyages:
1847/48 - from New York/New Orleans
1848/49 - New York/intermediate ports/New York
1850 - New York
1850/51 - New York
1851 - New York (2 x)
1852 - New York
1852 - Quebec
1852/53 - New York
1853 - New York
1853/54 - New York/Charleston
1854 - New York
1854/55 - New York
1855 - New York
1855/56 - New Orleans
1856 - Quebec/London
1856/59 - New York/intermediate ports
She was sold in Surabaja, on Java, Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), in
1859, for 20,000 fl. Her later history and ultimate fate are not known
[Robert Greenhalgh Albion, _Square-riggers on Schedule; The New York
Sailing Packets to England, France, and the Cotton Ports_ (Princeton:
Princeton University Press, 1938), pp. 292-293; Ernst Hieke, _Rob. M.
Sloman Jr., errichtet 1793_, Ver"offentlichungen der
Wirtschaftsgeschichtlichen Forschungsstelle e.V., Hamburg, Band 30
(Hamburg: Verlag Hanseatischer Merkur, 1968), p. 372; Walter Kresse, ed.,
_Seeschiffs-Verzeichnis der Hamburger Reedereien, 1824-1888_, Mitteilungen
aus dem Museum f"ur Hamburgische Geschichte, N. F., Bd. 5. (Hamburg:
Museum f"ur Hamburgische Geschichte, 1969), vol. 2, p. 208].
To determine whether there exists a picture of this vessel, either as the
ORLEANS or as the HERSCHEL, contact the following institutions:
Peabody Essex Museum
East India Square
Salem, MA 01970
http://www.pem.org
The Mariners' Museum
100 Museum Dr.
Newport News, VA 23606-3798
http://www.mariner.org/mariner
Mystic Seaport Museum
50 Greenmanville Ave.
Mystic, CT 06355-0990
http://www.mystic.org
Museum f"ur Hamburgische Geschichte
Holstenwall 24
D-20355 Hamburg
Germany
> "John Bertram" Date of Arrival:26.10.1857
The Hamburg ship JOHN BERTRAM, Knudsen, masters, arrived at New York on
24 October 1857, 34 days from Hamburg, with merchandise and 328
passengers. According to the contemporary New York newspapers, she "had
heavy weather; split sails &".
The JOHN BERTRAM was a 3-masted, squarer-rigged ship, built along the
lines of an "extreme clipper" by Ewell & Jackson, East Boston, in the
short time of 61 days, and launched on 9 December 1850. She was built
under the supervision of Capt. Glidden for the Glidden & Williams Line of
Boston-San Francisco packets, and was owned jointly by Glidden &
Williams, of Boston, and Flint, Peabody & Co, of San Francisco. She was
named after the well-known Salem sea captain and merchant, John Bertram.
1,080/778 tons (old/new measurement); 173/180/190 x 37 x 20 feet
(keel/deck/overall length x beam x depth of hold); her figurehead was a
representation of an eagle on the wing, and on her stern was a medallion
bust of her namesake.
The JOHN BERTRAM made 3 voyages from Boston to San Francisco, and 1 voyage
from Boston to Asia, all under the command of Capt. Frederick Lendholm:
1. 10 Jan 1851 - Boston - San Francisco, 03 Jun 1851 (143 days, 126
sailing days). San Francisco, 05 Jul 1851 - Boston, 21
Oct 1851 (108 days).
2. 12 Dec 1851 - Boston - San Francisco, 26 Mar 1852 (106 days). San
Francisco-Shanghai (41 days). Shanghai, 12 Aug 1852 -
Straits of Sunda, 18 Oct 1852 - London, 10 Jan 1853.
3. 30 Jun 1853 - Boston - San Francisco, 24 Oct 1853 (114 days). San
Francisco, 02 Nov 1853 - Honolulu, 26 Nov 1853 - Manila
(32 days) - Canton - New York (91 days).
4. 14 Jun 1854 - Boston - Anjer, 04 Sep 1854 - Manila (96 days out).
Manila, 01 Nov 1854 - Anjer - Boston, 30 Jan 1855 (90
days out, 73 days from Anjer).
On 30 April 1855, the JOHN BERTAM was purchased from William F. Schmidt &
Frederick C. Schmidt, of New York, for $36,000, by the Hamburg shipowner
Robert Miles Sloman, who in 1856 placed her in service on the North
Atlantic, carrying emigrants to New York and returning to Europe with a
cargo of either tobacco or cotton.
Master:
1855 - H. Visser
1855-1862 - T. J. Knudtsen
1863 - A. J. Dierks
1863-1864 - H. C. Johannsen
1864-1865 - F. G. Herting
1865-1866 - H. O. Edye
1866-1867 - G. H"opfner
1868-1871 - Heinrich Petersen
1871 - Hans Petersen
1871-1872 - J. H. Fendt
Voyages:
1855 - from New York to Hamburg
1855/56 - Newcastle/intermediate ports/London
1856-1867 - New York
1867/68 - New York/Antwerp
1868 - New York (2 x)
1869 - New York
1869/70 - New York/Antwerp
1870/71 - New York
1871 - New York
1871/72 - Brisbane/intermediate ports/Rangoon
She was sold in 1872 to the firm of R"od & S"onner, of T"onsberg, Norway,
who ran her primarily in the timber trade between Quebec and London. On
22 February 1883, she sailed from New York for Rotterdam, but was
abandoned at sea on 17 March, her crew being taken aboard the Norwegian
bark OXO, Dahl, master, which landed at London on 29 March 1883, with 10
crewmen, the remainder having transferred to another vessel [Octavius T.
Howe and Frederick C. Matthews, _American Clipper Ships, 1833-1858_,
Marine Research Society Publication No. 13 (Salem, Massachusetts: Marine
Research Society, 1926), pp. 300-303; Carl C. Cutler, _Greyhouds of the
Sea; The Story of the American Clipper Ship_ (New York: Halcyon House,
1930), pp. 413, 452, 455, 469, 479, 482, 491; William Armstrong Fairburn,
_Merchant Sail_ (Center Lovell, Maine: Fairburn Marine Educational
Foundation, [1945-55]), II.1501, 1508, 1513, 1532, 1536; III.1664, 1855,
1861, 1880, 1928, 1949, 1956, 2036, 2037, 2039, 2040, 2059, 2060, 2066,
2067, 2109, 2110, 2123; IV.2210, 2218, 2219, 2266, 2445, 2447, 2454,
2642; V.2914, 2922, 2929, 2930, 2931, 2938, 2985, 3015, 3021; VI.3626,
3627, 3635, 3654, 3655, 3668, 3716, 3752, 3755, 3908, 3933, 3946; Hieke,
_op. cit._, p. 373; Kresse, _op. cit._, vol. 2, p. 211].
I am sending, by separate post, a black-and-white scan of an oil painting
of the JOHN BERTRAM by Clement Drew, now in the possession of the Peabody
Essex Museum, East India Square, Salem, MA 01970, http://www.pem.org,
whom you can contact for a high-quality reproduction.
> "China" Date of Arrival: 22.02.1858
I can find no record of a vessel of this name arriving at New York in
February 1858. Please re-check your source, and if it does indeed give
this date, please send me a full bibliographical citation, so that I may
check it against other available sources.
> "Holstatia" Date of Arrival: 27.10.1868
The Hamburg American Line steamship HOLSATIA, captain Ehlers, arrived at
New York on 27 October 1868, from Hamburg 14 October, via Southampton 16
October, with merchandise and 850 passengers. According to the
contemporary New York newspapers, the HOLSATIA "had strong westerly gales
up to Cape Race; from thence fine weather. Arrived off Sandy Hook 26th,
at midnight".
The HOLSATIA was built by Caird & Co, Greenock, for the Hamburg American
Line, and was launched on 9 March 1868. 3,134 tons; 103,60 x 12,20
meters (339.9 x 40 feet, length x beam); straight bow, 1 funnel, 2
masts; iron construction, screw propulsion, service speed 12 knots;
passenger accommodation for 90 in 1st class, 130 in 2nd class, and 520 in
steerage. Captains: N. Trautmann, 1868; H. Ehlers, 1868-1870; J. E.
Meier, 1870-1872; B. H. A. Barends, 1872-1875; H. F. Schwensen, 1878; C.
L. Brandt, 1878. 10 June 1868, maiden voyage, Hamburg-Southampton-New
York. 14 April 1875, last voyage, Hamburg-Havre-New York; laid up. 1877,
compound engines. 30 January 1878, resumed Hamburg-Havre-New York
service. 20 March 1878, last voyage, Hamburg-Havre-New York (2 roundtrip
voyages). 1878, acquired by the Russian Volunteer Fleet and renamed
ROSSIJA. 1894, DNESTR (Russian navy). 1910, BLOKSHIF No 5 (hulk).
October 1916, scuttled at Trebizond, in the Black Sea [Kresse, _op. cit._,
vol. 1, p. 191; Noel Reginald Pixell Bonsor, _North Atlantic Seaway; An
Illustrated History of the Passenger Services Linking the Old World with
the New_ (2nd ed.; Jersey, Channel Islands: Brookside Publications), vol.
1 (1975), p. 389]. Pictured in Michael J. Anuta, _Ships of Our Ancestors_
(Menominee, MI: Ships of Our Ancestors, 1983), p. 127, courtesy of the
Peabody Essex Museum, East India Square, Salem, MA 01970,
http://www.pem.org, from whom you can obtain a high-quality reproduction.
For additional information on the HOLSATIA, see Arnold Kludas and Herbert
Bischoff, _Die Schiffe der Hamburg-Amerika-Linie_, Bd. 1. 1847-1906
(Herford: Koehler, 1979).
> "Palmerston" Date of Arrival: 18.09.1869
According to the contemporary New York newspapers, the North German ship
PALMERSTON, Koln [K"olln], master, arrived at New York on 17 April 1869,
42 days from Hamburg, with merchandise and 198 passengers; had 1 birth
on the passage.
The PALMERSTON was built by John Laird, Birkenhead, as an iron screw
steamer (engines by Geo Forrester & Co, Liverpool), and launched on 23
May 1853, as the CHARITY, for the African Steam Ship Company, who never
took delivery; she was registered to the builder at Liverpool on 16
January 1854, and was later purchased by the Canadian Steam Navigation Co.
1,240 tons gross; 244.2 x 28.5 x 22.6 feet (length x beam x depth of
hold); clipper bow, 1 funnel, 3 masts; iron construction, screw
propulsion (120 horsepower), service speed 9 knots; accommodation for 100
in 1st and 2nd classes, steerage accommodation. 16 January 1854, maiden
voyage, for the Canadian Steam Navigation Co, Liverpool-Clyde (departed 29
January)-Portland. 15 September 1854, last voyage, Liverpool-Quebec-
Montreal (4 roundtrip voyages). 1854-1855, Crimean War transport. On 26
March 1859, she was purchased from the Canadian Steamship Co, [registered
owner: Cropper & Co.] for 15,000 pounds sterling, by the Hamburg
shipowner Robert Miles Sloman and his associates (ownership: Sloman, 3/5;
Carl August Heeren, of the firm Fr. Heeren & Co, 1/5, for which he paid
40 000 marks banco; and captain Ferdinand Gottfried Herting, 1/5).
Almost immediately afterwards, Sloman and his associates sold the vessel
to G. Gessler, of Santander, Spain, who renamed her LA CUBANA, and placed
her in the service of the Hamburg-Havana Line. On 23 March 1865, Sloman
repurchased her, at auction, in Hamburg. Her engines were removed and she
was converted into a 4-masted sailing bark, and renamed PALMERSTON. 556
Commerzlasten; 258' 5" x 30' 9" x 24' 2" (length x beam x depth of
hold).
Master:
1866-1874 - P. K"olln
1874-? - E. H. Sutor
1878-1884 - A. B. L. Bohmann
[1888] - A. Cordes
Voyages:
1866 - New York
1866/67 - New York/Hartlepool
1867 - New York/Philadelphia
1867/68 - New York/Antwerp
1868 - New York
1868/69 - New York/Bremen
1869 - New York
1870 - New York
1870/71 - Philadelphia
1871 - New York
1871/72 - New York/Charleston
1872/74 - Otago, New Zealand/intermediate ports/Bremerhaven
1874/84 - Philadelphia/intermediate ports/London (1881)/
intermediate ports/Valparaiso/Tocopillo, Chile
1884/88 - Drammen, Norway/intermediate ports/Pisagua
The Sloman firm's records of her later history, in particular after 1878,
are incomplete; on 9 January 1894, she was sold to Pinceti, of Genoa, and
renamed FREDERICO. Her ultimate fate is not known [Return of Registered
Steam Vessels of the U.K., January 1855, Parliamentary Papers, House of
Commons, 1854-55 (473) XLVI.293; January 1857, _Ibid._, 1857 Session 2
(87) XXXIX.61; January 1858, _Ibid._, 1857-58 (488) LII.83; January
1859, _Ibid._, 1859 Session 2 (26) XXVII.493; Hieke, _op. cit._, pp. 375
and 377; Kresse, _op. cit._, vol. 2, p. 214; Noel Reginald Pixell
Bonsor, _North Atlantic Seaway; An Illustrated History of the Passenger
Services Linking the Old World with the New_ (2nd ed.; Jersey, Channel
Islands: Brookside Publications), vol. 1 (1975), pp 265-266]. Hieke, _op.
cit._, opposite p. 135, contains a photograph of a half-model of the
PALMERSTON, of which I am sending you a scan by separate post.
Michael Palmer
--
Michael Palmer
Claremont, California
mpa...@netcom.com