Challenge

Three-masted wooden extreme clipper ship built in 1851 by William H. Webb, New York, at a total cost of $ 150.000. Dimensions 224'×43'2"×25' and tonnage: 2006½ (old measurement) and 1365 (new measurement). The first three decked vessel built. Iron braced.

1851 May 24: Launched at the shipyard of W.H. Webb, New York, for N.L. & G. Griswold, New York. The first master was Captain R.H. Waterman.
1851 July 13 - October 29: Sailed from New York to San Francisco in 108 days, where Captain Waterman had to relinquish his command due to problems with the crew.
1852: Sailed from San Francisco to Shanghai under command on Captain Land.
1852 March 19 - April 22: Sailed from Shanghai to San Francisco in 34 days.
1852: Sailed from San Francisco to Honolulu in 8 days.
1852 August 5 - November 22: Sailed from Whampoa to London with tea in 109 days (105 days to the Downs) under Captain Pitts. Her lines were taken off by the Admiralty while docked in the Blackwall Dock.
1853 July 13 - December 20: Sailed from Canton for Deal.
1853 October 20: Put into Fayal very leaky [Where did she go from here? One source says she went to New York. MacGregor states that she continued to Deal where she arrived after 160 days.]
1854 September 4 - January 2: Sailed from New York to San Francisco in 120 days.
1858 July 17 - November 12: Sailed from New York to San Francisco under Captain Fabens in 117 days.
18__: Sailed from San Francisco to Hong Kong in 46 days.
18__: Sailed from Hong Kong to San Francisco in 46 days.
18__: Sailed from San Francisco to China in 49 days. Lost all three top-masts.
18__: Sailed from China to San Francisco and was laid up.
18__: Sold to Captain N.N. for $ 9350.
1860 August: Sailed from San Francisco for Hong Kong under Captain Samuel A. Fabens.
1860 September 17: Was completely dis-masted in a typhoon, but managed to get into Hong Kong where she was laid up.
1861 December 21: Arrived at Bombay from Calle leaking badly.
1862: Sold to Thomas Hunt & Co., Liverpool, Great Britain, for 78.000 rupees and was renamed Golden City [QLKN].
1866: Sold to Joseph Wilson & Co., South Shields, Great Britain.
1867: Sailed from Liverpool to Bombay in 71 days.
1875 July 23: Had the decks swept clean and lost seven men, including all officers except third mate, in the Indian Ocean on voyage South Shields to Anjer with a cargo of coal.
1877 February 7: Lost at Abervache off Ushant on the French Coast in 49°18' N, 6°44' W on voyage South Shields to Genoa with 1590 tons of coal and a crew of 26 men.

References:

Clipper ships, general references.
McLean, Duncan: The New Clipper Ship Challenge, of New York.
The Boston Daily Atlas, June 16, 1851

Updated 1996-09-09 by Lars Bruzelius.

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