Wizard

An extreme clipper ship built in 1853 by Samuel Hall, East Boston, MA; USA. Dimensions 210'×40'6×25'9 and tonnage 1601 tons old measurement.

1853: Launched at the shipyard of Samuel Hall, East Boston, MA, for Slate & Co., New York. Captain Shungar H. Salde was given command of the ship.
1853 July 24 December 19: Sailed from New York to San Francisco 104 saling days out from New York. The passage from Rio de Janeiro was 69 days.
1853 September 18: Put into Rio de Janeiro for repairs to spars and rigging.
1854 March 22 - June 18: Sailed from Whampoa to New York in 88 days.
1854 August 10 - October 27: Sailed from New York to Singapore in 78 days.
1855 July 24: Sailed from Manila to New York in 98 days.
1856 February 29 - June 27: Sailed from New York to San Francisco in 117 days. Crossed the Equator in the Pacific 86 days out.
The celebrated clipper ship Wizard, Capt. Slate, now discharging at Lombard Dock, is a noble specimen of American Clipper ships. Her fine appearance, 'alow and aloft', bespek a through seaman in command; and her splendid voyage of forty-five days from Hong Kong, coming in ahead of some six vessels which sailed before her, tells to the credit of the ship and her gallant captain.
Alta California, July 4, 1856.
1857 December 18: Sailed from Hong Kong for Melbounre under command of Captain Woodside after the death of Captain Slade at Macao in November.
1858 June 26 - October 23: Sailed from Manila to New York in 119 days.
1859 January 31 - June 24: Sailed from New York to San Francisco in 144 days after a rough passage.
1859: Sailed from San Francisco to Hong Kong in 52 days.
1861 January 11 - April 5: Sailed from Manila to New York in 84 days which is the record for the passage.
1862 January 31: Sailed from New York for Acapulco with a cargo of coal for the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. under command of Captain H.G. Dearborn.
1862 March 25: Put into Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, after having developed a bad leak during a heavy gale 50 days out. Here she was temporarily repaired after the cargo had been discharged.
1862 June 11 - July 28: Sailed from Port Stanley to New York in 41 days. Repaired.
1862 November: Sold by Tappan & Starbuck, New York, to Mackay, Baines & Co. for £ 7000 and was renamed Queen of the Colonies. Sailed for the Black Ball Line in 1862-1868 on the Queensland run.
1862 December 13: Sailed from London for Queenstown where she was to pick upp additional emmigrants for Moreton Bay. Captain Cairncross. Encountered the CSS raider Alabama which fired two shots at her.
1863 April 9: Arrived to Brisbane Roads.
1864 September 21: Arrived to Brisbane Roads.
1865 July 9 - October 7: Sailed from Gravesend to Brisbane Roads.
1866 January 30: Sailed from Moreton Bay for England.
1866 July 21 - October 14: Sailed from Gravesend to Brisbane Roads in 76 [?] days. Left Portsmouth on July 24. Captain Daniel Owen.
1866 November 15: Sailed from Moreton Bay to England.
1867 December 3: Arrived at Moreton Bay.
1867: Sailed from Liverpool to Sydney in 120 days.
1869 August: Arrived to San Francisco 60 days out from Sydney with a cargo of 1669 tons of coal under command of Captain Jones.
1869: Sold.
1874: Listed by Lloyd's Register as being owned by W. Williams, London.
1874: Wrecked in the English Channel on voyage from Java to Falmouth f.o.

References:

Clipper ships, general references.
Collins, Peter: Notes on the Black Ball Line clipper ship, Queen of the Colonies.
Cutler, Carl C.: Greyhounds of the Sea. The Story of the American Clipper Ship.
United States Naval Institute, Annapolis, Maryland, 1960.
Howe, Octavius T. & Matthews, Fredric C.: American Clipper Ships 1833-1858.
Argosy Antiquarian, New York, 1967/1926 (facs.).
McLean, Duncan: : The New Clipper Ship Wizard. Boston Daily Atlas, 1853.

Updated 2000-06-13 by Lars Bruzelius

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