Hornet (clipper)

This article is about the ship. For other uses, see Hornet (disambiguation).

Hornet was an extreme clipper in the San Francisco trade, launched in 1851, and famous for its race with Flying Cloud.

History
United States
Name	Hornet
Owner	Chamberlain & Phelps, New York.
Ordered	Westervelt & MacKay, New York City
Launched	June 20, 1851
Fate	Burned and sank 3 May 1866
General characteristics
Class & type	Extreme clipper
Tons burthen	1426 tons
Length	207 ft.
Beam	40 ft.
Draft	22 ft.[1]

Race with Flying Cloud

Hornet left New York City for San Francisco, California on April 26, 1853, with Flying Cloud departing two days later.

After the roughly 15,000-nautical mile (27,780-km) voyage around Cape Horn, both ships arrived in San Francisco harbor 106 days later at almost the same time, with Hornet sailing in just 45 minutes ahead of Flying Cloud.

Loss

In 1866, Hornet left New York City bound for San Francisco under Captain Josiah A. Mitchell with a cargo of candles, case oil, and oil in barrels. During the voyage, she caught fire and sank in the Pacific Ocean on May 3, 1866. The crew left the ship in three open lifeboats. The captain′s boat reached Hawaii after 43 days at sea on June 15, 1866, with 14 survivors aboard, but the two other boats disappeared.^[2] Mark Twain, on the islands as a special correspondent from the Sacramento Daily Union, interviewed several of the survivors and filed the first extensive report.^[3]

Images

• Hornet clipper ship card