Caleb Grimshaw was a sailing vessel built in 1848 for the Atlantic packet trade.[1] The ship caught fire and sank in 1849, with the death of 90-101 people.
 The Caleb Grimshaw, by Samuel Walters
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Caleb Grimshaw |
| Namesake | Caleb Grimshaw |
| Owner | Caleb Grimshaw and Co. |
| Builder | William H. Webb |
| Launched | 1848 |
| Out of service | 1849 |
| Fate | Caught fire on 11 November 1849, sank 21 November |
| Notes | Service route Liverpool to New York City |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Full-rigged ship |
| Tons burthen | 988 |
| Length | 166 ft (51 m) |
| Beam | 36 ft 8 in (11.18 m) |
| Draught | 21 ft 8 in (6.60 m) |
Construction
editThe Caleb Grimshaw was built in early 1848 for Liverpool-based Caleb Grimshaw and Co. at William H. Webb's New York City shipyard as a full-rigged sailing ship.[1][2][3] She was 166 feet (51 m) by 36 feet 8 inches (11.18 m) by 21 feet 8 inches (6.60 m) with a tonnage of 988.[4] Caleb Grimshaw and Co. specialized in the packet trade, coordinating the transportation of cargo and emigration traffic across the Atlantic.[5][1] The ship was presumed to be named after Caleb Grimshaw posthumously as he had died unexpectedly in early 1847.[1][3] Under Captain William Hoxie, she sailed from Liverpool to New York City with a maximum of 427 passengers, mostly emigrants from England and Ireland.[3] The Caleb Grimshaw made five successful crossings of the Atlantic between May 1848 and August 1849.[6]
Fire
editOn her sixth voyage, while carrying 100 tons of coal as well as 427 passengers, the ship caught fire on 11 November 1849 in the Atlantic Ocean 16 nautical miles (30 km; 18 mi) south east of Faial Island, Azores.[2] There were four boats on board the Caleb Grimshaw, but the first was lowered by inexperienced passengers and crashed into the water, resulting in 12 passengers being swept away.[3] Captain Hoxie boarded the third boat to be deployed, on 12 November, leaving the remaining passengers and crew without leadership.[2][7] As there was insufficient space on the boats for all 457 passengers and crew, several rafts were assembled but more than 250 passengers were still on board the burning hull when the barque Sarah (United Kingdom), arrived on scene four days later. Sarah made multiple trips to rescue the stranded but many passengers remained on board when the ship finally sank on 21 November.[3][2] News sources reported 90 to 101 dead.[8][9]
Aftermath
editAt least one news article would emphasize the lack of appropriate lifeboats and safety gear as well as the risks of carrying a flammable payload with passengers.[2] While generally criticized by newspaper editorials for abandoning the ship, Captain Hoxie did not receive any official punishment.[10][3] In 1851, Captain Hoxie was appointed commander of another packet ship, the Joseph Walker,[11] which would burn and sink in 1853 along with the Great Republic.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Day, William. "The Caleb Grimshaw". grimshaworigin.org. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Report of a Cabin Passenger". Northampton Mercury. 29 December 1849.
- ^ a b c d e f Harskamp, Jaap (11 January 2023). "Massacres & Migrants at Sea: Deadly Voyages To New York". New York Almanack. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ Dunbaugh, Edwin L.; Thomas, William D. (1989). William H. Webb, Shipbuilder. Glen Cove, N.Y: Webb Institute of Naval Studies. pp. 170–171. ISBN 978-0-9622631-0-1.
- ^ Cutler, Carl C. (1961). Queens of the Western Ocean – the Story of America's Mail and Passenger Sailing Lines. Annapolis, MD: United States Naval Institute. pp. 262–263. ISBN 0870215310.
- ^ "Volume 21 - Caleb Grimshaw". Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ "The Burning of the Packet-Ship Caleb Grimshaw". The New York Herald. 24 January 1850. p. 1. ISSN 2474-3224. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Ship News". The Morning Post. No. 23710. London. 4 December 1849. p. 8.
- ^ "The Wreck of the Caleb Grimshaw Emigrant Ship". Glasgow Herald. No. 4895. Glasgow. 28 December 1849.
- ^ Laxton, Edward (15 March 1998). The Famine Ships: The Irish Exodus to America (1st ed.). Holt Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0-8050-5844-4.
- ^ "Vol 3 - Ship Joseph Walker". Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "GREAT CONFLAGRATION!; SEVERAL BUILDINGS AND SHIPS ON FIRE. Ship 'Great Republic' in Flames. Over $1,000,000 worth of Property Destroyed". The New York Times. 27 December 1853. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 September 2023.