Phoenix, or Phenix, was an American wooden whaler, launched in 1821. She plied the Pacific Ocean from her homeport of Nantucket, Massachusetts. She made ten complete voyages between 1821 and her loss, on her 11th voyage, in 1858.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Phoenix |
| Owner |
|
| Builder | Rochester, MA |
| Launched | 1821 |
| Fate | Wrecked 12 October 1858 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 323[1] (bm) |
Phoenix and her captain, Perry Winslow, discovered Winslow Reef, northwest of Canton, in 1851. The entire group of Phoenix Islands in the South Pacific are named after a ship, which was active in the area in the 1820s, which may be this ship.[2]
Phoenix was in the Galapagos in 1835 and 1836. On 10 January 1836 the crew was ashore and left graffiti carved into rocks there. While in the Galapagos islands the crew also gathered tortoises to eat, perhaps as many as 140.[3]
Whaling voyages
editBetween 1821 and 1858, Phoenix made 11 whaling voyages:[4]
| Departure | Return | Master | Sperm oil (barrels) | Whale oil (barrels) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1821, Sep | 1824, Apr | Harris, David | 1935 | ||
| 1824 | 1826 | Temporarily withdrawn from whaling | |||
| 1826, Dec | 1829, Jun | Fitzgerald, William | 2234 | 0 | |
| 1829, Oct | 1831, Aug | Gardner, John J. | 2340 | 0 | |
| 1831, Oct | 1834, Jan | Wilber, Sanford | 2205 | 0 | |
| 1834, Jul | 1837, Feb | Hussey, Isaac B. | 2345 | 0 | |
| 1827, Nov | 1840, Feb | Hussey, Isaac B. | 2419 | 0 | |
| 1840, Jun | 1843, Feb | Hamlin, Josiah | 2241 | 24 | |
| 1844, Sep | 1848, Jun | Winslow, Perry | 1648 | 24 | |
| 1848, Nov | 1853, Feb | Winslow, Perry | 1648 | 10 | |
| 1853, Jul | 1856, May | Morey, Israel | 162 | 1975 | 10,800 lb (4,900 kg) of bone |
| 1856, Oct | 1858 lost | Handy, Bethel (Bethuel) Gifford Hinkley, J |
150 | 1075 |
Fate
editPhoenix was lost on Elbow Island[5] in the Sea of Okhotsk on 12 October 1858, about 100 miles from Ayan.[6]
Citations
edit- ^ Starbuck (1878), p. 540.
- ^ Denger & Gillaspy (1955), p. 6.
- ^ Grant & Estes (2009), p. 86.
- ^ National Maritime Digital Library: Phoenix.
- ^ Map of Shipwreck
- ^ Churbuck (1904), p. 456.
References
edit- Churbuck, David (1904). The Reminiscences of Captain Thomas Chatfield. Cotuit, Massachusetts.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Denger, Otto; Gillaspy, Edwin (August 15, 1955). Atoll Research Bulletin, Canton Island, South Pacific (PDF). Vol. 41. Washington DC: Pacific Science Board, National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 13, 2006. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
- Grant, K. Thalia; Estes, Gregory P. (2009). Darwin in Galápagos: footsteps to a new world. Princeton University Press. (ASIN: B00EM34EM6)
- Starbuck, Alexander (1878). History of the American Whale Fishery from Its Earliest Inception to the year 1876. Castle. ISBN 1-55521-537-8.