Marco Polo (1851 ship)
Marco Polo
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| History | |
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 New Brunswick
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| Name: | Marco Polo |
| Namesake: | Marco Polo (1254–1324), Venetian traveler |
| Owner: | James Smith |
| Builder: | James Smith, Saint John, New Brunswick |
| Launched: | 1851 |
 United Kingdom
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| Owner: | James Baines, Liverpool, for the Black Ball Line of Australia Packets |
| Acquired: | 1854 |
| Status: | Rebuilt to be used in the passenger trade. |
| Notes: | Rebolted with yellow metal bolts and coppered. |
| Great Britain | |
| Owner: | J. Wilson & Blain, South Shields Packets |
| Acquired: | 1871 |
| Status: | Put in the coal and timber trade |
 Norway
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| Owner: | Capt. Bull, Christiania Oslo, Norway |
| Acquired: | 1887 |
| Fate: | July 22, 1884, wrecked near Cavendish, Prince Edward Island |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Medium clipper |
| Tonnage: | 1,625 GRT |
| Length: | 184 ft 1 in (56.11 m) |
| Beam: | 36 ft 3 in (11.05 m) |
| Draught: | 29 ft 4 in (8,940 mm) |
| Depth of hold: | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Sail plan: | Square-rigged, with Cunningham's patent roller reefing topsails. Reduced to barque rig, 1874. |
| Notes: | 3 decks; height between decks, 8 ft (2.4 m) |
Marco Polo was a three-masted wooden clipper ship, launched in 1851 at Saint John, New Brunswick. She was named after Venetian traveler Marco Polo. The ship carried emigrants and passengers to Australia and was the first vessel to make the trip in under six months. Later in her career, the ship was used as a cargo ship before being run aground off Cavendish, Prince Edward Island in 1883.
The vessel was initially designed as a cargo ship. The ship was of a medium clipper design which had an unusually sharp bow, tall masts and was broad amidships. The design was considered stable and able to withstand the punishment of the open sea.Marco Polo was a 184 feet 1 inch (56.11 m) long with a beam of 36 ft 3 in (11.05 m) and a draught of 29 ft 4 in (8,940 mm). The ship had a hold depth of 30 ft (9.1 m).Marco Polo weighed 1,625 tons. The ship was square rigged and fitted with the roller reefing system that allowed the sails to be reefed from the deck rather than have the crew go up into the sails. The vessel had three masts and carried up to 22,000 square feet (2,000 m2) of sail.Marco Polo was later reduced to barque rig in 1874.
The clipper had three decks with a height between decks of 8 ft (2.4 m). After conversion to a passenger ship in 1852, the vessel's hull was coated with a layer of felt and tar and then sheathed in copper to prevent fouling. The vessel had three classes of travel; steerage, intermediate and cabin class. Those in steerage were placed in berths 6 sq ft (0.56 m2) with four to six people per berth. The passengers were divided up between single male, female and families over three decks, with single men given berths forward, single women aft and families placed in between. The berths usually contained double bunks and separate lavatories were maintained for each sex. Intermediate passengers had quarters placed between the decks and received better fare than the steerage class and took their meals separately. They too were berthed four to six per berth, but had access to steward service. The cabin class passengers had individual cabins 6 sq ft (0.56 m2) located aft around the sides of the ship. The cabin class passengers had access to the poop deck for exercise. The cabins were furnished by the passengers with the aid of the ship's carpenters to prevent their movement during rough seas. For meals, the cabin class passengers ate in the dining saloon which lay at the end of the central corridor onto which all the cabins opened on to.
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