Ocean Telegraph
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Ocean Telegraph / Light Brigade |
| Owner: |
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| Builder: | James O. Curtis, Medford, Massachusetts |
| Launched: | March 29, 1854 |
| Acquired: |
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| Out of service: | 1883 |
| Fate: | Coal hulk at Gibraltar |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: |
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| Length: | 227 ft (69 m) |
| Beam: | 40 ft (12 m) |
| Draft: | 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
Ocean Telegraph was an American clipper ship. Built in 1854 for the run between New York and San Francisco, she was later sold and renamed Light Brigade in 1863. For the next 12 years she was used predominantly to transport cargo and immigrants between London and Australia and New Zealand.
Ocean Telegraph was designed by Boston-based naval architect Samuel Hartt Pook who designed several very fast clipper ships. She was built by James O. Curtis in Medford, up the Mystic River from Boston, in 1854. She was built for Reed, Wade & Co. of Boston, Massachusetts for New York to San Francisco run.
The ship was 1,495 tons register Old Measurement, 1,244 tons Moorsom Measurement. She measured 227 feet (69 m) long, 40 feet (12 m) wide, and 23 feet (7.0 m) deep.
She was described as "a very sharp clipper and said to be one of the most perfect ships ever built". "No expense was spared to make her one of the most perfect and beautiful ships ever built. The bow raked boldly forward, flaring gracefully, and was ornamented with a beautiful carved female figure with forks of lightning playing around She was very sharp, with a long, clean run tapering like that of a pilot boat. Her light and graceful stern was ornamented with carved work surrounding a figure of Neptune. She had a fine sheer, and every line and molding harmonized her whole length."
In common with other clipper ships of the day she was constructed from wood and with three masts. Also in common with other clipper ships of the day her hull was painted black, and the bottom of the hull lined with copper. Her black hull can be clearly seen, and the copper can just be seen above the waves in an 1858 painting by James E. Buttersworth.
From 1854 to her sale in 1863 she was involved in moving cargo and passengers between New York and San Francisco. In common with many other clippers at the time, she was sometimes unable to procure a return cargo and when this happened had to return to New York in ballast.
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Wikipedia