Star of Bengal
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom
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| Owner: | J.P. Corry & Co. |
| Port of registry: | Belfast |
| Builder: | Harland and Wolff |
| Laid down: | 1873 |
| Completed: | January 3, 1874 |
| Maiden voyage: | London–Melbourne (April 25, 1874) |
| Identification: |
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| Status: | Sold to J.J. Smith Co. in June 1898 |
| History | |
 United States
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| Owner: |
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| Port of registry: | San Francisco |
| Refit: | Repaired and re-rigged as barque in 1898 |
| Identification: |
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| Fate: | Sunk at Coronation Island on September 20, 1908 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: |
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| Tonnage: | 1,877 GT; 1,694 NT |
| Length: | 262.8 feet (80.1 m) |
| Beam: | 40.2 feet (12.3 m) |
| Draught: | 21 feet 3 inches (6.48 m) (loaded) |
| Depth: | 23.5 feet (7.2 m) |
| Propulsion: | wind |
| Capacity: | deadweight 2,530 long tons (2,570 t) |
| Crew: | 17 |
The Star of Bengal was an iron three-masted 1,877 GT merchant sailing vessel built in Belfast in 1874 by Harland and Wolff Industries, the shipyard that later constructed the Titanic. Although built towards the decline of the Age of Sail, the Star of Bengal was successfully operated for 24 years by the British trading company J.P. Corry & Co. The ship was mainly used on London-Calcutta trading route, but also made a few voyages to Australian and American ports.
By 1898, following the formative change in the shipping industry, J.P. Corry switched to steam vessels and sold its sailing fleet. On the other hand, merchant shipping along the United States Pacific Coast was experiencing a boom triggered by Klondike and Nome gold rushes which intensified the colonization of the Pacific Northwest, and spiked the demand for both passenger and cargo shipping in the area. As a result, the Star of Bengal was purchased by a San Francisco trading company J.J. Smith & Co. and, along with many other old European vessels, was taken around Cape Horn to the Pacific Ocean. J.J. Smith conducted an overhaul of the ship and re-rigged her from a full-rigged ship to a barque, aiming to decrease costs of her operations.
J.J. Smith operated the Star of Bengal for 7 more years, mainly for grain and coal trade. As the steamships were pushing sailing vessels out of business, the trading company could no longer operated her for profit, and in 1905, the Star of Bengal was sold to Alaska Packers' Association. This company was in business of canning Alaskan salmon, using its sailing ships for a single voyage a year: a spring sail from San Francisco to one of its Alaskan canneries with seasonal workers and supplies, followed by a return trip in early fall with the workers and a load of canned salmon.
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