USS Onward (1852)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
|
|
| Name: | Onward |
| Owner: | Reed, Wade & Co, Boston |
| Route: | New York City-Boston-San Francisco |
| Builder: | James. O. Curtis, Medford, MA |
| Launched: | 3 July 1852 |
| Acquired: | Purchased by J.O. Ogden, 1857for $32,000 |
 United States
|
|
| Name: | USS Onward |
| Acquired: | Purchased by George D. Morgan, U.S. Government Agent, 9 September 1861, for $27,000, for service in the Civil War |
| Commissioned: | 11 January 1862 |
| Decommissioned: | 13 November 1884 |
| Fate: | Sold in Peru, 1 Nov 1884, for $1,850. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Sailing cruiser, 4th class |
| Type: | Medium clipper |
| Tonnage: | 874 |
| Length: | 159 ft (48 m); 175 ft (53 m) LOA |
| Beam: | 34 ft 8 in (10.57 m) |
| Draft: | 20 ft 6 in (6.25 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 20 ft 6 in (6.25 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Sail plan: | Ship rig, three masts |
| Speed: | 11 kn (13 mph; 20 km/h) |
| Complement: | 103 |
| Armament: | 8 × 32-pounder guns, 1 30-pounder Parrott rifle |
The first USS Onward was a clipper in the Union Navy.
Onward was launched 3 July 1852 by James O. Curtis at Medford, Massachusetts, for Reed, Wade, and Co., of Boston, Massachusetts, and operated in the merchant service between New York City, Boston, and San Francisco. Purchased by the U.S. Navy at New York City from John Ogden on 9 September 1861, for service in the American Civil War, Onward commissioned at New York Navy Yard on 11 January 1862, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant J. Frederick Nickels in command.
"Her lines were convex; for a figurehead she had the Goddess of Liberty robed in the American ensign, the right hand pointing forward, the left, grasping the emblems of harvest, one foot rested on a carved representation of the globe. The stern was curvilinear, ornamented with an American Indian, surrounded with gilt work. Under the name and hailing port, the words 'According to law' appeared in carved, white letters." Overseeing her construction was her first commander, Captain Jesse G. Cotting.
Boston to S.F., under Capt. Cotting, 120 days, arrived 1 December 1852.
New York to S.F., under Capt. Thomas F. Wade, 150 or 151 days, arrived 25 January 1854. "She was followed closely by the Ocean Pearl, Kingfisher, Bald Eagle, Courier, and Pampero ... The Kingfisher under Crosby and the Bald Eagle, in command of Caldwell, had sailed a notable race ... They fought it out almost jibboom to jibboom for 17,000 miles and entered San Francisco almost within hailing distance of each other."
New York to S.F., under Capt. Luce, 158 days, arrived 15 October 1856. On this passage she spent 26 days rounding the Horn, encountering 18 days of hurricane-force winds, damaging the deck house and rigging; and 20 days of almost dead calm after crossing the Equator in the Pacific.
Her passage from San Francisco to Singapore, of 43 days, arriving 15 Dec 1856, under Capt. E.A. Luce., was stated to be a record, according to the 23 Dec 1856 "Singapore Times."
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