From Wikipedia.
On October 29, 1870, it hit an outlying reef on the Kure Atoll and was battered to pieces. A group of five men left the atoll on November 18th in an effort to get to Honolulu. Thirty-one days and 1500 miles later the small boat was upset near Kauai and there was only one survivor.
The ship's gig, in which the men sailed is now in the Saginaw Historical Society.
The USS Saginaw was the first ship built at the Mare Island Shipyard near San Francisco. The Navy bought the site in 1853 and the Saginaw was launched in 1859.
She served in the East Indian Squadron to protect American interests and stop pirates. In 1862, the Saginaw was decommissioned in Hong Kong and taken back to Mare Island for a refit and recommissioning. In 1863, it was attached to the Pacific Squadron to protect the west coast from Confederate activity.
At one point, the Saginaw visited the Puget Sound when rumors of Confederate privateers being built in British Columbia, but this report proved unfounded. In 1864, she made appearances at Mexican ports and in Central America.
Sidewheel steamer, 453 tons, 155 feet, 4 foot 5 inches draft, crew of 50, and 4 cannons.
Quite a Story About the Voyage for Help. --Cooter
No comments:
Post a Comment