Amaranth (barquentine)
Encyclopedia
Amaranth was a four-masted barquentine
built by Matthew Turner
of Benicia
, California in 1901. Amaranth sailed in the China trade between Puget Sound
and Shanghai
. She was wrecked on a guano
island in the South Pacific in 1913 while carrying a load of coal
.
pelagic sealing schooners, codfishing schooners, South Seas schooners, and sugar packets. Amaranth measured 1,109 tons, and was a sister ship to Turner's 1,167 ton barquentine Amazon. The ship was named after the amaranth
plant.
In 1975, a half-hull model of Amaranth was on display in the San Francisco Maritime Museum. By 1941, the Historic American Merchant Marine project had collected and deposited the complete plans of Amaranth at the US National Museum
.
to Shanghai
in 23 days. She also made four voyages under Captain E.C. Boles from Puget Sound
to Taku, (Shanghai), "in 100, 110, 118, and 123 days."
. Amaranth was the fourth deep-sea, cargo-carrying vessel to venture into the newly-dredged harbor, where a naval station was planned, having been preceded by the three-masted schooner W.H. Marston on March 8, and the schooner Ariel and bark Marston a few days later.
from Newcastle
, New South Wales to San Francisco when she wrecked
on the southeastern shore of Jarvis Island
. On shore, the Amaranth crew could see the ruins of ten wooden guano
-mining buildings, including a two-story house. "The captain and crew took to their boats and landed next morning. The vessel broke up. With salvaged provisions and water, the crew managed to reach Samoa
in the two boats 3 weeks later." One lifeboat
reached Pago Pago, American Samoa
and the other made Apia in Western Samoa
. Two beige-colored wool blankets used by the crewmembers evacuating the ship survive, at the San Francisco Maritme Museum.
The Amaranths scattered remains were noted and scavenged for many years, and rounded fragments of coal from the ship's hold
were still being found on the south beach in the late 1930s. "A memorial cairn
and plaque that commemorate the grounding are still present on the island."
Barquentine
A barquentine is a sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts.-Modern barquentine sailing rig:...
built by Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner (shipbuilder)
Matthew Turner was an American sea captain, shipbuilder and designer. He constructed 228 vessels, of which 154 were built in the Matthew Turner shipyard in Benicia...
of Benicia
Benicia, California
Benicia is a waterside city in Solano County, California, United States. It was the first city in California to be founded by Anglo-Americans, and served as the state capital for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 26,997 at the 2010 census. The city is located in the San...
, California in 1901. Amaranth sailed in the China trade between Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
and Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. She was wrecked on a guano
Guano
Guano is the excrement of seabirds, cave dwelling bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. It was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder...
island in the South Pacific in 1913 while carrying a load of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
.
Construction
Barquentine Amaranth Co. incorporated in San Francisco on Sept. 14, 1901 with capital stock of $76,000 and was assigned state corporation no. 33,965. Captain Turner, a master shipbuilder, was known for his Bering SeaBering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
pelagic sealing schooners, codfishing schooners, South Seas schooners, and sugar packets. Amaranth measured 1,109 tons, and was a sister ship to Turner's 1,167 ton barquentine Amazon. The ship was named after the amaranth
Amaranth
Amaranthus, collectively known as amaranth, is a cosmopolitan genus of herbs. Approximately 60 species are recognized, with inflorescences and foliage ranging from purple and red to gold...
plant.
In 1975, a half-hull model of Amaranth was on display in the San Francisco Maritime Museum. By 1941, the Historic American Merchant Marine project had collected and deposited the complete plans of Amaranth at the US National Museum
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
.
Voyages to China
Amaranth sailed from Astoria, OregonAstoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
to Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
in 23 days. She also made four voyages under Captain E.C. Boles from Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
to Taku, (Shanghai), "in 100, 110, 118, and 123 days."
Delivery of drydock materials to Pearl Harbor
In April 1910, Amaranth delivered materials for construction of a drydock facility at Pearl HarborPearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
. Amaranth was the fourth deep-sea, cargo-carrying vessel to venture into the newly-dredged harbor, where a naval station was planned, having been preceded by the three-masted schooner W.H. Marston on March 8, and the schooner Ariel and bark Marston a few days later.
Shipwreck at Jarvis Island
On 30 August 1913, Amaranth, under Captain C.W. Nielson, was carrying a cargo of coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
from Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, New South Wales to San Francisco when she wrecked
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
on the southeastern shore of Jarvis Island
Jarvis Island
Jarvis Island is an uninhabited 4.5 square kilometer coral island located in the South Pacific Ocean at , about halfway between Hawaii and the Cook Islands...
. On shore, the Amaranth crew could see the ruins of ten wooden guano
Guano
Guano is the excrement of seabirds, cave dwelling bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. It was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder...
-mining buildings, including a two-story house. "The captain and crew took to their boats and landed next morning. The vessel broke up. With salvaged provisions and water, the crew managed to reach Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
in the two boats 3 weeks later." One lifeboat
Lifeboat (shipboard)
A lifeboat is a small, rigid or inflatable watercraft carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard ship. In the military, a lifeboat may be referred to as a whaleboat, dinghy, or gig. The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors sometimes...
reached Pago Pago, American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
and the other made Apia in Western Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
. Two beige-colored wool blankets used by the crewmembers evacuating the ship survive, at the San Francisco Maritme Museum.
The Amaranths scattered remains were noted and scavenged for many years, and rounded fragments of coal from the ship's hold
Hold (ship)
thumb|right|120px|View of the hold of a container shipA ship's hold is a space for carrying cargo. Cargo in holds may be either packaged in crates, bales, etc., or unpackaged . Access to holds is by a large hatch at the top...
were still being found on the south beach in the late 1930s. "A memorial cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
and plaque that commemorate the grounding are still present on the island."
External links
- Mathew Turner, Benicia’s shipbuilder extraordinaire, by Jerry Bowen