The Comet was an 1851 California clipper built by William H. Webb

William H. Webb

William Henry Webb was a 19th-century New York shipbuilder and philanthropist, who has been called America's first true naval architect....

 which also sailed in the Australia trade and the tea trade. This extreme clipper

Extreme clipper

An extreme clipper is a clipper designed to sacrifice cargo capacity for speed. They had a bow lengthened above the water, a drawing out and sharpening of the forward body, and the greatest breadth further aft. Extreme clippers were built in the period 1845 to 1855.-Medium and extreme clippers:From...

 was very fast. She had record passages on two different routes: New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 to San Francisco, and Liverpool to Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, and beat the famous clipper Flying Dutchman in an 1853 race around the Horn to San Francisco.

Voyages

Comet made four voyages between New York to San Francisco, with times ranging from 103-128 days. Other ports of call included Whampoa

Whampoa

Whampoa is the old English transliteration of Huangpu District, Guangzhou, in China.From there, it derives its other meanings, and can also refer to:* Relating to the Whampoa district:...

, Hong Kong, Manila, Macao, Liverpool, and Bremen. She sailed out of London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England in the Australia trade, with voyages to Queenstown, Moreton Bay

Moreton Bay

Moreton Bay is a bay on the eastern coast of Australia 45 km from Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources...

, and Brisbane.

Record passages

Comet made a record passage from San Francisco to Cape Horn of 35 days 7 hours which is the record for the route. Her full passage to New York on this trip was 76 days.

In 1854, she made a record passage from Liverpool to Hong Kong in 83 or 84 days, with a best day's run of 350 miles.

Race with Flying Dutchman

In 1853, Comet beat the Flying Dutchman, another William H. Webb

William H. Webb

William Henry Webb was a 19th-century New York shipbuilder and philanthropist, who has been called America's first true naval architect....

-built clipper, in a race from San Francisco to New York by 30 hours. Comet arrived on May 7th, after a passage of 83 days and 18 hours.

Loss of the ship

Comet left Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia for London on April 1, 1865. Fire broke out in the cargo of wool

Wool

Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....

in her hold on April 13. The captain and 80 people, including all the passengers, abandoned ship in 3 boats, and were lost. On April 17, just as the Comet was about to sink, the 17 crew members remaining on board were rescued by the British barque Dauntless of Kingston.

External links

• Launch and Description of the Comet, Daily Alta California, July 1851 and Jan. 13, 1852, Maritime Heritage Project
• Comet Passenger List, Daily Alta California, January 13 1852, Maritime Heritage Project