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The ''Carrier Pigeon'' was an American clipper ship that was launched in the fall of 1852 from Bath, Maine. Her value was estimated at $54,000. She was wrecked on her maiden voyage, off Santa Cruz, California. ==History== On January 28, 1853, the ''Carrier Pigeon'' left Boston. The clipper was bound to San Francisco on her maiden voyage. As a commercial ship, she was to deliver general merchandise. The ship and her cargo were insured for $195,000. In the mid 19th century, the Panama Canal had not yet been created, and thus the only way to reach the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic Ocean was to sail around Cape Horn, an area infamous for its shipwrecks. The prevailing winds in the vicinity of Cape Horn and south, blow from west to east around the world almost uninterrupted by land, giving rise to the "roaring forties" and the even more wild "furious fifties" and "screaming sixties." Despite this, the ''Carrier Pigeon'' encountered no difficulties rounding the Cape.〔〔 On June 6, 1853, the clipper was sighted at Santa Cruz, California. San Francisco is located only about seventy nautical miles north of Santa Cruz. The cool California Current offshore, enhanced by upwelling of cold sub-surface waters, often creates summer fog near the coast, and June 6, 1853, was no exception. As night approached, so did the fog. The captain of the ''Carrier Pigeon'', Azariah Doane, believed that the ship was far from shore, and so he gave the order to sail eastward toward the shore. In few minutes the clipper hit the rocky bottom. Heavy waves rocked the helpless clipper from side to side. The hull was opened to the incoming tide. After seven feet of cold Pacific water rushed into the ship, the captain and the crew had just a few moments to escape with their lives. Because the ship was wrecked only 500 feet (152 meters) from shore, all the members of the crew were able to reach the shore safely.〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Carrier Pigeon (ship)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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