Clipper Ship "Comet" of New York, in a Hurricane off Bermuda, on Her Voyage from New York to San Francisco, Oct. 19 1852
A bird's-eye view of the clipper ship 'Comet' being tossed by rough waves in a hurricane off the open waters of Bermuda. It leans heavily on its port side with all her sails furled except one. She was built by William H. Webb of New York for Bucklin & Crane in 1851 for the California-Far East trade. She made a record in 1853 and 1854 for a 76-day, 7-hour passage from San Francisco to New York. At the time, that was the fastest record to that port ever and the second fastest on record from San Francisco to the East Coast port. In 1854, she carried coal from Liverpool to Hong Kong, and in 1857 she sailed in the Pacific in the guano trade. In early 1863, she was sold at London and acquired by James Baines & Co. for operation in their Australian Black Ball Line and renamed 'Fiery Star.' She was lost in 1865 during a trip from Moreton Bay, Australia to London after her wool cargo caught on fire. 18 crewmen died aboard the burning ship and a lifeboat with 80 other crew and passengers were lost at sea.
See Glenn A. Knoblock. 'American Clipper Ship, 1845-1920: A Comprehensive History, with a Listing of Builders and Their Ships' (McFarland, 2014), 333.
