Atahualpa (ship) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids History |
|
|---|---|
 United States |
|
| Name | Atahualpa |
| Laid down | Kennebunk, Maine |
| Fate | Sold to Russian-American Company, December 1813 |
 Russia (Russian–American Company) |
|
| Name | Bering or Behring |
| Acquired | December 1813 |
| Fate | Wrecked at Waimea Bay, Hawaii, 31 January 1815 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 210 (bm) |
The Atahualpa was a United States merchant ship. It sailed on four long journeys in the early 1800s. These trips were for trading valuable furs. In 1813, while in the Hawaiian Islands, the Atahualpa was sold. It was bought by the Russian-American Company (RAC) and renamed Bering or Behring. In January 1815, the Bering, led by an American captain named James Bennett, returned to Hawaii. Sadly, it was wrecked at Waimea Bay, on the island of Kauai.
The Atahualpa was a ship that weighed about 210 tons. It was built in Kennebunk, Maine. It had a sister ship named Guatimozin. The Atahualpa was named after Atahualpa, the last emperor of the Inca Empire. The Guatimozin was named after Guatimozin, the last emperor of the Aztecs. Both ships were owned by a company in Boston called Theodore Lyman and Associates.
Contents
First Journey: Fur Trading Adventure
In the summer of 1800, the Atahualpa left Boston. It sailed with its sister ship, the Guatimozin. The Atahualpa traveled all the way to the Pacific Northwest. It went around Cape Horn, which is at the southern tip of South America. The ship's goal was to trade with the local people for sea otter furs. These furs were very valuable in China.
The Atahualpa spent the summer of 1801 collecting furs along the coast. Then, it stayed for the winter at Nahwitti, a place at the north end of Vancouver Island. In 1802, the ship continued to trade for furs. After that, it sailed to the Hawaiian Islands. From there, it went to Canton (now Guangzhou), China. The furs were sold there using a special trading system called the Canton System. The Atahualpa then sailed back home, going through the Sunda Strait and around the Cape of Good Hope. It arrived back in Boston in June 1803.
On this journey, the Atahualpa collected many sea otter skins. It had 3,536 skins in total, with 2,297 of them being top quality. It also carried other furs. This was a very successful trip. Most American ships at that time only collected about 1,000 skins. We know a lot about this first journey because of the detailed records kept by Ralph Haskins, who was in charge of the cargo.
Second Journey: A Dangerous Battle
Soon after returning to Boston in 1803, the Atahualpa started another fur trading journey. This time, Oliver Porter was the captain. By January 1804, the ship was trading along the Pacific Northwest coast. It continued to sail and trade there the next year.
On June 12, 1805, the ship faced a dangerous situation at Milbanke Sound. Local people attacked the ship. Captain Porter and eight of his crew members lost their lives. Several others were badly hurt. According to the crew who survived, the Atahualpa was anchored near a village. Everything seemed peaceful. Many local people were on board. A canoe brought the local chief, who asked Captain Porter to look at some furs. When Porter leaned over the side of the ship, one of the people on board hurt him and pushed him into the water.
Then, a fierce battle began. The captain, first mate, second mate, cargo manager, and cook were among those who died. Some crew members who were below deck fired their guns up through the openings. Then, they bravely charged with knives and muskets. They managed to take back control of the ship. Only four crew members were not hurt by the end of the fight. These four, along with three injured crew members, quickly cleared the ship's deck. They prepared the sails and cut the anchor rope. They barely managed to get away from the village. Then, they quickly sailed out of Milbanke Sound.
On June 17, 1805, the crew held a burial at sea for those who had died. The ship then went to Kaigani. They hoped to find other American ships there. They waited until June 23, when the ship Vancouver, led by Captain Thomas Brown, arrived. The youngest officer left alive on the Atahualpa was a teenage boatswain (a ship's officer). He immediately handed control of the ship over to Captain Brown. Captain Brown sent his chief mate, David Adams, to take command of the Atahualpa. Mr. Low, who had been the first mate on another ship, the Lydia, was made the new first mate of the Atahualpa. The two ships then sailed to Nahwitti.
News of the attack spread quickly along the coast. By June 27, six New England trading ships were at Nahwitti. Three of them belonged to the Lyman Company: the Atahualpa (now under David Adams), the Vancouver (under Thomas Brown), and the Lydia (under Samuel Hill). The other ships were the Juno, Pearl, and Mary. The captains and officers from all the ships made a plan. They decided to get new crew members for the Atahualpa from the other ships. They also set up a new chain of command.
Isaac Hurd, who managed the cargo on the Lydia, wanted to move to the Atahualpa. He and Captain Hill of the Lydia had become strong rivals during their journey. Captain Hill refused to let Hurd go. It was decided that the Atahualpa, with David Adams as captain, would sail straight to Canton. They spent two days getting the Atahualpa ready. The ship's guns and some cargo were moved to the Vancouver. On July 3, Brown and Hurd thought it would be best for their employer if the cargo from the Vancouver and Lydia were combined. Then, one of the ships would go with the Atahualpa to Canton. Since the Vancouver was bigger, it could easily take the Lydia's cargo. So, they suggested that Captain Hill of the Lydia should give up his cargo and sail to Canton.
As the cargo manager of the Lydia, Hurd was in charge of the cargo. He went to tell Captain Hill about the decision. Hill reacted with great anger and threats. After several days, Hill still refused to move any of the cargo. In the end, he allowed Hurd to transfer to the Atahualpa. But he only let Hurd on board the Lydia to get his personal clothes. When Hurd came on board, Captain Hill stood over him the whole time with a club, ready to strike. Watching this from the Vancouver, Captain Brown was very upset. He declared he would never have anything to do with Hill again.
The cook from the Lydia, who also had problems with Captain Hill, secretly went to the Atahualpa. As the Atahualpa began to sail away, without the escort Brown and Hurd had wanted, Captain Hill came in a boat. He demanded to come aboard to get his cook. David Adams refused. Once the Atahualpa was out of Hill's reach, the cook came on deck and waved.
From Nahwitti, the Atahualpa sailed to Canton and then back to Boston. It arrived home in late December 1805. The attack and what happened afterward were written down in many ship logs and other records. Ebenezer Clinton's journal, which covered the Atahualpa and Vancouver, even included a song about the event. It was called The Bold Northwestman.
Third Journey: Facing Pirates
The Atahualpa went on a third fur trading journey. William Sturgis was the captain this time. The ship left Boston in October 1806. It traded along the Pacific Northwest Coast in 1807. Then, it sailed to Canton, China, stopping in Hawaii. From Canton, Captain Sturgis sailed the ship back to Boston. It arrived in June 1808.
Sturgis then sailed the Atahualpa from Boston to Canton and back again. In the summer of 1809, the Atahualpa was attacked twice by pirates. This happened near Canton, in the Pearl River estuary. The first time, Captain Sturgis was able to outrun about 200 pirate ships. The second time, the pirates were avoided with the help of four other American ships.
Fourth Journey: A Change of Ownership
The Atahualpa began its fourth fur trading journey in October 1811. John Suter was the captain. The ship sailed along the Pacific Northwest Coast from April 2012 to August 2013. Then, it went to the Aleutian Islands and on to Hawaii. It reached the Island of Hawaii on October 17, 1813.
Captain Suter learned that the War of 1812 had started. This war was between the United States and Great Britain. It meant that US ships were in danger. He also found out that an armed ship called Tamaahmaah was waiting at Honolulu. Its job was to take the cargo from American trading ships to China. So, Suter took the Atahualpa to Honolulu. It arrived on October 19, 1813. There, in late October 1813, the Atahualpa was sold for $4,500. It was bought by three captains from New England. These were William Heath Davis, James Bennett, Nathan or John Winship, and Lemuel Porter. Porter had come to Hawaii to warn American ships about the war. Selling the Atahualpa helped protect it from being captured by the British. This was because the ship could not get American registration while in the Pacific.
The Ship Becomes Russian
In December 1813, the Atahualpa and another ship were sold to Alexander Andreyevich Baranov. He was the head of the Russian-American Company. The ships were bought for 20,000 sealskins. The Atahualpa was renamed Behring or Bering. James Bennett continued to be its captain while it was owned by the Russian-American Company. He first sailed the ship to Okhotsk to pick up the furs that were used to pay for the ship.
Bennett sailed the Bering back to Hawaii. He needed to pick up supplies for Russian America (Alaska). The ship arrived at Kauai in early October 1814. It stopped at Honolulu, Oahu, and Maui, before returning to Kauai. Near Niʻihau on January 1, 1815, a leak was found in the ship. So, the Bering went back to Honolulu for repairs. After the repairs, Bennett sailed back to Kauai. It arrived at Waimea Bay on January 30, 1815.
During a strong storm on January 30, 1815, the Bering was damaged. It began to drift toward the shore. At 3:00 AM on January 31, 1815, the ship hit the beach in Waimea Bay, Kauai. Bennett and his crew were stuck on Kauai for two months. On April 11, 1815, they finally got a ride on another ship, the Albatross, with Captain William Smith. The local Hawaiian chief Kaumualiʻi kept the ship's goods. This included the furs and the crew's personal belongings. Captain Smith took Bennett to Sitka, Alaska. There, Bennett told Baranov about the loss of the Bering. He tried to convince Baranov to use force to get the cargo back. But Baranov decided to try talking things out. He sent Georg Anton Schäffer to Hawaii on the ship Isabella.
Schäffer first went to the Island of Hawaii. He met with King Kamehameha. Then he went to Oahu and finally to Kauai. On June 2, 1816, Chief Kaumualiʻi agreed to return the cargo that was left. He also agreed to pay for any missing items with sandalwood.
