Marco Polo (1851 ship) facts for kids
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|} The Marco Polo was a famous three-masted wooden clipper ship. It was built in 1851 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. This amazing ship was named after the famous Venetian explorer Marco Polo.
The Marco Polo was special because it carried many people, called emigrants, and other passengers to Australia. It was the first ship ever to complete a round trip from Liverpool, England, to Australia and back in less than six months! Later in its life, the ship carried cargo. Sadly, it ran aground (got stuck on the seabed) near Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, in 1883.
Contents
| History | |
|---|---|
 New Brunswick |
|
| Name | Marco Polo |
| Namesake | Marco Polo (1254–1324), Venetian traveler |
| Owner | James Smith |
| Builder | James Smith, Saint John, New Brunswick |
| Launched | 1851 |
| United Kingdom |
|
| Owner | James Baines, Liverpool, for the Black Ball Line (Australia Packets) |
| Acquired | 1854 |
| Fate | Rebuilt to be used in the passenger trade. |
| Notes | Rebolted with yellow metal bolts and coppered. |
| United Kingdom | |
| Owner | J. Wilson & Blain, South Shields Packets |
| Acquired | 1871 |
| Fate | Put in the coal and timber trade |
 Norway |
|
| Owner | Capt. Bull, Christiania Oslo, Norway |
| Acquired | 1887 |
| Fate | July 22, 1884, wrecked near Cavendish, Prince Edward Island |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Medium clipper |
| Tonnage | 1,625 GRT |
| Length | 184 ft 1 in (56.11 m) |
| Beam | 36 ft 3 in (11.05 m) |
| Draught | 29 ft 4 in (8,940 mm) |
| Depth of hold | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Sail plan | Square-rigged, with Cunningham's patent roller reefing topsails. Reduced to barque rig, 1874. |
| Notes | 3 decks; height between decks, 8 ft (2.4 m) |
Ship Design and Features
The Marco Polo was first designed to carry cargo. It was a clipper, which means it was built for speed. Clippers have a very sharp bow (front), tall masts, and are wide in the middle. This design made the Marco Polo very stable and strong enough to handle rough seas.
The ship was about 184 feet 1 inch (56.11 m) long. It had a beam (width) of 36 ft 3 in (11.05 m) and a draught (how deep it sat in the water) of 29 ft 4 in (8,940 mm). The cargo area, called the hold, was 30 ft (9.1 m) deep. The Marco Polo weighed 1,625 tons.
The ship was square rigged, meaning its main sails were square and set across the ship. It also had a special "roller reefing system." This allowed the crew to adjust the sails from the deck, so they didn't have to climb up the masts as much. The Marco Polo had three masts and could carry a huge amount of sail, about 22,000 square feet (2,000 m2). In 1874, its sail plan was changed to a barque rig, which uses a different combination of sails.
The clipper had three decks, with about 8 ft (2.4 m) of space between each. In 1852, the ship was changed to carry passengers. Its hull (the bottom part of the ship) was covered with felt and tar, then wrapped in copper. This helped protect it from things growing on the hull in the water.
Passenger Travel Classes
The Marco Polo offered three different ways to travel: steerage, intermediate, and cabin class.
- Steerage passengers stayed in shared areas. They were usually in groups of four to six people per space. Single men, single women, and families had separate areas on different decks.
- Intermediate passengers had better food and service than steerage. Their quarters were between the main decks.
- Cabin class passengers had their own private cabins, about 6 feet square. These cabins were located around the sides of the ship at the back. Cabin passengers could also use the poop deck (a raised deck at the back of the ship) for exercise. They ate their meals in a special dining room.
Ship's Journey and History
The Marco Polo was built by James Smith in Saint John, New Brunswick. Construction started in the fall of 1850. During building, a storm scattered parts of the ship, and they had to be put back together. The ship was finished in April 1851.
Its launch was a bit tricky! As it slid down the ramp, the Marco Polo touched the bank of the creek and got stuck in the mud. This caused the bottom of the ship, called the keel, to bend slightly. After two weeks, the ship was finally freed and ready to sail.
Early Cargo Voyages
On May 31, 1851, the Marco Polo sailed from Saint John to Liverpool, England, carrying timber. It made this trip in just over 15 days! This first journey was a big success. The ship then carried cotton from Mobile, Alabama, to Liverpool. In 1852, the ship was sold to James Baines, a famous ship owner.
The Famous Emigrant Ship
In 1852, James Baines bought the Marco Polo for his Black Ball Line. He changed it to carry passengers between England and Australia. This was a busy time because of the Australian gold rush, and many people wanted to move to Australia.
On its first trip to Australia, the Marco Polo carried over 900 people, including 60 crew members. At that time, it was the largest ship ever to travel to Australia. The ship left Liverpool on July 4, 1852, and arrived in Australia 68 days later. After three weeks in port, it returned to Liverpool in another 76 days. The whole round trip took only 5 months and 21 days! This was the first time a ship completed this journey in under six months.
During this first voyage, some children became sick, which led to new rules about the age of young children allowed on future trips. On its way back, the ship carried a lot of gold, including a special 340-ounce gold nugget for Queen Victoria. When the ship returned to Liverpool, it proudly displayed a banner saying "Fastest Ship in the World."
The Marco Polo made about 25 round trips to Australia, usually taking between 80 and 90 days each way. It was so fast that on its last trip from Melbourne to Liverpool, it beat the passenger steamship SS Great Britain by 8 days! It is even said that "One in every twenty Australians can trace his or her roots to Marco Polo."
Challenges at Sea
The Marco Polo faced some challenges during its voyages.
- On December 6, 1855, the ship's tow rope broke while leaving the Mersey river. It bumped into another ship, the Glasgow, and got stuck in the mud. Luckily, it got free without much damage and continued its journey.
- On March 4, 1861, the Marco Polo hit an iceberg north of Cape Horn. It lost its bowsprit (a pole sticking out from the front of the ship), and its bow and foremast (front mast) were damaged. The ship arrived in Valparaiso leaking water. After repairs, it continued to Liverpool.
Final Journeys
The Marco Polo carried passengers until 1867. After that, it was changed back to a cargo ship. It carried things like guano (bird droppings used as fertilizer), coal, and timber. It sailed to many different ports around the world.
In 1871, the ship was sold to new owners, Wilson and Blair, in England. They used it for the coal and timber trade. In 1874, its wooden masts were replaced with an iron mast, and its yards (poles holding the sails) were shortened.
By the early 1880s, the ship's hull was getting old and weak. Chains were wrapped around it to make it stronger, and a special pump was installed to remove water that was leaking in. In 1882, Captain A. Bull from Norway bought the ship.
On July 19, 1883, the Marco Polo left Quebec, Canada, with a load of timber. On July 22, it ran into a big storm and started taking on too much water. The pumps couldn't keep up, so Captain Bull decided to run the ship aground (intentionally steer it onto shallow ground) near Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. This was done to save the crew and the remaining cargo.
After the ship got stuck, its masts were cut down so the wind wouldn't push it further onto the shore. The timber cargo was sold off. In August 1883, a strong storm caused the ship to break apart along the coast.
Wreck and Legacy
The place where the Marco Polo wrecked is now part of the Prince Edward Island National Park and is considered a National Historic Site.
Many items from the ship, including a painting of it, are on display at the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John, New Brunswick. Another painting is at the Yarmouth County Museum & Archives in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The original half-model of the Marco Polo is at the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia.
A 28-foot (9 m) replica, or copy, of the ship was built in Saint John. It took over 30 years to build and cost more than $50,000. This replica, named Marco Polo II, was located in the Port of Saint John in 2015.
Images for kids
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Replica stern carvings from Marco Polo, on display in the Merseyside Maritime Museum.
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Replica stern carvings from Marco Polo, on display in the Merseyside Maritime Museum.
