Messenger of Peace (missionary ship) facts for kids
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Quick facts for kids History |
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| Name | Messenger of Peace |
| Builder | John Williams, Avarua, Rarotonga |
| Launched | 1827 |
| Fate | Sold 1836 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 70 (bm) |
| Length | 60 ft (18 m) |
| Sail plan | Schooner |
The Messenger of Peace was a special ship built in 1827 in Rarotonga, an island in the Cook Islands. A missionary named John Williams built it. His goal was to share the Christian faith with people on islands like Samoa and the Society Islands. He did this for the London Missionary Society (LMS).
Williams sailed the Messenger of Peace from 1827 to 1836. The ship flew a unique flag: a white dove on a blue background. To help pay for his trips, Williams also traded goods between the islands. He had tried this before with another ship, but the LMS didn't approve of the trading part.
Williams spent many years, from 1817 to 1839, in the South Seas, including Tahiti and Rarotonga. When he arrived in Rarotonga in 1827, he learned about nearby islands where people had different spiritual beliefs. To reach these islands, he decided to build a new ship. He built the Messenger of Peace using materials found right there on the island. It took him only fifteen weeks to complete the ship before he set sail for the Society Islands.
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Building the Messenger of Peace
The Messenger of Peace was a schooner, a type of sailing ship. It was about 60 feet (18 meters) long and weighed 70 tons. Williams built the ship using a local wood called tamanu, which is a type of mahogany. This wood wasn't perfect for building ships, so the masts weren't very straight or smooth.
Williams had to be very creative because he didn't have many proper tools.
- He used old ship cables and turned them into iron bolts. He did this by heating them with charcoal and hammering them on a stone.
- The parts for the rudder were made from a pickaxe, a cooper's adze (a tool for shaping wood), and a large hoe.
- The ropes for the ship were made from fibers found in hibiscus trees.
- Even the sails were special; they were made from matting, a woven material.
It took only fifteen weeks to build the ship, even without proper tools or much shipbuilding experience. Williams had learned a little about ship repair in 1816 when he fixed an old, unfinished ship. He named that ship Haweis and later gave it to a local chief. For the Messenger of Peace, Williams had some help from another missionary, Aaron Buzacott, and a small group of local islanders. Many islanders were busy building houses elsewhere, so only a few could help with the ship. Over time, some of their homemade tools were replaced by gifts from visiting naval officers.
Voyages of the Ship
Once the Messenger of Peace was finished, Williams began his voyages. He used directions given to him by the local people, which was a common way to navigate back then. On his first trip, he visited islands like Aitutaki, Manuae, Mauke, Atiu, and Mangaia before returning to Rarotonga.
He then took a second voyage to islands further west. He returned in February 1828 and later moved his family to Raiatea. In the middle of 1830, the ship visited Samoa. The people there welcomed them warmly.
Hurricane Damage and Repairs
The Messenger of Peace needed repairs twice in Rarotonga after returning from the Friendly Islands. The first time was in 1832. A very strong hurricane hit Rarotonga, damaging many houses. The storm pushed the ship onto the island, knocking branches off trees that were 12 to 15 feet (3.7 to 4.6 meters) off the ground!
The ship landed in a 4-foot (1.2-meter) deep hole it had made. Amazingly, Williams said the ship "had sustained no injury whatever." About 2,000 local people helped pull the ship out of the hole and back into the sea. This hurricane delayed Williams' plans to visit Samoa for several months. All the ship's parts, like masts, rigging, and supplies, were scattered far and wide and had to be collected for the repairs.
The ship finally set sail on October 11. This voyage lasted fifteen weeks, with four weeks spent in the Samoan islands. On the way back to Rarotonga, the ship started leaking about 300 miles (480 km) from the Friendly Islands. The ship's hold was nearly half full of water, about 4 feet (1.2 meters) deep. The crew worked very hard for several days to bail out the water, keeping the ship afloat until they could land at Vavau for repairs.
However, they couldn't find the leak. So, they sailed to another island in the group, where two other ships were anchored. With the help of their crews, the Messenger of Peace was hove down (tilted on its side for repair). That's when they found the leak! It was a hole that should have had a bolt, but it was filled with mud and stones from the hurricane back in Rarotonga. A stone had somehow stayed wedged in the hole, keeping it from leaking for six months and thousands of miles at sea! The ship returned to Rarotonga for major repairs in January 1833.
After this last difficult experience, and because the Williams family needed to return to England, Williams decided the ship wasn't suitable anymore. Even though it had made several tough voyages over six years, it needed to be replaced. So, the Messenger of Peace was sent to Tahiti and sold in 1836.
A Lasting Impact
The story of the Messenger of Peace made John Williams quite famous. When he returned to England, he started raising money to buy a new ship. In 1838, the London Missionary Society bought a brig (another type of sailing ship) called the Camden. This ship was much larger, weighing about 192 or 194 tons.
The Camden sailed from London on April 11, 1838. It carried Williams and eight other missionary families to places like Africa, India, the Pacific Islands, and China. Later, it became Williams' permanent ship.
Over the years, the London Missionary Society continued its work with seven more ships, all named John Williams. The last one, John Williams VII, was taken out of service in 1968. These ships carried on the important work of sharing the Christian faith in many parts of the world.
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