Surprise (clipper)

Launch in Boston

As with many Boston-built clipper ships, the Surprise was fully built and rigged in her port of origin, but was towed to the East Coast's shipping hub, New York City, to take on its first long-distance cargo. The ship's owner, and the New York reporters who covered the new ship's arrival from Boston, were impressed with the clipper's appearance and measurements.

Arthur Hamilton clark described the ship as fully rigged on the stocks, with all her gear rove off. She was launched with her three skysail yards across and colors flying, which attracted a multitude of people. When the Surprise arrived at New York to load for San Francisco, the New York Herald declared that she was the handsomest ship ever seen in the port.

"Her ends were said to be quite sharp," another account reads, "but she was not quite as large and did not carry as much sail as other clippers of her era, such as Game Cock, Sea Serpent and White Squall. The Lows were delighted with her and gave Samuel Hall a $2,500 bonus."

The Surprise was 190 feet long, with a breadth of 39 feet and a depth of 22 feet. Her main-yard was 78 feet long from boom-iron to boom-iron, and her mainmast was 84 feet from heel to cap, with other spars in proportion. She was beautifully fitted throughout. She was painted black from the water-line up. The figurehead was a finely carved and gilded flying eagle, and the stern was ornamented with the arms of New York.

Arrival in New York

The new clipper's arrival from Boston drew a significant number of spectators. The steamer R. B. Forbes towed the ship to its loading berth in New York.

The ship's owners underwrote an organized celebration of the arrival of the new ship in New York City for service to California. Receptions of this sort were intended to help "sell" the new clipper's (relatively high-priced) shipping services to New York merchants and wholesalers. The steamer-towboat R.B. Forbes was an integral element in gatherings of this type. "The R. B. Forbes ... was generally on hand at launches, regattas, and Fourth of July celebrations," our historian reports, "with a jolly party of Boston underwriters and their friends on board ... With a rainbow of bunting over her mastheads, the brass band in full blast, and champagne corks flying about her deck, she contributed liberally to the gayety of many festive occasions. She was also usually the first to introduce a new-born ship to the end of a manila hawser, and for several years she towed most of the eastern-built clippers to their loading berth at Boston or New York."

Voyages and records set

Surprise "made eleven consecutive passages from China to New York in eighty-nine days or less, six from Hong-Kong, five from Shanghai." Her fastest passage was eighty-one days, from Shanghai, in 1857.

Surprise beat the record voyage record of ninety-seven days to San Francisco, which was set by the Sea Witch, by one day.

Race home from China

There were several famous races home from China. Once the British clippers Chrysolite and Stornaway, and the American clippers Race Horse, Surprise, and Challenge raced from Canton to Liverpool and Deal. The ships arrived at the home ports as follows: At Liverpool, Chrysolite in 106 days; at Deal, Stornaway in 109 days; Challenge in 105 days; Surprise in 106 days.

Influence on British clipper ship building

When [the clipper ship] ... was first brought to the attention of English shippers and builders, the customary dissent and ridicule of "Yankee notions" was evident. However, A. A. Low & Brother's ship Surprise, of A. A. Low & Brother proved unexpectedly fast and profitable. Surprise made a ninety-day voyage from San Francisco to New York with an 1800-ton cargo. after discharging, loading, and leaving for London via Canton, Surprise arrived in London there with the first cargo of tea and freight at six pounds sterling per ton (while English vessels were obtaining but from three to four pounds). This voyage netted her owners fifty thousand dollars in excess of her cost and running expenses. As a result, English shipbuilders changed their minds about adopting practices of the "Yankees" and started to build "clipper" ships.

Ice trade and mutiny

In his letters, Marcus L. Woodard described his 1861 voyage from New York City to Batavia aboard the Surprise. The ship was carrying a cargo of ice. The secessionist crew mutinied when the ship arrived at Batavia.

Loss and salvage

Surprise encountered a heavy gale in Kaneda Bay on February 3, 1876, and wrecked on the Plymouth Rocks. Four days later, the ship was found. It was floating bottom up. The ship itself was a total loss, but 10,000 cases of kerosene it was carrying were salvaged. No deaths were reported. Responsibility for the mishap was placed on an "unqualified pilot, who boarded the ship off the entrance to Tokyo Bay."