Star of Bengal

**Star of Bengal**
Ship data
flag	United Kingdom
Ship type	Barque
home port	London
Owner	JP Corry & Co.
Shipyard	Harland & Wolff , Belfast
Launch	January 3, 1874
Whereabouts	Sunk 20th September 1908
Ship dimensions and crew
length	80.15 m ( Lüa )
width	12.26 m
Draft	Max. 7.17 m
measurement	1,870 GRT / 1,797 NRT
Rigging and rigging
Rigging	Barque
Number of masts	3
Others
Registration ; numbers	Register number: 63957

The Star of Bengal was commissioned in 1874 Bark , which for the British shipping company & JP Corry Co. passengers and cargo carried. On September 20, 1908, the ship stranded off Coronation Island on the north-west coast of the Prince of Wales Island and was a total loss.

The ship

The Star of Bengal was in the prestigious shipyard in 1874 Harland & Wolff in the Northern Ireland Belfast built and ran on 3 January 1874 with the hull number 86 from the stack . She was a 1,870 GRT sailing ship that was built for the shipping company JP Corry & Co. founded in 1826. This company was initially only active in the timber trade from Great Britain to Canada , but moved to London in 1859 and expanded its passenger and freight service to India , Australia and New Zealand .

Undated recording

The three-masted sailor built of iron was 80.15 meters long, 12.26 meters wide and had a maximum draft of 7.17 meters. Her callsign was MRCH. The Star of Bengal was next to the Star of Russia (1,981 t), which was also commissioned in 1874, the largest ship of its shipping company up to that point . On July 25, 1874, the Star of Bengal left London for her first voyage to Melbourne . She arrived at her destination port after 81 days. In 1898 the ship was sold to JJ Smith in San Francisco and in 1906 to the Alaska Packer's Association (also San Francisco).

Downfall

On Sunday, September 20, 1908, the Star of Bengal drove through thick fog and heavy seas through the Alaska Panhandle . The ship had cast off with 137 passengers and crew and 5260 barrels of salmon under the command of Captain Nicholas Wagner in Wrangell ( Alaska ) and was on the way to San Francisco. The Star of Bengal was pulled out of the harbor by the tugs Hattie Gage (Captain F. Farrar) and Kayak (Captain P. Hamilton).

The weather deteriorated rapidly and assumed storm-like proportions. It was raining a lot and visibility was very limited. On the coast of Coronation Island, an island on the south coast of Alaska near Craig Island, the sailor drove into shallow water near the shore and finally stranded on the rocks .

In the storm and the strong waves, the Star of Bengal broke in three parts and went down very quickly. Due to the bad weather, the attempt of the Hattie Gage and the kayak to free the barque from the dangerous situation failed . 27 crew members managed to save themselves ashore, including Captain Wagner. All other people on board were killed. Wagner later accused the captains of the two tugs of being responsible for the accident. The logbook and other papers were then found on the beach.

Web links

Commons : Star of Bengal - Collection of images, videos and audio files