Jenny Lind Figurehead-- Part 3: You Determine If It's the Real Thing

In his research, Svardskog found that the Nightingale had actually been in the vicinity atone time.  In 1874,  workers had a refit on the ship in Norway nearby.   The bow of the ship had been damaged  on a reef off the coast of Kargero.

Svardskog theorizes that the figurehead was removed when the work was done and never put back so it didn't go down with the ship.  As a matter of fact, the original boathouse of the Nightingale was also removed at the time and you can still see it at the repair yard in Norway.

At this point, you have to wonder if this is the real thing or not.

Well, now it is essentially up to the reader to determine if Mr. Svardskog's Jenny Lind figurehead is the real thing or not.  I like to think it is, but I always like finding buried or lost treasures.

--Old B-Runner

A Piece of the Nightingale Remains-- Part 10: Also a Long and Varied Story of the Jenny Lind Figurehead

The Nightingale was built as an exhibit at the World's Fair in London (The Great Exhibition), to which she was to carry passengers.  As such, she was fitted out with very extravagant items, one of which was her figurehead (a carving set at the prow of a sailing ship).

Her original name was to be Sarah  Cowles was exchanged for that of Nightingale, in honor of Jenny Lind, "The Swedish Nightingale" who was touring the United States at the time.  The Nightingale had a Jenny Lind figurehead.

The Nightingale's Jenny Lind figurehead ended up in the hands of a Swedish antiques dealer  in 1994.  He has spent  13 years researching its history.

He discovered that the Nightingale had undergone repairs in Norway in 1885 during which time the figurehead was removed.  He found out that the farm's owner where he found it had a relative who had bought the "scarecrow" while on a trip to Norway.

The figurehead of the Nightingale and   the Great Republic are the only two known surviving figureheads from extreme clipper ships.

So, One More Thing of Interest About This Ship.  --Old B-Runner

Okay, the Nightingale Sank, But a Part of It Remains, Is There a Mystery?

Here are some clues:

Eliot, Maine

A  clipper ship

A Swedish Singer

P.T. Barnum

A slave ship

A U.S. warship

A merchant ship

Norway

Start thinking hard.

There is a clue to the right of this.

What Part Remains.  --Old B-Runner

From Tea Clipper to Slaver to U.S. Warship, the Saga of the USS Nightingale-- Part 3: Off to the Tea Races

OFF TO THE TEA RACES

Her first voyage was  on the famous "Tea to Silk Course" between Shanghai and London, which at the time had the  fastest ships afloat.  A race was arranged between her and  a British clipper, Challenger.  The course was from Shanghai to London with stakes of 2,000 pounds being placed by their respective owners.  The Nightingale lost, and her commander, chagrined at the result,  resigned, leaving the Nightingale in London Docks and took a Cunarder home.

The Nightingale's owners made light of the loss but immediately set out on arranging another race for similar stakes between the two ships along the same course.  On the return from Shanghai, the Challenger beat the Nightingale  by more than a week.

That ended the Nightingale's efforts to be No. 1.

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PASSENGER TRADE TO AUSTRALIA

In the spring of 1853, the Nightingale was chartered to carry mail, passengers and freight to Melbourne, Australia, from London.  From there she was to proceed to China where she would load tea and silk for London.  At the time, the Gold Fever was rampant in Australia and it didn't take long to sell the accommodations.

--Old B-Runner

From Tea Clipper to Slaver to U.S. Warship, The USS Nightingale-- Part 2: An Extreme Clipper

The Nightingale was designed and built and the Hanscomb Shipyard in Eliot, Maine, in 1851 by Samuel Hanscomb, Jr.,  receiving its final fit out in nearby Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

She was what was referred to as an Extreme Clipper type of ship whereby cargo room was sacrificed for speed.  The bow was lengthened above the water, drawing out the sharpening of the forward body with the greatest beam further aft.  Extreme clippers were built for speed and most constructed between 1845 and 1855.

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STATISTICS:

TONNAGE:  1066 tons

DRAFT:  36 feet

LENGTH:  177 feet

BEAM:  36 feet

PROPULSION:  Sails

--Old B-Clipper

From Tea Clipper to Slaver to U.S. Navy Ship: The Tale of the Nightingale-- Part 1

I have been writing about this ship in my last four posts and in connection with Lt. John Julius Guthrie, USN, of North Carolina, who commanded the Nightingale's prize crew on its way back to the United States.  Guthrie later was a Confederate naval officer after the war started.

From Wikipedia.

The USS Nightingale (1851) was originally a   tea clipper before becoming a slave ship until captured by the USS Saratoga in Africa in 1861; the U.S. Navy then purchased her and it became a warship.

During the war, it served as a  supply ship and collier (carried coal) for Union blockading ships.  After the war she was sold and went on to a long career in Arctic exploration  before foundering in the North Atlantic in 1893.

Built by Samuel Hanscomb, Jr. of Eliot, Maine.  Cost $43,500, in 1851.

As tea clipper, her route was China to London to New York.  Carrying passengers, she went  from Boston and New York to Australia.

--Old B-Runner