Thatcher+Magoun

=**About the //Thatcher Magoun//**=

The Thatcher Magoun is a medium sized American [|clipper ship] that was built in 1856 by Hayden & Cudworth in [|Medford, Massachusetts] for T. Magoun & Sons, who were prominent ship owners in Boston. The ship was named after Thatcher Magoun, the senior member of the firm and "father of shipbuilding on the Mystic River". He died the year the ship was launched at age 81. Used mainly in the trade between Boston, New York and San Francisco, the Thatcher Magoun's maiden voyage occured in 1856 and she sailed until the end of 1873. Shortly after Captain Nugent's one voyage in 1873 - 1874, she was sold to Norway as the "Hercules". It is reported that she was lost off the coast of Africa in the early 1880's.

Image Credit: [|Addison Gallery of American Art]

Specifications
"The //Thatcher Magoun// was a fine looking ship, conceded to be a fast sailer and credited with a record of 16 knots. Her entrance lines were concave below, merging into convex; the oval stern was very neat and handsome and was ornamented with gilded scroll work. She carried an image of Thatcher Magoun as a figurehead." //American Clipper Ships, 1833 - 1858//


 * Length of Keel - 173 Feet || Deck - 190 Feet ||
 * Overall Length - 200 Feet || Extreme Beam - 40 Feet ||
 * Depth of Hold - 24 Feet || Dead Rise - 18 Inches ||
 * Swell of Sides - 9 Inches || Sheer - 20 Inches ||
 * Tonnage, 1248, old measurement; 1155, new measurement || She had Howes' double topsails. ||
 * **Mainmast Lengths:** ||  ||
 * Lower - 86 Feet || Topmast - 46 Feet ||
 * Topgallant - 23 Feet || Royal - 16 1/2 Feet ||
 * Skysail Mast - 12 Feet || Main Yard - 80 Feet ||
 * Lower Topsail Yard - 68 1/2 Feet || Upper Topsail Yard - 59 Feet ||
 * Topgallant - 48 Feet || Royal - 38 1/2 Feet ||
 * Skysail Yard - 22 Feet || It is said that she set no Studdingsails. ||

[[image:voyagemagoun1.jpg width="337" height="193" align="right"]]Voyages
The //Magoun// was a fast ship and made all except one of her outward passages from Eastern ports to San Francisco. The fastest voyage from Boston to San Francisco was 113 days, from New York the fastest was 117 days, and from Liverpool - 115 days. The //Thatcher Magoun// has beat such ships as the //Sea Serpent//, //Flying Dutchman//, //Robin Hood// and //John Gilpin//.

To see an entire list of the voyages of the //Thatcher Magoun// captained by William Peterson, please see the book [|The Thatcher Magoun: An American Clipper Ship, Her Owners, Captains, and Model].

[[image:voyagemagoun2.gif width="296" height="185" align="left"]]Captains
"Though the evidence is in part conflicting, it is probable that her various captains were Captain Sylvanus B. Bourne, 1856, 1 voyage (maiden voyage), Captain Alexander Baxter, 1857, 2 voyages, Captain Asa Lothrop, 1858, 1 voyage, Captain Otis Baker, 1861, 3 voyages, Captain Albert H. Dunbar, 1865, 1 voyage, Captain William Peterson, 1866-1873, 19 voyages, Captain Nugent, 1873-1874, 1 voyage."

= = =Important People in the Life of the Ship=

Thatcher Magoun - He was the first man to build a shipyard in Medford, creating a booming industry and opportunities for the community to grow.

William Peterson - The most prominent captain of the //Thatcher Magoun//.

=Read more about the //Thatcher Magoun//=

[|The Thatcher Magoun : an American clipper ship, her owners, captains, and model]
 * Books in the Phillips Academy Collection**

[|American clipper ships, 1833-1858] [|The American-built clipper ship, 1850-1856 : characteristics, construction, and details] [|Old Ships and Ship Building Days of Medford]
 * Books in the NOBLE Consortium**

[|Detailed Specifications of the Thatcher Magoun of Boston]
 * Selected Websites**

=Links to other Clipper Ships in the Addison Collection=

Ann McKim Flying Cloud Young America