February 15 seems to have been an unlucky day in the 1800's. On this day no less than three ships sailed but never arrived at their destination.

1854: The Guiding Star sailed from England bound for Melbourne with 543 on board, mostly emigrants, and was never seen again.

1856: The American clipper Ocean Queen sailed from London with 123 people heading to New York. She called at Portsmouth on the 17th and after this became a ghost.

1880: The Royal Mail Steam Packet Co.'s Humber sailed from New York with between 56 and 66 people on board en route to the West Indies vanished sometime thereafter.

No explanation for any of these losses has ever been determined.

Also on February 15, 1821 a lifeboat was found in the Pacific ocean by the British ship Indian. The lifeboat
was occupied by Owen Chase, Thomas Nicholson and Benjamin Lawrence. These three men were survivors
from the wreck of the whale ship Essex which was attacked by a white whale on November 20, 1820.
They had been in an open boat, with the exception of a few days on Henderson Island, since that date.

To read about the Essex see the November 20, 2005 Daily Event.

© 2006 Michael W. Pocock
MaritimeQuest.com