She was built as a cargo vessel by Goss & Sawyer at Bath, U.S.A. for Parker M. Whitmore and others.
26 May 1877 launched as BELLE OF BATH.
Tonnage 1,418 gross, dim. 203.9 x 39 x 24.3ft.
Ship rigged.
She was described as being a handsome vessel in all respects and was admired at every port she visited.
A local newspaper in Bath described its full-length figurehead carved by Charles A.L. Sampson as follows:
…. A young lady noble form dressed in the largest style with well trimmed skirts and a pocket of the latest ‘cut’ while her hair is crimped so finely that one would think that it had been done up for more than one night upon the ‘Empress hair crimpers’. Ornamented as she is with necklace earrings, bracelets, fan and bouquet, they add not a little to her personal attractions….
Her first Captain was Capt. William Whitmore of Bath, but the command was soon taken over by Capt. William H. Starkey, he made two voyages on her, thereafter Capt. Chas. J. Carter made one voyage before she was sold.
1880 She grounded in the Columbia River, after discharging some parts of her cargo of railroad iron; she was refloated without much damage.
August 1883 sold to Capt. Jonathan C. Nickels of Searsport for $47.000.
She made only one voyage from the East Coast of America via Cape Horn to San Francisco and three to the Columbia River.
1891 On a voyage from Tacoma to Le Havre she picked up the 19 men crew of the ship CHARLES DENNIS abandoned in a sinking condition off Cape Horn in position 57 South and 66 West, and landed them 20 days later at Rio de Janeiro.
On several occasions she crossed the Pacific from the Orient to load on the there for the Atlantic ports, but her principal employment was in the trade with the Far East. Her passages averaged well and one of the captains, Capt Clifton Curtis had so much faith in her sailing ability that when about leaving to leave the Columbia River in November 1893 for Queenstown, he wagged $500 that the ship would arrive out ahead of two fine British iron ships that where sailing the same time the IRBY and POSEIDON. He lost his money, the BELLE OF BATH was third, he was beaten two and three days by his rivals.
Under command of Capt. Clifton Curtis she sailed from New York on 02 June 1897 with a cargo of Case oil for Hong Kong.
After only one day at sea she started to leak, after five days there was 26 inches water in the hold, and the men manned the pumps, after a half hour pumping he holds w ere dry again.
On 17th June the water came in faster and the men were pumping day and night to get the water out.
The decision was made to sail to Barbados.
The water was gaining on one pump and the crew had to use two pumps to keep the water out.
On the 18th smoke was coming out of a ventilator from the hold on the foredeck, the ventilator was closed to shut off draft, and all men were ordered to abandon the vessel as no chance can be taken on a oil ship.
When on a save distance of the ship they did see flames were engulfing the ship, and when the mast were coming down, she left the wreck and headed for Barbados.
The distance of 120 miles to Barbados they made in 24 hours in two boats.
The trade winds and currents drove the wreck into the east coast of Saint Lucia, Many of the oil drums broke loose and drifted ashore, where they burst upon the rocks and contaminated the hitherto pristine coastline, becoming Saint Lucia’s first oil slick.
Why the Saint Lucia stamp depicts a steam vessel must be a mistake of the designer, the BELLE OF BATH was a sailing vessel.
Saint Lucia 1997 55c sg 1168, scott1073.
Sources: F.C. Matthews, American Merchant Ships 1850-1900. Maritime History of Bath, Maine and the Kennebec River region.