Built as a wooden 3-mast clipper by G.H.Ferrin, Richmond, Me. For Benjamin Bangs in Boston.
Launched under the name WILD WAVE.
Tonnage 1.547 tons, dim. 207.8 x 40 x 20ft.
1853 Delivered.
She was built for the trade between the East coast, West coast of the USA and to Europe.
1856 She made a record passage when she sailed from Callao, Peru bound for (Le) Havre, France under command of Capt. Knowles loaded with guano; she arrived off Plymouth late November, after a passage of 70 days.
31 August 1857 she cleared New York bound for California arrived San Francisco 23 January 1858 after a passage of 140 days.
09 February 1858 she sailed from San Francisco to Valparaiso with on board only two chests filled with $18.000 gold coins under command of Capt. Josiah Knowles with a crew of 30 and 10 passengers.
Shortly after midnight of 05 March, the WILD WAVE struck a reef off the uninhabited island Oene, about 80 miles from Pitcairn Island. She swiftly broke up in a couple of minutes after she grounded.
The crew and passengers left the ship in the boats and landed on Oene Island with provision, livestock and sails. See the report of their loss on page 3 and 4 of this web-site http://www.eraoftheclipperships.com/page65.html
A week later Knowles and some officers and crew altogether 7 men set off in a ship boat with the two chest of coins to sail to Pitcairn Island, which they reached after three days.
After landing in which their small boat shortly thereafter was destroyed in the surf she found the island uninhabited, the population having been removed to Norfolk Island two years earlier.
The only choice they had was to built a new boat from local found materials using the few tools they found in the abandoned houses. Also the timber and nails of these houses were used.
23 July 1858 she launched the schooner, which she named JOHN ADAMS. She had a length of 30 feet.
With three of his men Capt. Knowles set off from Pitcairn for Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas on 04 August 1858.
At Nuku Hiva they found the USS VANDALIA, Captain Knowles sold the JOHN ADAMS to missionary for $250 and after embarking on the warship, they sailed first for Oeno to pick up the castaways, one of this had died, then they sailed for Pitcairn to rescue the three men left behind there. Then the VANDALIA sailed to Tahiti from where the rescued passengers and crew made their way back to the USA.
The Pitcairn Post web-site http://www.stamps.gov.pn/shipwrecks.htm gives then: We are told that in San Francisco Maritime Museum there is a display featuring a picture of the 30’ cutter built at Pitcairn, the Captain’s pistol and the fag sewn on Pitcairn (the trappings of the old pulpit in the church supplied the red and a bit of blue calico taken from an old bedstead served for the background on which were arranged the white stars of the American flag.)
Pitcairn Island 1994 20c sg 450, scott 403.
Sources: Ships of the World by Lincoln P. Paine. Greyhounds of the Sea by Carl C Cutler.