Not much is known about this vessel early history.
Where built and when is not known.
She is given as a wooden 3-mast barque with a tonnage of 521 ton, dim. 125.2 x 26.5 x 19.3ft.
She appears first in 1849 in some Australian sources, and was given as built in America.
Ship rigged 471 ton under command of Capt. A.W. Dennis with on board 9 passengers.
11 November 1849 she sailed from Sydney, NSW bound for California.
She returned Sydney 21 November after it was found at sea that she was leaking.
After repair did she not resume her voyage to California but was sold.
February 1851 Robert Towns at Sydney bought her.
Hon. Robert Towns was a well-known man in Sydney together with the British owner Robert Brooks was he the owner of many whalers in Sydney. He was also agent for Robert Brooks and the well-known British whaling owner Enderby.
In a letter to Brooks he wrote in 1851, the RHONE is ready for sea, but is waiting for a crew, which are becoming more scare everyday as the mania (goldfields) for California has again taken hold of us.
She will be obliged to pick up hands (crew) among the islands and they are not so good for cold weather.
08 May 1852 she put in at Pohnpei, Micronesia, still under command of Capt. Dennis.
January 1855 sold at Calcutta, and then she disappears again fate unknown.
Micronesia 1990 45c sg 181, scott 112.
Source: Gold Fleet for California by Charles Bateson. Whalemen Adventures by W.J.Dakin.
Australian Shipowners and their fleets, book sixteen by Ronald Parsons. Foreign Ships in Micronesia by Hezel.