Private journals/ships' logs (October 1860 - July 1878) of Benjamin Thompson, master of the brigs Progressive Age and T. A. Darrell, and the ships Sportsman, and Harrisburg (v. 1, 1860-1865), commander of the ship Columbia (v. 2, 1865-1870), master of the ship Peruvian (v. 3, 1870-1872), and captain of the clipper ship Great Admiral (v. 4, 1874-1878), illustrating his career aboard sailing ships trading between England, the east and west coasts of America, Southeast Asia (Singapore, Manila, and Hong Kong), and Tokyo, Japan, including highly detailed and dramatic accounts of shipboard life and commercial operations.
Captain Benjamin Thompson (1834-1904) was a career clipper ship master, commander, and captain of merchant vessels during the latter part of the 19th century sailing primarily for the Weld Line. Thompson was well educated as can be seen from his intelligently written and highly detailed accounts of shipboard life and commercial operations. More information about Captain Benjamin Thompson can be found at https://www.mainememory.net/artifact/14933 from the South Portland Public Library, Maine.
In regards to the ships that Captain Thompson served aboard; the Great Admiral was a well-known medium clipper built in East Boston and the Maine-built Progressive Age later became the Evening Star.
This collection contains the private journals and ships' logs of Benjamin Thompson during his time aboard various merchant vessels serving as master of the brig Progressive Age (1860-1865), master of the brig Sportsman (1864), master of the brig T.A. Darell (1864), master of the ship Harrisburg (1865), commander of the New York packet ship Columbia (1865), master of the ship Peruvian (1865-1872), and as the captain of the clipper ship Great Admiral (1874-1878). Benjamin Thompson's logs contain daily reports that detail weather, course, latitude and longitude, navigational calculations, general shipboard life including crew disciplinary actions, and the commercial operations including cargo and passengers. Thompson provides daily accounts of his career aboard sailing ships trading between the east and west coast of the United States, Northwestern Europe, Southeast Asia (Singapore, Manila, and Hong Kong), and Tokyo, Japan.
Purchase (Special Manuscript Fund), Ten Pound Island Book Company, Gloucester, MA
Encoded by Lindsay Flood, March 28, 2008
Processing Completed April 20, 2016, by Mateusz Polakowski
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.