The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-16
SOME MISSING WARSHlPS.
NAVAL VESSELS or WHOSE FATE
NOTHING rs KNOWN.
The List Not Long, Even In the British
Nsyy-Tbe Condor the 1"e'fth Five
American Ships That Have Never been
Heard From--Mystery Of D. wasp

The practically certain loss OF the British
-rbin Condor while on her way from
rsouimalt, B. C., to Honolulu, ADDS
another TO the comparatively short list
:, naval vessels which ave gone to the
n,,t OF missing ships, lea wing nothing to
IN Of their fate. Merchant ships In great
numbers have disappeared. and wal vessels
In disproportionate umbers rave Iouh-
dsred or been wrecked; but few national
vessels have disappeared wholly leaving no
survivor to relate the story OF their end
The Condor, a screw sloop OF ID knots
baiIt In 1898, carrying six guns, OF $50 tons
displsoement and with engines capable OF
developing 400 horse power, was the sue
cessor on the Royal Navy list OF the Condor
made famous by Capt. Lord Charles Bcres-
ford at the bombardment OF Alexandria in
1852. She carried a complement OF 1870
officers and men, and sailed from Esquimalt
about two weeks before Christmas, her
company expecting to spend the holidays
10 the harbor OF Honolulu.
Sailing vessels which left after her
lave reached the Hawaiian Islands, but
she has not been heard Of since she passed
out. One of her boats has been picked up
by a vessel sent to look for her; but there
- little expectation lhdl "
Sclater or any Of his mon will ever again
DO borne on the rolls OF the British Navy.
As is natural In view OF the sine OF the
British Navy. its list Of ships that are miss
ing and have never been heard from Is not
N itself short. The Repulse, t~hirty-two
runs, disappeared OF Bermuda In 1878: the
York, sixty-four guns is supposed to have
fcundered' about January, 1904; in a great
storm in 1906 the Seagull, the Hawke and
the Mary arc supposed to have foundered.
In January or February, 1907, the Blen-
helm and the Java are thought to have
foundered somewhere In the Indian Ocean.
On the Blenheim was Rear Admiral Sir
Thomas Troubridge, who had served under
Nelson and was a close friend OF that sailor.
The Blenheim had run aground In the
| Straits Of Malacca, but Troubridse brought
her 10 Madras, whence on Jan. u, 1907, he
sailed on his way home. The ship was
last seen near Madagascar on Feb. 1, show
ing flags Of distress and making bad weather.
Since Their nothing has been heard Of her
or Of her little ~consort. the Java.
The British Navy lost vessels in 1909,
1872, 1918 and 1914, from which nothing
rs ever heard. Then came a long in
Frvsl during which, according to the
laval histories, no British naval vessel
disappeared completely. 1t was not until
1850 that the next case IL recorded.
This is that OF the Atalanta, a training
ship. which. in command Of Capt. Stirring,
JAILED from Bermuda on Jan. 81 Of thai
year. She carried fifteen officers and a
crew OF petty officers, men, marines and
boys amounting to 2ss, a total Of $50 souls
ON board She has never been heard of
or from since she sailed.
Only five warships Of the American
Navy have disappeared without leaving
trace of their fate. We have lost vessels
BY. wreck. by fire and by laundering. but
have ON the list OF the navy against their
M the words: Never heard from
The first OF these was the Saratoga,
built In iii, a ship Of eighteen guns In
command Of Capt. james Young. she sailed
from Philade'phia In October. i7so. bound
On Oct. 8 she sighted three ships and
gave ~chase-for those were the days when
any vessel was likely to be a prize. The
Saratoga hoisted British colors and de,
merchantmen. showing British colors.
Thereupon Capt. Young hauled down
his false nag. hoisted the american ensign
and opened fire. The merchantmen put
boarded her, drove her crew below and
struck the English flag.
Tho prize was then discovered to be the
Charming Molly, loaded with a rich cargo.
Lieut. Joshua Barney was put on board
with a prize crew and ordered TO take the
Molly 10 port; the Saratoga meantime
resumed her chase after the other ships.
These shs overhauled at dusk and cap
tued with less trouble than she had had
with the Charming Molly. Putting prize
crews on them. she turned for home
That night o British H-gun ship OF the
line hove In sight and gave chase. the
Intrepid. The prizes could not sail so
rapidly as the Saratoga and were recap
tured, but our ship escaped, only to dis
appear forever.
with sails set and gun-ports open, the Sara
togo met her fate, and has never been
heard OF to this day.
On Feb. Q, 1879, the French frigate In
surgent surrendered TO our Constellation
and eighteen month later, reftted, carrying
thirty-six guns and $40 men, she sailed
rom Baltimore under command OF Capt.
Patrick Fletcher. His orders were: After
having the Capes Of the Chesapeake, take
an easteriy course, keeping north Of IS
north latitude until YOU obtain longitude
Is west; and cruise for a few weeks between
longitude os and 90 west. and stretch az
lar south as latitude 81 or so north" The
lnsurgent passed out on July IA, 1900; and
has never been heard Of since.
We have had three ships called the Wasp
va bhp runs Vi ouT navy lno uTsL was
destroyed 20 keep out OF the hands of the
British; the second was captured by the
British, but was lost with all hands on
her first voyage under British oolors: the
late Of the third has always been a mystery.
Under Capt. Johnston Blakely, with a
crew OF ITO New England farmer lads, she
had been making trouble for the British
during the spring Of 1914. On June rs she
captured the frigate Reindeer after a battle
lasting t~wenty-eight minutes; then, after
renting at the French port of L'Orient,
she defeated the Avon In a fight that lasted
lorty minutes, but could not destroy her
Pre- because Of the arrival OF two British
es,tleships, the Castalian and the T~artarus.
ohe had TO take to her heels, but she had
us,d the Avon so bard that that ship sank
a. her rescuers took on the last boat load
Of sailor men from her decks.
On Sept. 81. the Wasp met and captured
the Atalanta, once a fine Baltimore prfvateer
and sent her home with a prize crew. There
after, on Oct. o, 1914, she ~overhauled the
hwedish bark Adonis.
Prom her she took two American naval
Cheers, Lieut.. Mcknight and Masters
Mate Lyman, who were passengers from
south America. and naturally preferred
70 travel on a naval vessel with friends.
As the Adonis lost sight OF her that evening,
The Wasp disappeared forever.
But IT Is aid In naval histories that an