The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-01-12
IS. S. ALDEN BESSE
TLAUNCHED HERE

The S. S. Alden Besse, 141st ship
to near completion at the yard
of the North Carolina Shipbuilding
company, was launched Tuesday
afternoon at 1890 o'clock under
the sponsorship of Miss Justine
Besse, of Boston, Mass, grand
daughter of the man for whom the
CO type vessel is named.
Attending Miss Besse was Mrs.
Frank Alden Besse, also of Bos-
ton.
The original "Alden Besse" was
owned and operated by Mr.. Besse
of New Bedford, Mass. The ships
port of call was Boston and New
Bedford. She was said to be the
finest afloat, and when last heard
of was tied up at the wharf at
San Pedro, Cal. The career Of the
"Alden Besse" has been featured
in magazine stories, in poetry,
and on the radio.
In an article tina, appeared
many years ago, Drummond
Graves wrote the following re-
garding the original "Alden Bes-
se."
cat a wharf in the inner har.
Dor of San Pedro, lies the old
barque, Alden Besse, ending her
days in melancholy idleness. Once
among the finest of the fleet OF
tea clippers, now she is reduc.
ed to the indignity of a coal hulk.
For seven years noW-seven years
of bad luck-she has been tied up
at a dock, bought in for song
to satisfy wharfage charges. De.
serted, abandoned in her old age
by her owner, she drags out her
days in hopeless inactivity. Once
she sank out of pure ennui. Men
raised her and forced her to re.
sumo her despised role. Once
again, also she tried to sink, but
without success.
"It was when she was towed
out into the outer harbor to be
wrecked" ''burned," "pirated, 4"
for the benefit of gaping crowds
at the movies. She who had bat
tied with the elements in the real
storm, who had carried a smoul
dering fire under decks clear from
Honolulu to San Francisco, who
had been attacked time and agar
by pirates in the China Sea, was
so disguised with the tincelec
memmery she attempted to muir
der the whole ridiculous crew. Be
it said, they afterward left hel
in peace.
"Forty-iour years ago-in 1877
the Alden Besse slid from the
ways in Bath, Me-, and sailed tt
her home port of New Bedford
Mass. Her owner, Alden Besse, (
man of large shipping interests
put her, with her sister ship, the
Androscoggin, on the tea 1 ute
from Boston to Hongkong. Late1
as the transcontinental railroad
service improved, both ships were
transferred to the western coast
where they piled between Portland
or San Francisco and China.
"These were in the day of hel
happy youth. She was one of thu
tea clippers which made the serv
ice famed throughout the world
1t was an era for her of snowy
sails, of sparkling varnish, of shin
ing brass. She swept down the
trades snowy mountain, reelins
on her sixteen knots or better da,
in and day out. She was lowed ma
jestically into port with crowds
turning out to look at her-for sh,
was no ordinary ship, was thu
Alden Besse, and few could mattel
her. They tell great tales of thu
rivalry between her and her sis
ter ship, the Androscoggin; ther'
| it was diamond cut diamond
Greek meet Greek. The rivalr.
ended when the Androscoggil
sank in a typhoon off the Chin;
coast.
"But the days of the tea clip
pers were drawing to close
Steam was slowly but surely sup
planting sail. Giant steamships
cutting down the run, carryin
greater cargoes, forced out tn
barques and briggs and schooners
Their day was done.
"Spreckels bought the Aide
Besse and sent her for fey
trips to Honolulu, but she wa
aging fast. Perhaps she felt tn
pressure of the new era. She 500
slumped back another notch an
was put in the coast wise trade
The first time she saw San deg
she was loaded with railroad tie
from Seattle. This was in 1906
nine years ago. Back and fort
she went along the Coast, wit
no great heart in the bushes
and then she was tied up at tn
Salt Lake wharf for a year.
"a group of San Pedrans ser
, her to Honolulu and brought he
back with a varied cargo - bl
it didn't pay. The whole ventur
l ended in law suits, liens and a
: tachments. The once proud shi
: was in disgrace. She never lie
her berth again, except once {
: twice to coal steamers lying GU
: side the harbor. With one da
dragging hopelessly into anothe