page_title: Ellen Southard
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Ellen Southard / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: Arrival record for Ellen Southard from San Francisco at the port of Sydney in 1865
context_page_description: Ellen Southard was an American full-rigged merchant ship from Bath, Maine that was built in 1863 by prominent shipbuilder T.J. Southard. She plied international trade routes for twelve years, calling at ports as far away as Sydney.
  On 27 September 1875, the ship wrecked in the mouth of the Mersey River at Liverpool during a hurricane-strength storm. Shore-based lifeboats crewed mainly by volunteers set out from several lifeboat stations to the aid of the distressed ship after it foundered on a sandbank. One of the lifeboats capsized in heavy seas after picking up the ship's crew, resulting in nine people from the ship as well as three rescuers losing their lives.
  Following the advice of the US consul at Liverpool, the United States Congress recognised the acts of bravery by issuing 27 Gold Lifesaving Medals to the lifeboat men who attempted to save her crew, after a two-year delay during which US law first had to be changed to allow the newly instituted medals to be awarded to non-US citizens. Debate about lifeboat designs continued for many years until a self-righting design was eventually adopted.
context_section_description: Ellen Southard was built in 1863 in Richmond, Maine, by prominent local shipbuilder T. J. Southard. She was named after the builder's daughter, Ellen, to whom he also gave a one-sixteenth share of the vessel. The ship was classified "A1" in the Lloyds Register, meaning that her hull and fittings were of the highest grade.
  Ellen Southard plied international trade routes from her homeport in Bath, Maine, with visits documented in ports as far away as Sydney, Australia. In 1864, she recorded the longest duration voyage of any ship transporting railway locomotives from the east to the west coast of the United States. The ship took 205 days to complete the passage after she was delayed for 48 days by unfavourable winds off Cape Horn.
  In June 1867, shortly after departing Hong Kong for California with 360 Chinese passengers, Ellen Southard's master, Captain Howe, died at sea. His wife took charge of the ship, but the passengers and crew became mutinous when the water supply dwindled; she resorted to using a revolver to keep them at bay until a passing ship encountered Ellen Southard adrift 80 miles (130 km) from Santa Cruz, California. The captain raised the alarm upon reaching port, whereupon the USRC Wayanda went to the assistance of the distressed ship.
caption: Arrival record submitted by Captain Howe for Ellen Southard when she arrived from San Francisco at the port of Sydney in 1865
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