A guide to the Apollo (ship) records, 1849, 1852
Processed by: Historic Documents Department Staff (Bailey).
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
2012
Building E, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
Phone: 415-561-7030
Fax: 415-556-3540
SAFR_Historic_Documents@nps.gov
URL: http://www.nps.gov/safr
A Guide to the Apollo (ship) records
HDC0029
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, National Park Service2012, National Park Service
Title: Apollo (ship) records
Date: 1849, 1852
Identifier/Call Number: HDC0029 (SAFR 13575)
author:
Beach, Joseph Perkins, 1828-1911
Physical Description:
5 items
Repository:
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Historic Documents Department
Building E, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
Abstract: APOLLO (ship) records (SAFR 13575, HDC 29) is comprised of three logbooks, a letter, and one chart. The three rough logs were
kept from January 16, 1849 to November 12, 1849 by Joseph Perkins Beach, the son of the ship's owner, during its voyage from
New York to San Francisco. The chart is hand-drawn and shows the voyage from New York to San Francisco. The letter is dated
August 1852 and is addressed to Henry Day Beach from William B. Cooke. The collection has been processed to the collection
level. It is open for use without restrictions.
Physical Location: San Francisco Maritime NHP, Historic Documents Department
Language(s):
In English.
This collection is open for use unless otherwise noted.
Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the researcher's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other
case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.
Note on Description: The descriptions in this collection guide were compiled using the best available sources of information.
Such sources include the creator's annotations or descriptions, collection accession files, primary and secondary source material
and subject matter experts. While every effort was made to provide accurate information, in the event that you find any errors
in this guide please contact the reference staff in order for us to evaulate and make corrections to this guide. P
lease cite the title and collection number in any correspondence with our staff.
[Item description], [Location within collection organization identified by Collection Number/Series Number/File Unit Number/Item
Number], HDC0029 (SAFR 13575), Apollo (ship) records, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
SAFR-00001
This collection was transferred from Golden Gate National Recreation Area to San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.
Historical or Biographical Note
The APOLLO was built in 1831, by Samuel Badger of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for the original owners John Haven and Robert
Rice of Boston. It was a 3 masted, fully rigged ship of 121'L x 27' W and 13.5' draft, rated at 413 tons. The ship was originally
intended for both the European packet trade, and the southern US cotton trades. Like many packet ships, the Apollo also had
accommodation for passengers in the 'tween decks.
In 1836 the ship operated between Boston and New Orleans under the "Regular Line."
In 1841, the APOLLO was sold to new owners; and in 1843 it was trading between Boston and Savannah under the "Dispatch Line."
In 1845, the APOLLO was sold again and its home port changed to New York. In 1847 it was trading between New York, New Orleans
and Natchez as part of the Union Line.
In 1848, Charles Coffin was appointed Master. The ship made a voyage to London, where it was re-coppered, and returned to
New York by November of that year. It was sold to Moses Beach, who intended to use the ship for trading to California, retaining
Charles Coffin as master.
The APOLLO left New York for San Francisco on January 16, 1849. The collection contains a complete log and journal of the
voyage, which was kept by Joseph Perkins Beach, the son of the ship's owner. The APOLLO arrived in San Francisco on September
18th, 1849.
The crew abandoned the ship shortly after arrival. The owner's, unable to find outbound work for the ship, decided to employ
her as a store ship. The APOLLO was pulled to shore and served as a floating warehouse for several years. In the fire of May,
1851, the ship was burned to its waterline. Over subsequent years, land was filled in around the ship's timbers. Some remains
of the ship were excavated in 1901, 1921 and 1925, when the land was developed for the former site of the San Francisco Federal
Reserve Bank, at what is now Sacramento and Battery streets.
The Log of the Apollo, edited and annotated by James P. Delgado and published by the Book Club of California in 1986, reproduces
the log of Joseph Perkins Beach, and gives a full history of the vessel.
APOLLO (ship) records (SAFR 13575, HDC 29) is comprised of three logbooks, a letter, and one chart. The three rough logs were
kept from January 16, 1849 to November 12, 1849 by Joseph Perkins Beach, the son of the ship's owner, during its voyage from
New York to San Francisco. The chart is hand-drawn and shows the voyage from New York to San Francisco. The letter is dated
August 1852 and is addressed to Henry Day Beach from William B. Cooke. The collection has been processed to the collection
level. It is open for use without restrictions.
The logbooks total a 117 pages in three volumes and have daily entries that keep track of course, record winds, etc. The entries
have a tone of humor when describing the discontent and disorder among passengers. There is frequent mention of the passengers
"grumbling" about the food, breaking into the galley at night, drinking, gambling and being noisy. Among the comments about
the majority of the passengers are mentions of the Episcopal minister and an occasional service performed by him. Also there
is mention of kinds of fish seen and caught. In San Francisco, there is more narrative and description including desertion
of crew members.
This is a collection of five items.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Gold Rush--California--1840-1850
Death at sea
Beach, Joseph Perkins
Apollo (ship)
Logbook