Star of India – Oldest Sailing Ship
Collisions, Cyclones, Death and Mutiny
Her first two voyages were considered to be near-disastrous and quite tragic. In 1864 on her maiden voyage and under the command of Captain William John Storry, the ship was hit. The damage was extensive with the jib-boom being carried away and the rigging being mostly destroyed.
Following this collision, the ship experienced a mutiny where much of the crew where thrown in jail.
During it’s second voyage, a run in with a cyclone left the ship without a mast. Sadly, on this return voyage, she limped back to England, the crew had lost their Captain who had supposedly committed suicide by cutting his own throat. Upon his death, Captain Storry was given a burial at sea.
Learn more about Burials at Sea.
The Perilous Voyage to New Zealand
Following four more voyages to India, the Euterpe was sold in 1871 becoming the property of Shaw/Savill of London. Following this, she embarked on what would be a lengthy career carrying immigrants and freight to and from New Zealand. Life for the Euterpe’s sailors was tough yet tougher. Only the toughest of sailors, from the working class of England, Ireland, and Scotland, were chosen for her crew. As they were subjected to limited rations, disease and malnutrition. Many perished during the near-round the world voyage.
The Euterpe was sold again in 1901 to the Alaska Packers Association who re-rigged her down to her current status as a barque. She then carried fishermen, workers, coal and canning supplies to and from the Bering Sea to Oakland, CA. Following five years after her new ownership, the ship was renamed the Star of India.
She continued her career until she was sold to the San Diego Zoological Society in 1926. Her 25-year career had her carrying passengers to California, Chile, Australia and New Zealand. In total, she sailed around the world 21 times – of which we are aware. She languished in disrepair during the Great Depression and World War II. Repair work was delayed until 1957 and nineteen years later, in 1976, she was once again put to sea.
Visiting the Star of India
The ship today has been retired and you can visit the Star of India, where she graces the harbor skyline in downtown San Diego at the San Diego Maritime Museum. The ship rests as both a California Historical Landmark and as a United States Historical Landmark.
While visiting the ship, you can imagine what it would have felt like to have been one of her crew. As you step upon her wooden deck and look around, visualize what it may have felt like as the ship rocked in high seas. Or imagine that her mast was consumed by the cyclone, as your fellow crew members scrambled. The Captain was swept overboard and forever lost at sea. Maybe your heart beats a little faster; your breath quickens. As you grasp the cold, metal railing and run your fingers across the splintered wooden deck you will be been transported back through time. Maybe, like Jim Davis, you’ll feel, or see, the spirits that linger. Many say that it’s at twilight that the true history of this 150-year old vessel is revealed.
Experience the Hauntings
The Star of India is known for being a ship that carries souls of the departed. There are several well known places on the ship where visitors say they experience interesting sensations. Some report being slapped on their shoulder or feeling an “S” being drawn on their back.
The Star of India is open to the public and graces the harbor skyline in downtown San Diego as a “living” museum. She sails several times a year and offers interested volunteers the opportunity to learn how to operate the vessel.
We’d love to hear your personal experiences on the Star of India. Please share them on the comment section below.
Star of India – Trivia
- The Star of India boasts a “first class cabin” where living conditions were tremendously upgraded compared to the conditions that the working class endured on the tween deck.
- Unlike several other preserved or restored vessels, the Star of India’s hull, cabins, and equipment are almost all 100% original.
- Zak Bagans and the Ghost Adventures crew investigated paranormal activity aboard the 150-year old Star of India in 2016. Season 12: Episode 6 aired on March 5, 2016 on the Travel Channel.
- Jim Davis, Ship Operations Director for the Star of India, who began working on the ship as a teenager, almost immediately saw and heard things. One night he watched as a cupboard opened and then locked itself. He claims to have seen many paranormal “shadow” figures during his time working on the ship. A night watchman once reported to him that he’d heard a crowded party onboard but when he went to ask them to leave no one was there. Davis believes the ghost of a 15-year old stowaway is haunting it. The stowaway, John Campbell, who fell from the mast in the 1880’s set off the ship’s new alarm each night for 2 weeks in a row.
Martime Museum
I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky;
and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.
– John Masefield/Poet