Career of the Marco Polo (vessel) National Historic Event
Saint John, New Brunswick
Career of the Marco Polo (vessel)
© Parks canada Database
Address :
Saint John, New Brunswick
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1990-01-01
Other Name(s):
-
Career of the Marco Polo (vessel)
(Designation Name)
Importance:
World-famous clipper ship, built in 1851 in Saint John, wrecked in 1883
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Saint John, New Brunswick
A three-masted full-rigged ship with a modified clipper hull, the Marco Polo earned a reputation as "the fastest ship in the world" and drew international attention to New Brunswick shipyards. Built in 1851 by James Smith in Saint John, it was sold to British interests and refitted to carry emigrants. Its captain, "Bully" Forbes, achieved a record passage from Liverpool to the goldfields of Australia in 1852 by using the "Roaring Forties" route north of Antarctica. While carrying timber to England in 1883, the Marco Polo was run ashore at Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, during a gale.