USS Fahkee

Fah Kee or Fah-Kee, designed to carry both cargo and passengers was built of white oak in 1862 by the New York shipbuilder Edward F. Williams at his yard at Greenpoint, Brooklyn.[1][2][3][lower-alpha 1] She measured 745 GRT, with a length of 175 ft (53 m), beam of 30 ft (9.1 m), depth of hold 18 ft (5.5 m) and draft of 14 ft (4.3 m).[1] The ship was powered by a 300hp steam engine with a single vertical cylinder of 42 inches diameter and 42 inches stroke, made by Pusey and Jones of Wilmington, Delaware and driving a single propeller.[1][5][6] In addition, she carried sail, rigged as a brigantine.[1]

The ship, intended for trading in the Far East, was launched on 24 November 1862 for Wetmore & Cryder of New York City, and named Fah Kee ("flowery flag" in Cantonese), a Chinese nickname for the USA.[6][7][8] By then, however, she was already expected to be taken up for service with the United States Navy.[6] Nevertheless, when Fah Kee was completed in February 1863, she was sold to the Adams Express Company and put into passenger-cargo service between the ports of New York, Beaufort, North Carolina and Port Royal, South Carolina.[8][9] On 15 July the ship was purchased by the Union Navy.[10]

Fahkee steamer in a gale, painting by Conrad Freitag.

Reverting to Fah Kee, the ship was bought by Waydell & Co, New York for their US Mail contract, operating from November 1865 between Santiago de Cuba and New York, via Bermuda; she was remeasured at 601 GRT.[2][11] On 1 August 1867, on a mail voyage from New York to Santiago via Nuevitas, she was severely damaged in a hurricane in 36.40N 73.50W - about 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) east of Virginia Beach, Virginia - with the engine disabled and the ship leaking badly. After passengers and crew manned the pumps and the engine was eventually restarted, Fah Kee returned to New York on 5 August.[12] She continued in the Cuba and Bermuda trades until mid-1869, when she was sold to J Norman Harvey, was refurbished, and continued in the mail service with Bermuda.[13][14]

In March 1872, Fah Kee was sold to the Quebec and Gulf Ports Steamship Company to run between Pictou, Nova Scotia and ports on the Saint Lawrence River, and was renamed Pictou.[15][16] She was registered as a British ship at Quebec on 23 May 1872 with Official Number 66004 and under British regulations was measured as 757GRT and 544NRT, with a length of 166.0 ft (50.6 m), beam of 28.8 ft (8.8 m) and depth of hold 18.2 ft (5.5 m); the engine was then rated at only 100 nominal horsepower.[17][18][lower-alpha 2]

In November 1873 Pictou sailed from Quebec City for Pictou with calls along the way. She was last seen passing Father's Point, near Rimouski, Quebec, and it was reported that there were heavy gales in the area shortly afterwards.[19] However, there were later reports of a fire at sea being observed from Fairfield, north-east Prince Edward Island, from the Magdalen Islands and from Pleasant Bay, Cape Breton Island on the night of 18 November. Wreckage also came ashore showing signs of burning.[20][21]

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.