Racing the Seas: The Legacy of Richard Brown and the Yacht America’s Victory

By: Amanda Charest

​The yacht “America” was an early clipper ship designed for speed. Her first captain, Richard 
Brown was born in Mystic, Connecticut on July 3, 1810. Destined to be a captain, he and four other boys in his town ran away as children to New York. There, the boys pursued their dreams of working on ships. All five became captains and Richard Brown later returned home as an adult, victorious. Being “America’s” captain during her victory in the Queen’s Cup brought him a good deal of fame. ​

Captain Richard Brown

​Sadly, the other four boys were all drowned at sea and Captain Brown believed it would be his fate as well. However, that did not keep him from sailing.  During his life, he sailed between 50 and 60 yacht races. He was known for his honesty and intelligence. He died at 75 years old after he was frostbitten while steering a ship into port on a particularly harsh winter night. The frostbite turned into gangrene, and he passed away on June 18th, 1885.
 
Shortly after being built by the New York Yacht Club, “America” sailed to England to participate in the Royal Yacht Club Cup.  The Royal Yacht Club Cup, hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron, marked the first competition between American and English yachts. Racing against a fleet of 15 English counterparts, the America secured victory by a remarkable 18-minute margin, garnering significant attention for the vessel and its captain.
 
Queen Victoria herself boarded the ship for inspection after the victory.  The image below shows her congratulating John Cox Stevens, the ship’s owner.  The win brought a new sense of sportsmanship between the recently formed United States and England.  The win was immortalized in the lithograph by T.G. Dutton and based on a painting by O.W. Brierly.  It was available for purchase on September 5, 1851.   Such a historic win was bound to be a part of Bradley Barnes’s collection. The lithographs were widely produced and collected among maritime enthusiasts.  

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Queen Victoria and John Cox Stevens

​Over the next few years, the ship was used for racing until the start of the Civil War. During the Civil War, “America” was used as a blockade ship and briefly fell to Confederate use under the name Memphis. Not much is known of its Confederate usage. The ship's speed and ability to slip between ports, creeks, and rivers undetected contributed to its reputation as a sort of “flying Dutchman”. In 1862, the wreckage was found in Dunns Creek 70 miles above Jacksonville Florida. The ship was pumped free of water, plugged, and towed away for repair. It had sustained little water damage. After the yacht was repaired, it was returned to service blockading Charleston.    
 
After the war in 1866, “America” was put out of use for 3 years and became a school ship until the fall of 1869.  Having spent over 30 thousand dollars in 4 years the government ordered the ship to be sold at auction in 1873. It was sold to General Benjamin Franklin Butler and was used from 1873-1892 as a recreational ship. In 1874 the ship returned to racing until General Butler's death in 1893. “America” was passed to his son Paul who was uninterested in sailing. Paul passed it to his nephew Butler Ames after the ship sat for 4 years.
 
In 1897 the ship returned to racing briefly before war broke out with Spain. The ship returned to service until 1898 when the war concluded. The ship returned to racing until its last season in 1901. It was then put out of commission and sat idle until 1916 when it was put up for sale. Due to World War One, there was little market for pleasure boats. In 1917, the ship was sold, and its lead was sold for munitions production to aid the war. The decision was made to return the ship to the Naval Academy with the aspiration of preserving it for future museum use. On September 29, 1921 ship was docked at the Royal Naval Academy and was sold for $1.00 to Charles Francis Adams due to a law that the government could only receive property through sale or capture.  “America” remained under its care until 1942 when the ship was scrapped due to damage during a snowstorm.  The shed the boat resided in had collapsed under the weight of the snow. Despite the ship’s tragic demise the adventures and tales of this historic ship live on.  

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