On May 16, 1847, USS Jamestown Returns to Charlestown Navy Yard after Humanitarian Voyage to Ireland

Photo of USS Jamestown by E.D.Walker, Marine Artist

At 9:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, May 16, 1847, the USS Jamestown anchored off the Navy Yard in Charlestown, exactly seven weeks and one hour from the start of its historic voyage to bring food and medical supplies to the dying people of Ireland ravished by the famine.

The historic voyage to Cork began on March 28, 1847, at the Charlestown Navy Yard, and "crowds lining the wharves cheered and waved as the ship passed."

The USS Jamestown had arrived in Queenstown Harbor on April 12, after a 15 day journey. There, the Americans were greeted enthusiastically by government officials and townsfolk for bringing needed supplies to people who were perishing in their small cottages and even on the road, through lack of nourishment and medical attention.

The voyage home, however, took 24 days to complete, due to headwinds, calms and a gale. And when they arrived, crowds of people were waiting to greet them.

Henry Lee's masterful account, Massachusetts Help to Ireland During the Great Famine, notes that on May 16, "The churches were 'thinly attended' that morning, for every wharf in Boston and Charlestown was filled with people who had come down to welcome Jamestown."

According to Lee, Captain Robert B. Forbes wrote to a relative that he was thankful it was the Sabbath, otherwise "the St. Patrick's Society might well have carried out its threat to waylay him on arrival and carry him home 'neck and heels with music.'"

In addition to the rough weather, there had also been a tragedy on the voyage home, Lee notes.

"On May 3, some time between two and three in the morning as the third mate was reducing sail, one of their best men, John Hughes, lost his hold in furling the jib and was seen no more. The weather was dark and rainy, the ship making ten to twelve knots, and no one was aware that he fell.

"The event was one 'which makes old men of us,' and the fact that Hughes was the only Irish-born member of the crew was an especially sad circumstance which 'cast a shade' on the whole expedition."

Forbes and his men brought many mementoes back from Ireland with them, including "a fine thoroughbred cow with calf, put aboard Jamestown by a grateful citizen of Cork," Lee writes. That cow "produced numerous progeny which were for years known around Boston as the Jamestown or Blarney breed."

Research + Text, Michael Quinlin

Comments

The Boston Celtics : The Story Behind Their Irish Green Theme

Bill Russell played for the Boston Celtics from 1956 to 1959 (This story was updated in March 2024) Many people wonder why the Boston Celtics wear shamrocks on their green uniforms and have a giant leprechaun smoking a cigar as their team logo. And why is the team mascot a guy named Lucky who looks like he stepped out of a box of Lucky Charms? According to the Boston Celtic’s official web site, the name came about in 1946 when owner Walter Brown started the team. He and his public relations guy, Howie McHugh, were throwing out potential nicknames, including the Whirlwinds, Unicorns and Olympics. It was Brown who had the epiphany, saying, “Wait, I’ve got it – the Celtics. The name has a great basketball tradition from the old Original Celtics in New York (1920s). And Boston is full of Irishman. We’ll put them in green uniforms and call them the Boston Celtics.” Red Auerbach , the now legendary coach of the early Celtics, then commissioned his brother Zang, a graphic d...

Boston Mayors of Irish Descent, 1885-2021

(Originally published in 2013, this post was updated in 2021) Here are the Mayors of Boston Claiming Irish Heritage: Hugh O’Brien 1885–88 Patrick Collins 1902–05 John F. Fitzgerald 1906–07, 1910–13 James M. Curley 1914–17, 1922–25, 1930–33, 1946–49 Frederick W. Mansfield 1934–37 Maurice Tobin 1938–41, 1941-44 John Kerrigan 1945 John B. Hynes 1950–59 John Collins 1960–68 Kevin H. White 1968–83 Raymond L. Flynn 1984–93 Martin J. Walsh 2014- 2021 The lineage of Boston mayors with Irish ancestry dates back to 1885, when Irish immigrant Hugh O'Brien of County Cork assumed office and became the first Irish-born mayor elected in Boston, serving four one-year terms (1885-88). O'Brien was followed by Irish-born Patrick Collins (1902-05), also of County Cork, who died in office in 1905. He was replaced by John F. Fitzgerald, who became the first American-born mayor of Irish descent, serving two terms. A noteworthy...

Visit these Public Memorials to John Boyle O'Reilly throughout Massachusetts

Born 180 years ago on June 28, 1844, John Boyle O’Reilly helped shape the history or Ireland and America in the late 19th century in powerful ways. Today, O'Reilly’s stature as a seminal figure in Irish and Irish-American history is particularly evident in his beloved birthplace of Dowth, County Meath; in Freemantle, Australia where he was imprisoned; and indeed, throughout the Irish Diaspora. O'REILLY LANDMARKS IN MASSACHUSETTS O’Reilly remains popular in Boston, New Bedford, Hull and Springfield where there is a selection of memorials and plaques, parks and city squares, library collections and Irish organizations honoring O’Reilly’s memory. In Boston, the John Boyle O’Reilly Memorial at the corner of Boylston Street and The Fens, not far from Fenway Park, was unveiled in 1896 by famed Concord sculptor Daniel French. The Memorial is part of Boston’s Irish Heritage Trail. In Charlestown, O’Reilly lived at 34 Winthrop Street, where there is a plaque in his honor. In 1988 t...

Irish Boston History & Heritage

Search This Blog