Old Weather Forum

8 October
Six hours out of Horta Bay, Fayal Islands, Azores


We've been near Gibraltar since February. We then left with USS Tuscarora to the Azores. Now this:

At 5:45 raised a Steamer bearing S and standing to the Nd & Ed. At 6:35 started in chase.

They have problems with bearings overheating, so they have to stop or slow down for ten minutes every so often so things can cool down. They ask volunteers to assist coal heavers, it being very hot in the engine room. By midnight, they have pretty well lost sight of the steamer.

At midnight:

The firemen exhausted on account of the heat in the fireroom.

They relinquish the chase at 0540 the next morning, no vessels being in sight.

30 October
Algeciras Roadstead

USS Chippewa came into harbor.

How come you get the interesting ones and I just sit on the blocks in dry dock?

Interesting??? 168 days so far sitting either in Algeciras or Gibraltar Roadsteads, with 50 more days of the same to finish this year. Add in another 87 days sitting in Cadiz.

La Carraca Drydock
1 December

From 8 AM to Merid

By recommendation of the Medical Officer, Whiskey was served out to the men who were absent two days and nights from the Ship, employed landing Powder & Shell.

Actually, that sounds like a good system
I suspect they will have plenty of volunteers when they need to reload the Powder & Shell.

Makes up for the loss of the daily rum ration.

Michael wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2023 1:25 pm Interesting??? 168 days so far sitting either in Algeciras or Gibraltar Roadsteads, with 50 more days of the same to finish this year. Add in another 87 days sitting in Cadiz.

Shenandoah 1880 may vie for record boredom. 206 days into the year and the only movement has been the roughly 130 miles from Montevideo to Buenos Aires. There is a rumor that we may head up to Brazil sometime before the end of the year.

Just as I said that, on the 207th day we're heading out of Buenos Aires for ???

ggordon wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2023 8:10 pm Just as I said that, on the 207th day we're heading out of Buenos Aires for ???

From the table here it looks you will indeed be heading for Brazil - though it might be via Uruguay.

Michael wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2023 1:25 pm Interesting??? 168 days so far sitting either in Algeciras or Gibraltar Roadsteads, with 50 more days of the same to finish this year. Add in another 87 days sitting in Cadiz.

You have to wonder about the value of all that transcribing work in the same spot.

It's still data from 1862.

Michael wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2023 3:25 pm La Carraca Drydock
1 December

From 8 AM to Merid

By recommendation of the Medical Officer, Whiskey was served out to the men who were absent two days and nights from the Ship, employed landing Powder & Shell.

The recommendation of the Medical Officer may have been necessary:
https://www.history.navy.mil/today-in-h ... st-31.html
August 31, 1862 - The daily rum issued to US Navy sailors on board vessels is abolished. On July 14, by an Act of Congress, the spirit ration ceases Sept. 1. Secretary of Navy Gideon Welles issues a further order requiring captains of naval vessels to remove all distilled liquors from their ships except those that serve as medical stores. Ale, beer, wine, and other liquors not distilled are exempted from the provisions of the act of July 14.

The voyage for 1862 has been completed. The You can see a plot of the voyage here and, for more detail, you can download the KML file and view it with Google Earth. There were a few people mentioned here.


These are the weather statistics for this voyage:

Weather Element	Records
DirT	2933
Kts	2587
Baro	1516
Dry	279
Water	237
Weather	2767
Total	10319

Kearsarge travelled a total of 7220 miles.