Star of India was built by Gibson, McDonald, and Arnold in 1863 in Ransey, Isle of Man in England as was one of the first to use iron in the hull rather than the usual wood. This vessel was originally named Euterpe after the Greek muse of music and poetry. She made several voyages between Great Britain and India carrying cargo. Then in 1872 she was sold to Shaw Saville Line of London and was used to transport emigrants and cargo to New Zealand and Australia. Between 1872 and 1898, she eventually travelled the distance equal to circumnavigating the globe 21 times.

In 1899 Euturpe was sold to Pacific Colonial Ship Company in San Francisco, California and placed under the Hawaiian registry. Euturpe was then used to transport lumber from Washington and sugar from Hawaii to Australia.

Then in 1901 she was sold to the Alaska Packers Association of San Francisco, California and was reduced to a barque, which is a three-masted ship to make it easier for a smaller crew to navigate. In the following April, she was used to carry 45 fisherman, several hundred Chinese cannery workers, and cannery supplies roughly 2,500 miles from San Francisco to Nushagek, Alaska and returned with canned salmon in October or November. This voyage would take up to a month depending on the weather conditions on the open sea. The Chinese cannery workers bunked where she formerly carried steerage-class emigrants from England to New Zealand and Australia. Eventually in 1906, the Alaska Packers Association renamed this ship to Star of India to be consistent with the naming system in their fleet.

In contrast to the poor conditions aboard Star of India, the Alaska Packers Association report in the National Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings survey in 1966 stated “In 1906 there were 3,405 fisherman, 6,868 cannery employees, and 474 transporters engaged in the Alaska salmon industry. They produced 2,219,014 cases valued at $7,896,392.” It wasn’t until around 1908 when the American can company invented a pre-soldered version that was shipped flat then assembled with crimped ends by cannery workers. Up until then, all the cans produced were hand made by Chinese workers. Although machinery was used to mechanize can making in the continental US in the early 20th century, it was still too costly to ship to Alaska. At the time, it was less expensive to ship flat sheets of tin and hire Chinese workers to make the cans entirely by hand.

Due to the invention of the steamship which was more reliable, Star of India was taken out of commission in 1923. She was sold to the Zoological Society in San Diego in 1926 with the intention of turning it into an aquarium and museum. However, due to the Great Depression and then World War II, the plans were eventually cancelled. It was not until 1957 when Alan Villiers, a captain and author from Australia, was in San Diego for a speaking tour and saw Star of India in disrepair. He was able to rally local support to restore this vessel which was completed in 1976.

In total, Star of India made 22 voyages to the icy shores of Alaska and is one of two remaining vessels of the Alaska Packers Association’s great salmon fleet of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The other one is Star of Alaska, originally named Balclutha, and is docked at the San Francisco Maritime Museum. Please check out my previous story about them at https://chinesecannerylaborers.home.blog/2021/05/25/san-francisco-maritime-national-historical-park/

Star of India is the world’s oldest active sailing ship and the oldest iron hulled ship in the waters. She is maintained by volunteers and skilled craftsman and sails at least once a year in the San Diego Bay. Unlike other restored ships, she has nearly all of the original hull, cabins, and equipment. Interestingly, she has been used in several shows including Dirty Jobs and was even used by the gaming company Ubisoft in San Diego’s Comic-Con in 2013 to promote their release of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. It is one of several historic vessels at the San Diego Maritime Museum that are on the National Register. Please take the opportunity to visit this museum if you are in San Diego!

https://sdmaritime.org/

References:

Henrickson, S. (2014, June 1). History in a Can. Alaska Historical Society. https://alaskahistoricalsociety.org/history-in-a-can/

National Park Service. (2018, June 1). Star of India, CA. https://www.nps.gov/places/star-of-india.htm

San Diego Maritime Museum. (2024, April 6). Step Aboard the World’s Oldest Active Sailing Ship. Star of India. https://sdmaritime.org/visit/the-ships/star-of-india/

Udall, S. (1966). The National Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings West of the Mississippi. Sites of Exceptional Value. Alaska Packers Association Fleet, California. United States of the Interior. http://npshistory.com/publications/nhl/theme-studies/commerce-industry-2.pdf