The collision of the clipper Planet

The collision of the clipper ship Planet

by Pascal Kainic

The Aberdeen clipper ship "Planet" was a vessel of 700 tons burden which left Shangai on her homeward bound voyage.

She had on board a valuable cargo of teas, silk and curiosities with a crew of 23 men and one passengers.

On Saturday night last, she was unfortunately completely wrecked and sunk off Brighton owing to her having come into collision with a foreign brig, name unknown.

Immediately after the accident she began to fill and the water gained so fast upon her that, although captain Bukham and his men worked as hard as possible at he pumps, all their efforts to keep her afloat were useless.

Fortunately, no lives were lost the crew and passenger escaping in the boats with nothing but the ship’s chronometer and the captain’s cash box.

After having been in the boats two hours and a half, they were taken on board the bark Margaret of Liverpool and shortly after transferred to the twin cutter belonging to Dover, and by her conveyed to Portsmouth, whence there were franked to London by the South Coast Railway.

Nothing was saved from the precious cargo of the ship…!