THE COLUMBIA REDIVIVA – On this date in 1790 the American ship Columbia Rediviva arrived back in Boston Harbor under the command of Captain Robert Gray (at left), who had served in the Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War. This voyage marked America’s first circumnavigation of the world.
The vessel had departed Boston Harbor on September 30th, 1787 under the command of Captain John Kendrick. The Columbia Rediviva was accompanied by the sloop Lady Washington, named for Martha Washington, who would become America’s inaugural First Lady by the time the C.R. (Columbia Rediviva) returned to Boston.
The Lady Washington was captained by Robert Gray, but partway through the voyage around the world, Gray and Kendrick switched ships, causing minor errors in some sources ever since. Because Robert Gray is better known than John Kendrick there are sources which cite him as the commander of the C.R. during the entire circumnavigation.
Another, rarer error made by some sources is to list the Lady Washington as the ship that Gray captained around the world just because that was the vessel he commanded on the September 30th, 1787 date of departure.
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Yes, circumnavigation was no longer anything new, but this was the first time it had been accomplished on board a ship from America. And it was not a straight round-the-world trip, there were plenty of stops along the way.
The C. R. was the first American vessel to reach Japan and China. It was also the first American ship to put in at what is now Oregon and trade with the indigenous people in the area. Furthermore, it was the first U.S. vessel to reach Hawaii, and it brought the first native Hawaiian to come as a passenger to Boston.
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I found this post very useful.
Thanks!
That was interesting.
Thank you!
voyages like these in todays world would be frowned upon as a waste of time and resources and would be only pursued by private interests. i guess in those times it wasnt the case and achievements like these were actually seen as a big thing
You nailed it perfectly!
Great posts as always. I am not familiar with the history of the first American ship to navigate the globe, but as always I found your post to be extremely fascinating. I love stories about ships that embark upon voyages across the country. It reminded me of celebrated movies about renowned ships in history. For instance, the story of the Columbia Rediviva brought to mind the movie “Titanic”. It told the story of the real-life ship Titanic and its doomed voyage. Released in the year that I was born in 1997, the movie has become a precious part of my childhood. It remains one of my favourite films of all-time, and one of the best movies from the 1990’s.
Here’s why I recommend it strongly:
Thank you so much! I am on my way to your review of Titanic.
It was a great incident! Captain Grey’s name also comes for that. First time I knew the name of Lady Washington or Martha Washington.
Thanks! I’m always happy to share information!
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