 The Cheseborough, wrecked off the coast of Shariki, Aomori, Japan in 1889.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 America | |
| Name | Cheseborough |
| Owner | Arthur Sewall & Co., Bath, Maine[1] |
| Launched | 1878[1] |
| Fate | Wrecked, October 30, 1889[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 1461 tons bm[1] |
| Length | 204 ft (62 m)[1] |
| Beam | 40 ft (12 m)[1] |
| Depth of hold | 24 ft (7.3 m)[1] |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
The Cheseborough was a 19th-century American merchant ship which wrecked off the coast of Japan in 1889.
The full-rigged ship Cheseborough was built and owned by E. & A. Sewall in Bath, Maine, U.S.A. She was named after Andronicus Cheseborough, a prominent shipping merchant from San Francisco. She was steadily employed in the grain trade between North Atlantic ports and West Coast ports of North America, until 1889 when she was diverted from her normal routes to transport case oil to Japan.[2]
After discharging most of the 65,000 cases of oil from Philadelphia in Kobe, Japan, she proceeded under ballast to Hakodate where she took on 2,230 tons of sulphur. She set sail on October 28, 1889, for New York. Two days later on October 30, she lost her maintopgallant and head sails in a typhoon and ran aground off the coast of Shariki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan.[3] In a courageous rescue, the villagers saved a number of the crew and nursed them back to health.
All aboard would have been lost had not the villagers, braving the wind and waves, tied ropes around themselves and ventured into the sea in a heroic attempt to carry any survivors to safety. Those remaining on shore also gave the best of their efforts by lighting fires, bringing food and clothes. Two youths ran the entire 40 miles (64 km) to the prefectural capital, Aomori, to summon help. Of the twenty-three crew members, nineteen drowned, and the other four were rescued by fishermen and villagers who worked through storms at the risk of their lives. Reports from the time indicate Mrs. Kudou, a local villager, held a frozen sailor against her bare body in an effort to save his life.
From this incident, a friendship began between the village of Shariki, Japan, and the city of Bath, Maine. In 1994, officials of both municipalities signed a sister-city agreement promising future cooperation and further exchange.
A letter from President of The United States to the citizens of Shariki, Japan:
—Bill Clinton[4]
In memory of the event, the town of Shariki hosts the "Cheseborough Cup Swim Ekiden." The event is a relay which combines a swim race and long-distance run. Its slogan: "Sending a message of Courage and Love across the Seas."