Lot Essay
The clipper Waterwitch was launched from the yard of Fernald & Pettigrew at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on May 6, 1853, weighing 1204 tons. She was constructed under the supervision of Captain Benjamin Tay for an interest from Boston, including a Mr. Stephen Tilton. She set out on her maiden voyage from Boston on July 31, 1853 under the command of Captain Washington Plummer. During a violent gale on June 1, 1885, she struck rocks and took on water.