The Elliot Ritchie

The Barque Elliot Ritchie  was originally built as the USRMCS (United States Revenue Marine Cutter Service) steamer Harriet Lane,  in 1858. She was named after President James Buchanan's niece who acted as First Lady since he was unmarried. After the Civil War she was sold to Nehemiah Gibson of East Boston who had her renamed. Mr. Gibson had her rebuilt in 1869. Her Captain  in 1869 was H.C. Pung and owner was N. Gibson. She  was 177x29x12 with a weight of 615 tons. She was lost off Pernambuco, Brazil in May 1884. She is listed in either the Record of American and Foreign Shipping or American Lloyd's Register of American and Foreign Shipping until 1885.¹ 

The USRMCS Harriet Lane

Article - Savannah News- The Bark Elliot Ritchie - The Daily Constitution - 14 March 1878

References and Links

¹ Mystic Seaport - Index to Ship Registers

https://research.mysticseaport.org/indexes/ship-register

Three Mast Bark Elliott Ritchie Ex-Harriet Lane

 "Three Mast Bark Elliott Ritchie Ex-Harriet Lane." by Clarence H. Rogers. Published in the The Rudder Volume 62 #3 (Mar. 1946), pp. 30, 60, 62

"Blackening skies and a tumbling barometer,  foretold hat was ahead for the American bark, Elliott Ritchie"...see more

Harriet Rebecca Lane - Niece of President Buchanan

http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=16

President James Buchanan

https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/jamesbuchanan

The Harriet Lane

The USRMCS Harriet Lane - from White House History - Number 12, Winter 2003 p39. - by Robert L. Anderson

https://media.defense.gov/2017/Jun/28/2001769728/-1/-1/0/HARRIETLANEANDERSON2003ARTICLE.PDF

Old Links that no longer work.

http://www.fleig.org/CaptFleig/HarrietLane/default.htm

"she was sold to a Boston merchant [Nehemiah Gibson]. She was renamed the ELLIOT RITCHIE, and was employed in the lumber trade. In May 1884. she sailed for Buenos Aires and was buffeted by hurricane force winds in the Caribbean, where she was abandoned to the sea."

http://www.citrus.k12.fl.us/ships/harriet_lane.htm

"With the [Civil] war's end, she was towed to Hoboken, converted to a lumber bark (renamed the "Elliot Ritchie") and foundered in 1884 off Pernambuco."

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g%2Dcp/history/webcutters/usrc%5Fphoto%5Findex.html

"...she was converted to a barque-rigged sailing vessel.  She was sold to a lumber merchant, Elliot Ritchie, who named her after himself.  She was abandoned off Pernambuco, Brazil, "water-logged," in the spring of 1884.*

**Department of Transportation.  United States Coast Guard.  Record of Movements: Vessels of the United States Coast Guard, 1790-December 31, 1933.  Washington, DC: U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 1989, reprint.

http://tmlha.exis.net/

"In 1867, a movement began to return Harriet Lane to the Revenue Cutter Service. Captain Faunce was dispatched to tow her back to the U.S. Years of neglect had made her unfit for service. She was sold to a Boston merchant, renamed ELLIOT RITCHIE, and used in the lumber trade. In May 1884, buffeted by hurricane force winds in the Caribbean, she foundered and was abandoned to the sea."

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g%2Dcp/history/cutterbib.html