Painting of the Down Easter <I>Pocahontas</I>

Yorke, Jr., William Howard · ca 1857

Pocahontas was built by the Houghton Brothers in 1855. The ship was constructed in Bath, Maine and measured 193.6 feet long and 1196 tons. Pocahontas was engaged in the trade of cotton and manufactured goods between New Orleans and Liverpool. The Houghton Brothers operated one of the largest and most successful fleets of Bath deep-sea full-rigged ships. The Houghton Brothers designed many deep-sea cargo carriers; Pocahontas was one of their few vessels that sacrificed cargo space for speed. Though the ship was still designed as a Down Easter, it was nicknamed "a clipper" because of its speed.