Loss of the Albion
Packet ships were small and fast vessels that carried mail and passengers across the Atlantic, departing on a regular schedule. The Black Ball Line was the first company to offer scheduled service beginning in 1818, later giving name to the famous shanty. The ships took an average of 23 days to sail to Liverpool and 40 days to return to New York. The Black Ball Line started out with four ships, and the Albion, under Captain John Williams, was the first addition to the fleet.
On April 22, 1822, the ship was lost in storm off the coast of Ireland along with 45 lives. Yale University professor Alexander Metcalf Fisher and French General Lefebvre-Desnouettes were among the deceased. Spectators on both sides of the ocean were captivated by the accounts of the first wrecked packet-ship shared by the nine survivors. More information is well-documented in Shannon Selin’s historical write-up.