Captain Alexander MacLean - The real Sea Wolf (Part 3)

Since his release from Vladivostok, Captain Alexander MacLean dreamed of the day he could avenge the illegal confiscation of his sealing schooner by Russian authorities.

The remains of the American flag ripped down and torn to pieces by the Russian boarding crew was displayed at the head of his bed in San Francisco ― an inspirational reminder.

MacLean was a fighter. He never quit. In late 1892, he was offered command of the steam-sealer Alexandria. Almost immediately rumors began to circulate on the San Franciscan wharfs that he was going to return to Copper (Medny) Island ― the very place he was caught and his ship confiscated the previous year.

The island was famed for the thousands of fur seals that basked in the sun on its rocky shores. They were a valuable commodity that the Russians jealously guarded (preserved) and allowed only a small number to be harvested. The seals' protection was only a small garrison of 20 ill-trained Russian and native islanders. MacLean was going to destroy the garrison and then harvest the entire population of seals.

He hired 52 men from the wharf ― all were “notorious in San Francisco as fellows who would enjoy a fight.” Among his crew were 18 former navy seamen ― including Hiram (“Spud”) Murphy, the champion gunner of the U.S.S. Boston. Spud had recently been discharged from the navy and was looking for adventure ― an adventure only MacLean could provide.

To skirt around the anti-poaching agreement reached between Russian, British and American authorities (which could get him executed for piracy if he were caught), he flew the Hawaiian flag at his mast. If the Hawaiian flag didn't discourage the Russian naval vessels, he could always outrun them as his ship was one of the fastest steam-sealers in the Pacific.

And, if threatened, he would fight back. According to a shipping manifest, the Alexandria carried the following:

“Two six-pound rapid Hotchkiss guns, two four-pound rapid Hotchkiss guns, 100 improved Winchester rifles, 50,000 rounds of rifle ammunition, 500 four-pound shells, 500 six-pound shells, four adjustable gun-carriages to be fitted on the decks, three Whitehead self-acting torpedoes, a large quantity of revolvers, cutlasses and other small arms.”

When MacLean and his ship left San Francisco on Jan. 17, it was clear to all that he wasn't only going out to hunt seals.

MacLean's movements weren't secret ― his audacious plans were published in newspapers.

Captain Nicoll Ludlow (1842-1915), of the American warship Mohican, was one of the officers tasked with preventing MacLean from realizing his plan.

The Mohican was a sloop-of-war that enjoyed rather negative publicity. That summer, a newspaper declared it to be “a national disgrace” and “one of the oldest and most useless of the United States navy.” This strong criticism seems misplaced as the ship was commissioned in 1885.

The warship, however, was plagued with problems other than age.

In 1892, it grounded twice and did substantial damage to its keel and boilers. In May 1893, the ship was reportedly short-handed as more than 70 men deserted it while at anchorage in Alaska. About the same time, the ship's paymaster was arrested for irregularities in the pay ledgers ― he was later exonerated. There was a chronic shortage of fresh provisions. The crew's health was also compromised. The ship's leadership may have been the problem.

Despite his audacious past, few people expected MacLean to go to war with the American navy but, according to the newspapers, that is what he did.

On the morning of May 25, the Mohican surprised the Alexandria poaching seals off Copper Island. Captain Ludlow ordered the Alexandria to stop and prepare for boarding but MacLean refused and began to flee.

The warship fired two blank shells over the sealer's deck and MacLean, in reply, turned his six-pounder cannon on his pursuer and fired a single shot. The shell burst through the side of the Mohican and into the engines, disabling the American warship with one round.

The warship's crew scrambled to contain the damage and fired their own cannons ― their aim, however, was not as accurate as the sealer's, and the Alexandria was able to escape into a thick fog.

It took six hours for the crew to repair their engines and resume the chase but it was too late. For several days the Mohican searched for the rogue sealer but, unable to find it, returned to Alaska.

The attack on the American naval vessel caused quite a stir in Washington, D.C. Naval officials were humiliated and furious. Most denounced the story as utter nonsense including Captain Howison, commandant of the Mare Island navy yard:

“The story of a shot from the Alexandria's smooth bore penetrating the side of the Mohican and disabling her engines is absurd. To disable the Mohican's engines it would be necessary for the shot to pass through 12 inches of solid timber, and then through the coal bunkers into the engine room.”

His confidence wasn't shared by the press. The fact that a mere “fishing smack” could disable an American warship with a single shot was proof of the American Navy's sad state.

Some naval officers declared MacLean and his ship a pirate and advocated he should be dealt with accordingly ― swinging from the gallows. Others noted that the Alexandria's “original offense was not one recognized by international law, and she was under a Hawaiian registry, [so] she could not be taken upon the high seas.”

As the days passed, it became clear that there were far more questions than there were answers. The one question everyone was asking ― where is MacLean?

Robert Neff is a historian and columnist for The Korea Times. He can be reached at robertneff103@gmail.com.