Wood engraving from John Frost's The Book of the Navy, 1842.
Wood engraving from John Frost's The Book of the Navy, 1842.

Guide to the Journal of the Dorothea and the U.S.S. Java, 1817, 1821-1822

MS 5

A collection in the
Special Collections & Archives Department,
Nimitz Library

Naval Academy Seal

United States Naval Academy
589 McNair Road
Annapolis, MD 21402-5029

Prepared by: Mary R. Catalfamo

May 2004

Descriptive Summary

Provenance:
The Journal of the Dorothea and the U.S.S. Java was donated to the United States Naval Academy Library by [Letitia Buchanan?]. Accession No. 49334.
Size:
1 volume.
Access:
Access to the Journal of the Dorothea and the U.S.S. Java is restricted to microfilm.
Copyright:
The Journal of the Dorothea and the U.S.S. Java is the physical property of Nimitz Library. Copyright belongs to the authors or creators of the works, or their legal representatives. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.
Permission:
It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure written permission to publish, reprint, or reproduce material from Special Collections & Archives. The researcher assumes responsibility for infringement of copyright or literary or publication rights. Please contact the Head, Special Collections & Archives for permission to publish and for further information
Preferred Citation:
Journal of the Dorothea and the U.S.S. Java, MS 5
Special Collections & Archives Department
Nimitz Library
United States Naval Academy

Scope and Content Note

The bulk of this journal covers the voyage of the Dorothea (ship) from Philadelphia to Canton [ Guangzhou ] and back between 7 April 1821 and 11 June 1822. About thirty pages relate to the cruise of the U. S. S. Java (frigate) from Gibraltar to Boston between 25 January 1817 and 2 March 1817. Franklin Buchanan (1800-1874) , the journal 's author, served as a midshipman aboard the JAVA and as second officer aboard the Dorothea. Since the Java entries fall between the record of the Dorothea and a “List of American Ships at Whampoa, on, & after the arrival of the Dorothea,” it is probable that Buchanan copied at least the portion of the journal related to the Java from another volume.