The Brig Portland

The Brig Portland was built at Boothbay, Maine, in 1854. She was 107 feet long and registered 299 tons. She was originally owned in Wiscasset, ME, but later hailed from Boston, Massachusetts. Her Captain Robert Montgomery and Arthur Portland were the principal owners. It is claimed on her first voyage to Liverpool, England that she paid for herself and made a profit of $40,000. On December 31, 1862 she sailed from Boston to Australia and was never heard from afterward. A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged with an additional gaff-rigged spanker behind the mainsail.