On August 6, 1843, the USS Missouri, a 10-gun side-wheel frigate embarked on a trip to China to negotiate the first commercial treaty with China. Earlier on that day, President John Tyler came aboard for a few hours cruise in Hampton Roads and observed the crew in action. The frigate then left Norfolk Virginia on the first powered crossing of the Atlantic by an American steam warship.
20 days later, while anchored at Gibraltar the engineer's yeoman was in the storeroom and accidentally broke a demijohn of containing several gallons of turpentine in the storeroom. The turpentine soon ignited and the flames spread so quickly, that the crew had to abandon the warship. Caleb Cushing, the U.S. Minister to China was on board to Diplomatic meetings with China. Cushing managed to rescue his official letter to the Daoguang Emperor of China, allowing him to later carry out his mission, but the steam powered frigate continued burned for four hours turning the entire warship into a blackened and now sinking hulk of metal. Finally at 3:20 am on August 27th, the forward powder magazine exploded, destroying what was left of the sinking ship. The ship was fire as it exploded in the Bay of Gibraltar.
In December of that year, President John Tyler shared his pain to congress regarding the loss of the USS Missouri an exalted it's crew as heroes. Tyler suggested that there was high ground for commendation of the officers who kept their cool and remained disciplined under the most trying circumstances.
"It gives me great pain to announce to you the loss of the steamship the Missouri by fire in the Bay of Gibraltar, where she had stopped to renew her supplies of coal on her voyage to Alexandria, with Mr. Cushing, the American minister to China, on board. There is ground for high commendation of the officers and men for the coolness and intrepidity and perfect submission to discipline evinced under the most trying circumstances. Surrounded by a raging fire, which the utmost exertions could not subdue, and which threatened momentarily the explosion of her well-supplied magazines, the officers exhibited no signs of fear and the men obeyed every order with alacrity. Nor was she abandoned until the last gleam of hope of saving her had expired."
President Tyler chose Massachusetts Congressman Caleb Cushing to be 'commissioner to China and envoy extraordinary and miser plenipotentiary of the united States to the Court of the that empire". His instructions were to secure the entry of American vessels in to the ports of Ningpo, Amoy, Fuchow, and Shangai on favorable terms equal to that enjoyed by English merchants. Cushing was able to reach terms quickly with this Chinese counterparts and signed a treaty at Wangxia, a suburb of the Portuguese port city of Macau in 1844. The Treaty of Wangzia opened the five treaty ports for Western trade with China including Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai.
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https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/china-1
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