Hornet was an 1851 extreme clipper in the San Francisco trade, famous for its race with Flying Cloud.

Hornet had a two-day head start on Flying Cloud in their famous 1853 race.

She left New York City for San Francisco, California on April 26, 1853, with Flying Cloud departing two days later.

After the roughly 15,000-nautical mile (27,780-km) voyage around Cape Horn, both ships arrived in San Francisco harbor 106 days later at almost the same time, with Hornet sailing in just 45 minutes ahead of Flying Cloud.

[2] Mark Twain, on the islands as a special correspondent from the Sacramento Daily Union, interviewed several of the survivors and filed the first extensive report.