The first dismasting took place in 1859, on a voyage from New York to San Francisco, and repairs were made in Rio de Janeiro.

A tornado in 09°N 032°W / 9°N 32°W / 9; -32 (Young America) in 1862 carried away the masts a second time, and forced her to put in at Plymouth, England.

The third time she lost her masts, in a pampero off Río de la Plata in 1868, she was jury-rigged at sea and continued to San Francisco, where she incurred $18,000 in repair costs.

Passed the Delaware Breakwater outward bound from Philadelphia for Fiume under command of Captain Vlassich and was never heard of again.

The cargo consisted of 407.306 gallons of crude oil in 9700 barrels at a total value of $26.965.”[2] Another source states that "the Young America was last seen lying off Gibraltar as a coal hulk.