The Phoenix was a nineteenth century whaler

Whaler

A whaler is a specialized ship, designed for whaling, the catching and/or processing of whales. The former included the whale catcher, a steam or diesel-driven vessel with a harpoon gun mounted at its bows. The latter included such vessels as the sail or steam-driven whaleship of the 16th to early...

. In 1824, while under the command of John Palmer, it was the first ship to discover Phoenix Island, later known as Rawaki Island

Rawaki Island

Rawaki Island is one of the Phoenix Islands in the Republic of Kiribati, also known by its previous name of Phoenix Island. It is a small, uninhabited atoll, approximately 1.2 by 0.8 km in size and 65 hec. in area, with a shallow, brackish central lagoon that does not communicate with the...

, as well as Kanton Island

Kanton Island

Kanton Island , alternatively known as "Mary Island", "Mary Balcout's Island" or "Swallow Island", is the largest, northernmost, and as of 2007, the sole inhabited island of the Phoenix Islands, in the Republic of Kiribati. It is an atoll located in the South Pacific Ocean roughly halfway between...

.
The ship visited the Galapagos islands in July 1823, as recorded by Dr. William Dalton.

One of its crew was Robert Clark Morgan who rose through the ranks to became Captain Robert Clark Morgan (1798-1864). On the Phoenix he was an Apprentice, June 1814 - June 1819, Able Seaman, June 1819 - Sept 1822, 2nd Mate, Jan 1823 - Nov 1825 and 1st Mate, May 1826 - Sept 1828.