List of clipper ships

Champion of the Seas

Dreadnought, a Fast Clipper Ship, circa 1860, print by Currier and Ives

At the 'crest of the clipper wave' year of 1852, there were 200 clippers rounding Cape Horn.

Notable examples of the clipper ship include:

• Andrew Jackson, 1855, 220 ft., built by Irons & Grinnell of Mystic, CT and owned by J.H. Brower of New York. Under Captain J. E. Williams, it was one of only two clipper ships to complete the New York-San Francisco Cape Horn run in 89 days.
• Ann McKim, 1833, 143 feet, one of the very first "true" clippers ever built.
• Ariel, 1865, 197.4 ft. x 33.9 ft. x 21 ft., designed by William Rennie, built by Robert Steele & Co, Greenock for Shaw, Lowther & Maxton of London. In late 1872 she left London bound for Sydney and was not heard of again.
• Baba Yaga, 1866. A wooden 160 ft. 3-masted clipper displacing 1,067 tons and built by Robert Steele & Co. Greenock for Matthew Algie of Glasgow. Built as a merchant vessel primarily serving the coffee trade between the horn of Africa and London ports. Lost at sea between London and Cape Town on the 6 October 1871. Named for Baba Yaga, a character from Eastern European folklore.
• Bald Eagle, 1852. Built by Donald McKay; set the record of 78 days 22 hours for a fully laden ship from San Francisco to New York.
• Belle of the West, launched in 1853 from Shiverick Shipyards in East Dennis, MA. An extreme clipper with “a slight flare to her bow with a saucy and coquettish look.” Captained by William F. Howes.
• Blackadder, 1870, (sister ship to Hallowe'en), built by Maudsley, Sons & Field at Greenwich for John Willis. On 5 November 1905 she was wrecked whilst on passage from Barry to Bahia loaded with coal.
• Challenge, 1851, extreme clipper built by William H. Webb in NYC for the San Francisco run. 230' mainmast, 224' length, 2000 tons, 12,780 yards of sail. Captain Robert Waterman expected to beat Flying Cloud. Brutal treatment of inexperienced crew by Waterman and first mate James Douglass caused riots when San Franciscans heard of the first passage. Wrecked off Ushant, 1876
• Challenger, 1852, Built by Richard & Henry Green in their Blackwall Yard for Hugh Hamilton Lindsay, London. In 1871 she abandoned at 48°N, 13°W, southwest of the port of Plymouth, England.
• Champion of the Seas designed by Donald McKay, holds the speed record of 465 miles in 24 hours, set in 1854.
• City of Adelaide, 1864. Oldest surviving hull of a clipper; threatened with demolition in 2010, transported from Scotland to Port Adelaide for preservation in 2014.
• Cornwallis, 1862. Ship of the Black Ball Line, depicted in The Illustrated London News. Wrecked off the Pitcairn Islands and commemorated on a 1994 set of the Islands' stamps, Pitcairn 403-406, MNH. Michel 432-435
• Cremorne, Delivered Central Pacific locomotive CP11 to San Francisco, 1865. Left San Francisco for Liverpool, June 1, 1870 and disappeared.
• Cutty Sark, 1869. Built as a merchant vessel, and then as a training ship until being put on public display in 1954.
• Donald McKay, 1855, 2604 tons, 266' x 46'3" x 29'5". Named after her designer.
• Dreadnought, three-masted medium clipper ship built in 1853 by Currier & Townsend, Newburyport, MA. Dimensions: 212'×41'6"×26'6" and tonnage 1414 tons OM and 2337 tons NM. The deadweight of this cargo was 1559,65 tons including 60 tons of ballast. "She possessed the merit of being able to bear driving as long as her sails and spars would stand." [Captain Samuel Samuels] Launched October 6, 1853 at the shipyard of Currier & Townsend, Newburyport, for David Ogden, E.D. Morgan, F.B. Cutting et al., New York. Sailed for the Red Cross Line of New York and Liverpool packets. Was originally intended for the "Racehorse Line" of California clippers. Maiden Voyage: 1853 December 6 Sailed from New York for Liverpool under command of Captain Samuel Samuels. Dreadnought was considered to be possibly the fastest clipper ship. In 1860 she set a new record for New York to Liverpool of only 9 days, 17 hours. That record has never been surpassed by a sailing ship. She was lost in 1869.
• Eastern State, 1851. Built by George Dunham, Frankfort, ME. 813 tons. 159'x29'x21.6'. Captain Paron C. Kilburn. Departs New York Feb 13, 1852; arrives San Francisco July 12, 1852. Later China. In Callao, Peru July, 1854. In Hampton Roads, VA October 1854. In New York October 18, 1854. 1866 sold to British.
• Fiery Cross, 1860. Richard 'Dickie' Robinson of Workington was appointed captain of the Fiery Cross in 1861, and under his command she won the tea race three times in the six years. Fiery Cross finished fourth in the famous The Great Tea Race of 1866, won in 99 days. Captain Robinson won the race a further two times when he was in command of Sir Lancelot. On his final passage in 1869, he came home in 89 days, a record that still stands to this day.
• Flying Cloud, 1851. Built by Donald McKay (Boston, MA) and owned by Grinnell, Minturn & Co of Boston, MA. Under Captain J. P. Creasy, it holds the New York to San Francisco record 89 days 8 hours in 1854, sister ship of the Northern Light. Second copy of the new design that produced the fastest clipper ships (Northern Light was built first).
• Flying Fish, 1851. She was launched at East Boston, Massachusetts, for Messrs. Sampson & Tappan, Boston. Under Captain Edward Tappan, she made a run from New York to San Francisco in 92 days. She wrecked on the 23rd of November 1958 off Fuzhou, China en route to New York with a cargo of tea. The wreck was sold to a Manilla merchant. After she was rebuilt at Whampoa, China she was renamed the El Bueno Suceso.
• Glory of the Seas, medium clipper, 2102 tons OM. She was built in 1869 by Donald McKay. She was scrapped for her metal at Brace Point, West Seattle on the 13th of May 1923. Her figurehead is preserved at the India House, New York.
• Golden Spur built by Peter Ogier of Guernsey for G. F. Carington & Co. Launched October 15, 1864 at St Sampsons, Guernsey by Miss Ellen Rougier. Lost March 1879 run aground on Haiphong bar, Hong Kong. Holds the record for passage from Cardiff to Hong Kong in 90 days (1872).
• Great Australia built for Messrs Baines & Co, Liverpool launched Dec. 1860 http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an9404291
• Great Republic, 1853. Designed by Donald MacKay and built in New York for owners A A Low & Brother, she was at 335 feet the largest wooden merchant sailing ship ever built, a record that still stands. Before she made her maiden voyage, however, a fire on shore spread to her dock, and she burned to the waterline. She was rebuilt and relaunched. Under Captain Limeburner, she ran from New York to San Francisco in 92 days.
• Hallowe’en, 1870 (sister ship to Blackadder), 920 tons, 216.6 ft. x 35.2 ft. x 20.5 ft., built by Maudsley, Sons & Field at Greenwich for John Willis. Due to faults in her sister ship Blackadder, which caused dismasting on her maiden voyage, Hallowe'en was not handed over to Willis for nearly 18 months after her launch due to protracted legal action. Hallowe'en was fast in light airs and recorded many fast passages from China. In 1887 she was on passage from Foochow loaded with tea and was wrecked off Salcombe, South Devon, Britain
• Hippogriffe, was launched in 1852 from Shiverick Shipyards in East Dennis, MA. It sailed 1,800 miles with a hunk of coral 18 inches in diameter in its hull.
• Hornet, 1851. Built by Westervelt and Mackay in New York. She burned at sea in 1866. Her crew took to three lifeboats, only one of which eventually reached Hawaii after a voyage of 4300 miles.
• Houqua, 1844. Laid down along lines designed by packet captain Nat Palmer of Stonington, Connecticut. Built by Brown & Bell of New York for the China merchants A.A. Low & Bro, she was launched in 1844, named after a Chinese merchant who had died the previous year. Dogged by ill luck during her career, she disappeared at sea after leaving Yokohama in 1864.
• James Baines, 1854. Launched on 25 July from the East Boston shipyard of the famous ship builder Donald McKay in the USA for the Black Ball Line of James Baines & Co., Liverpool. achieved 21 knots speed in 1856. Under Captain C. McConnell, she sailed from Boston to Liverpool in 12 days, 6 hours.
• John Gilpin, 1852. 195 ft. She was built by Samuel Hall of Boston for owners Pierce, Hunnewell & Company, Boston. Under Captain Justin Doane, she sailed from New York to San Francisco in 93 days.
• John R. Worcester, 1865, composite built clipper, built by Marine Investment Co. Ltd (Glasgow) for John R. Worcester, London. 191'5" x 32'4" x 19'9", 844 tons net.
• Kaisow, 1868, a composite clipper was built by Robert Steele & Company, Greenock, and owned by Killick Martin & Company. She made a voyage from London to Shanghai on December 1st 1869 in 99 days.
• King Philip, 1856, Alna, Maine; wrecked at San Francisco, 1878.
• Lahloo,1867. Robert Steele & Co., Greenock, for Alexander Rodger, Glasgow, owner James Findlay. Won the 1870 tea race. Wrecked on Sandalwood Island, Sunda Islands, on July 31, 1872. 191' x 32' x 20', 799 tons.
• Lammermuir, 1856. Built by William Pile of Sunderland for John "Jock" "White Hat" Willis & Son. Wrecked on the Amherst Reef in the Macclesfield Channel, Gaspar Strait on 31 December 1863. 178' x 34' x 22', 953 NRT.
• Lammermuir,1864. Extreme iron clipper ship built by W. Pile & Co of West Hartlepool for John "Jock" "White Hat" Willis & Son, London. Lost at sea between Adelaide and London 1876. 200' x35' x 21, 1054 NRT.
• Leander, 1867, composite clipper, 215.5 ft. x 35.2 ft. x 20.7 ft., 848 tons net, designed by Bernard Waymouth (1824–1890), built by J.G. Lawrie, Glasgow for Joseph Somes.
• Light Brigade, see Ocean Telegraph.
• Lightning, 1854. Built by Donald McKay for James Baines of the Black Ball Line, Liverpool, for the Australia trade. Second fastest speed record 436 miles in 24 hours on maiden voyage Boston - Liverpool, and third fastest record of 430 miles in 24 hrs going to Australia.
• Lothair, 1869, iron, 794 tons, built by William Walker at Rotherhithe for their own shipping business. In 1873, she was purchased by Killick Martin & Company. Lothair sailed on until about 1910.
• Loch Ard, 1873. Built for the Loch Line. Ran aground on a reef 1 June 1878. 253', 1693 tons.
• Lookout, 1853. Built by Chase and Davis for E. Buckley and sons. Wrecked in the Japan Sea after being dismasted in a typhoon, 1878. 198' x38' x 22' 1291 tons.
• Lord of the Isles, 1853. Iron hulled clipper built by Robert Scott & Co., Greenock. Won the tea race 1856. 24 July 1852 caught fire and was abandoned at sea. 185 x 28 x 18, 770 tons OM, 691 tons NM.
• Marco Polo, 1851. In 1852 she made England-Australia round trip in less than 6 months.
• The Mary Whitridge, 1855, built in Baltimore, owned by Thomas Whitridge & Co. She was commanded by Captain Robert B. Cheesborough of Baltimore. She measured at 877 tons, with length of 168 feet, breadth 34 feet, depth 21 feet. On her maiden voyage Mary Whitridge sailed from Cape Charles to Liverpool in just 13 days 7 hours. For many years she was ran by Captain Benjamin F. Cutler in the China trade. Clark writes that she was regarded "the finest and fastest ship sailing out of Baltimore" at that time.
• Mimosa, 1853, converted to carry Welsh settlers to Patagonia in 1865.
• National Eagle – 1852 ~ 1884 – Medium clipper built by Joshua T. Foster at Medford, Mass. for Fisher & Co. of Boston – 179’ x 36’ x 24’
• Neptune's Car — This extreme clipper ship was built in 1853 by Page & Allen, Portsmouth, Virginia. Dimensions 216'×40'×23'6" and tonnage 1,616 (of cargo carrying volume—old measurement). Launched April 16, 1853 for Foster & Nickerson, New York.
• Newcastle launched in 1857, 1275 tons, was built by W. Pile junior at Sunderland for Richard Green's London to India service.
• Norman Court, 1869, composite built clipper, 197.4 ft. x 33 ft. x 20 ft., 833.87 tons net, designed by William Rennie, built by A & J Inglis, Glasgow. On the night of 29 March 1883 in a strong gale she was driven ashore and wrecked in Cymmeran Bay.
• North American. 1851 (keel laid). Renamed Marianna VI and finally Redemptora. A clipper ship built by Algernon Austin of Maine and employed as an immigration ship during the Gold Rush and the American Civil War. Launched in 1852. Dimensions 194'x 38' x 28'. Almost sunk during her last voyage from Brazil to Australia in 1888 (as Redemptora).
• Northern Light, 1851, built in Boston and designed by naval architect Samuel Hartt Pook. His design for the new Northern Light was radically innovative, being raked very sharply below the waterline and with full and powerful lines topside. Arguably, the Northern Light was the fastest of all the clipper ships. In 1853, Northern Light set the record from San Francisco around Cape Horn to an east coast port (Boston) of 76 days 5 hours.
• Ocean Telegraph, 1854. Renamed Light Brigade 1863. A clipper ship built for Reed, Wade & Co., Boston for the New York to San Francisco run. Built by James O. Curtis, Medford, Massachusetts, to the design of Boston-based naval architect Samuel Hartt Pook. Launched 29 March 1854. Dimensions 227' × 40' × 23' and tonnage 1495 tons Old Measurement. A very sharp clipper said to be one of the most perfect ships ever built as no expense was spared to make her so.

• Phoenician, 478 tons, White Star line, first clipper ship to go to Australia, arrived Port Jackson July 21, 1849, a trip of 91 days.
• Queen Of Nations, 1861, 827 tons, built in Aberdeen, wrecked in 1881 with a cargo of distilled spirits

  

  Rainbow (1844), the first clipper

• Rainbow, 1844. Sometimes called the first of the true clipper ships, designed by John W. Griffiths and built by Smith & Dimon of New York for China merchants Howland & Aspinwall. So extensive was criticism of her radical design that Howland & Aspinwall delayed her construction, weighing a redesign, while rivals Brown & Bell, also of New York, completed and launched the clipper Houqua for China merchants A.A. Low & Bro. Rainbow was not launched until Feb 1845, 9 months after Houqua.
• Red Jacket, 1853, 260 ft. x 44 ft., 4,000 tons net. Designed by Samuel Hartt Pook, built by the George Taylor yards, Rockland. Her maiden voyage, from New York to Liverpool under Captain Asa Eldridge set an unbroken dock to dock speed record of 13 days, one hour and 25 minutes. She originally sailed the Liverpool to Melbourne run. In 1854 she set another record from Liverpool to Melbourne of 67 days, 13 hours. In 1870 she was sold into the Canadian timber trade, and in 1882 was sent to the Cape Verde Islands, where she expired as a coal hulk.
• Scawfell, 1858, built of wood, strengthened by iron braces, by Charles Lamport of Workington, Cumberland. In 1861 she made the record voyage under Captain Robert Thomson of 88 days from Whampoa to Liverpool (85 days pilot to pilot).
• Sea Nymph, 1852. She was built in Fairhaven, Mass and was one of the largest ships of her time at 1253 tons She was employed in the New York to San Francisco trade and carried freight as well as passengers. She was lost in the storm on Point Reyes, California in May, 1861.
• Sea Witch, 1846. She was built by Smith & DiMonte of New York for owners Holland & Aspinwall. The 170 ft, 3 in. Her 140 ft mainmast carried 5 tiers of sails, as did the shorter fore and mizzen masts. In 1849 she made a record-setting run from Hong Kong to New York in 74 days under Captain Robert "Bully Bob" Waterman. The previous record, also held by Sea Witch and Captain Waterman, was 77 days, set in 1847.
• Serica 1863, built by Robert Steele & Co, Greenock for the China tea trade. Participated in The Great Tea Race of 1866.
• Sir Lancelot, 1865, 197.6 ft. x 33.7 ft. x 21 ft., 886 tons net, built by Robert Steele & Co, Greenock. Richard 'Dickie' Robinson of Workington was appointed captain. Robinson had already won three tea races as the commander of Fiery Cross, before placing a disappointing fourth in The Great Tea Race of 1866 which was won in 99 days. Captain Roinson won the race a further two times with Sir Lancelot. On his final passage in 1869, he came home in 89 days, a record that still stands to this day. In 1895 under Persian ownership, she was rumoured to have sunk on 1 October during a cyclone near Sand Heads, Calcutta whilst on passage from the Red Sea loaded with salt.
• Snow Squall, 1851. Small clipper, 800 tons, built for the China trade. Largest surviving piece of an American extreme clipper, was used as a dock in Port Stanley Falkland Islands. 19 feet of her bow is now in S Portland, Maine in a purpose-built museum.

  

  Sovereign of the Seas (1852), the fastest clipper

• Sovereign of the Seas, 1852, 258 ft, the fastest and longest ship yet built when she was launched in New York, designed and built by Donald Mackay, America's foremost clipper designer, for owners Funke & Meinke of New York. On her maiden voyage, she sailed New York to San Francisco in 103 days. This ship achieved the fastest ever recorded speed of a sailing vessel (22 knots).
• Stad Amsterdam, 2000, clipper, built for the Randstad and the City of Amsterdam.
• Stag, 1854, built in LaHave, Nova Scotia, known for her dramatic Aberdeen bow and fast Atlantic passages.
• Stag Hound, 1850, 227 ft. and she spread over 8,000 yards of canvas. Extreme clipper, designed by Donald McKay and built in Boston in anticipation of the CA Goldrush. Owned by Sampson & Tappan, Boston. When built, she was the largest vessel in the American merchant marine; the record did not last long. The ship was a newer style of clipper: narrower in beam, sharper in bow, and longer, more heavily yarded and canvassed. It was intended for speed. Under Captain Josiah Richardson, she made a voyage from San Francisco to Canton, China in record time. The best day’s run was 358 nautical miles. The ship sailed from Canton to New York via the Cape of Good Hope, arriving in New York in ten months and twenty three days. It’s around the world voyage paid for the ship and earned $80,000 for her owners. The end of the Staghound came when she caught fire off Pernambuco, Brazil in October, 1861. The crew survived.
• Sweepstakes, 1853, 216 ft. A clipper built by Westervelt & McKay, and owned by Grinnell, Minturn & Co of Boston. Under Captain George E Lane, she sailed from New York to San Francisco in 94 days. It held the record for the New York-Bombay run.
• Swordfish, 1851, 170 ft. Built by William H Webb of New York and owned by Barclays & Livingston of New York. Under Captain David S Babcock, she sailed from NY to San Francisco in 90 days.
• Surprise, 1850
• Syren, 1851, extreme clipper, the longest lived of all the clipper ships, at 68 years 7 months. Syren sailed in the San Francisco trade, in the Far East, and transported whaling products from Hawaii and the Arctic to New Bedford.
• Tayleur, 1854. Designed by William Rennie of Liverpool and built for owners Charles Moore & Company.
• Taeping, 1863. Winner of The Great Tea Race of 1866, docking just twenty minutes ahead of Ariel after racing more than 14,000 miles in 99 days.
• Taitsing, 1865, composite clipper, 192 ft. x 31.5 ft. x 20.15 ft., built by Charles Connell & Co, Glasgow.
• Thermopylae, 1868. A composite clipper ship built by Walter Hood & Co of Aberdeen to the design of Bernard Waymouth of London for the White Star Line of Aberdeen.
• Ticonderoga, 1849. A 169 ft. 4-masted clipper displacing 1,089 tons, launched at Williamsburg, New York. The Ticonderoga was infamous for her "fever ship" voyage in 1852 from Liverpool to Port Phillip carrying 795 passengers. 100 passengers died during the voyage of what was later determined to have been typhus.
• Torrens, 1875. Built in Sunderland and designed to carry passengers and cargo between London and Port Adelaide, South Australia. She was the fastest ship to sail on that route, and the last sailing ship on which Joseph Conrad would serve before embarking on his writing career.
• Wild Hunter, launched in 1855 from Shiverick Shipyards, East Dennis, MA.
• Windhover (clipper 1868) Constructed by Charles Connell & Company of Scotstoon on river Clyde near Glasgow Scotland. Owner: Findlay & Co; A Tea Clipper 847 tons of composite structure; Placed second with a passage of 100 days from Foochow China to London UK 1870. Lost after striking a reef at Bramble Cay, Queensland Australia August 20, 1889.
• Witchcraft, 1850. A clipper ship built by Paul Curtis and Mr. Taylor, and designed by Samuel Hartt Pook.
• Witch of the Wave, 1851, extreme clipper, built by George Raynes, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She held the record passage from Calcutta to Boston, and sailed for over 30 years.
• Wylo, 1869 A Composite clipper owned and operated by Killick Martin & Company, built by Robert Steele & Company Greenock
• Young America, 1853. Built by William Webb of New York.

See also

• List of American-Built Extreme Clipper Ships
• Bibliography of early American naval history
• Bibliography of 18th-19th century Royal Naval history