Valkyrie II
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2012) |
 Valkyrie II during the 1893 cup races. | |
| Yacht club | Royal Yacht Squadron  |
|---|---|
| Nation |  England |
| Designer(s) | George Lennox Watson |
| Builder | D&W Henderson |
| Launched | April 29, 1893 |
| Owner(s) | Lord Dunraven |
| Fate | sank July 5, 1894 |
| Racing career | |
| America's Cup | 1893 |
| Specifications | |
| Displacement | 140 tons |
| Length | 35.84 m (117.6 ft) (LOA) 26.06 m (85.5 ft) (LWL) |
| Beam | 6.80 m (22.3 ft) |
| Draft | 5.03 m (16.5 ft) |
55°36′50″N 4°57′00″W / 55.614°N 4.950°W
Valkyrie II was a British racing yacht that was the unsuccessful challenger of the eighth America's Cup race in 1893 against American defender Vigilant.
Design
Valkyrie II was a gaff-rigged cutter. She was designed by George Lennox Watson and built alongside HMY Britannia at the D&W Henderson shipyard, Meadowside, Partick on the River Clyde, Scotland in 1893 for owner Lord Dunraven of the Royal Yacht Squadron.
Valkyrie II had a steel frame, a wooden hull, and a pine deck.
Career
Valkyrie II was launched on April 29, 1893, a week after Britannia, and sailed to the U.S. that October to compete in the eighth America's Cup where she faced Vigilant in a best three out of five races format sailed on alternating courses. The races were sailed October 7, 9, and 13, 1893 off Sandy Hook, NJ just south of New York. The first and third races were 15 miles to windward off Scotland Lightship and return to leeward, the second race was a 30 mile equilateral triangle.[1] [2]
In the first race on October 7, Valkyrie II won the 11:25 am start by 15 seconds and one boat length. At the first mark, Vigilant held a nine minute lead. Vigilant crossed the finish line 7 minutes ahead of Valkyrie II—8 minutes 48 seconds in corrected time.[1][2]
In the second race on October 9, Vigilant won the 11:25 am start by 5 seconds, but Valkyrie II worked out to an early lead of 5 boat lengths in a building 24 miles per hour (39 km/h; 21 kn) breeze. By the first mark, Vigilant held a five minute lead and worked out to a 9 minute lead at the second mark. At the finish Vigilant beat Valkyrie II by 12 minutes 30 seconds—10 minutes 35 seconds in corrected time.[1][2]
In the third race on October 13, 1893, he Valkyrie II led the windward leg, but lost a spinnaker at the two-thirds point of the downwind run. At the finish, Vigilant beat Valkyrie II by 40 seconds in corrected time to successfully defend the cup. The World reported it as the fastest race ever sailed, over a course of 15 miles to windward and return under reefed sail and a gale.[3]
Valkyrie II existed for barely a single year. On July 5, 1894 this Cup contender collided with A. D. Clarke’s cutter yacht Satanita at the Mud Hook Regatta on the Firth of Clyde, killing one crewman. Valkyrie II broke up and sank nine minutes later.[4]
References
- ^ a b c "Vigilant". 32nd America's Cup. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
- ^ a b c "Vigilant Wins!". The Quebec Saturday Budget. Oct 14, 1893. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
- ^ "This Week in Herreshoff History". Herreshoff Marine Museum. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
- ^ "The Yacht Valkyrie sunk" (pdf). New York Times. 6 July 1894. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
External links
- "G. L. Watson, Valkyrie II's Designer".
- "America's Cup's AC-clopaedia: Valkyrie II".
- "Ready for a great contest" (pdf). New York Times. 5 October 1893. - measurement of Valkyrie II for the America's Cup
- Edward Latham (1904). A Dictionary of Names, Nicknames and Surnames, of Persons, Places and Things. George Routledge & Sons Press. p. 318.
- Johnston, John S. "Photography of Valkyrie II and Valkyrie III".
See also
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