Shamrock (yacht)
 | |
| Yacht club | Royal Ulster Yacht Club  |
|---|---|
| Nation |  United Kingdom |
| Designer(s) | William Fife III |
| Builder | J. Thorneycroft & Co. |
| Launched | June 24, 1899 |
| Owner(s) | Sir Thomas Lipton |
| Racing career | |
| Skippers | Captain Archibald "Archie" Hogarth |
| America's Cup | 1899 |
| Specifications | |
| Displacement | 156.9 metric tonnes |
| Length | 38.86 m (127.5 ft) (LOA) 25.12 m (82.4 ft) (LWL) |
| Beam | 7.46 m (24.5 ft) |
| Draft | 6.15 m (20.2 ft) |
| Sail area | 1,214.30 m2 (13,070.6 sq ft) |
Shamrock was a racing yacht built in 1898 that was the unsuccessful Irish challenger for the 10th America's Cup in 1899 against the United States defender, Columbia.
Design
Shamrock was designed by third-generation Scottish boatbuilder, William Fife III, and built in 1898 by J. Thorneycroft & Co., at Church Wharf, Chiswick, for owner Sir Thomas Lipton of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club (and also of Lipton Tea fame).[1] However her draft was too great for construction at Chiswick and she was built at Millwall.[2]
Shamrock was built of all-metal construction, with a steel frame and a pine deck. She was skippered by Captain Archibald "Archie" Hogarth.
Career
Shamrock (also known as Shamrock I, to distinguish her from her successors) was built in 1898 under a shroud of secrecy, and christened by Lady Russell of Killowen at its launch on June 24, 1899.
During her trials she raced against the 1895 America's Cup challenger, Valkyrie III, as well as twice beating HMY Britannia in regattas on the Solent. She sailed to New York for the America's Cup race in the summer of 1899. The Cup defender Columbia beat Shamrock in all three races. She returned to Britain in the autumn of 1899, towed by Lipton's steam yacht, Erin. She was subsequently refitted by Lipton and used as a "trial horse" to test the later challengers, Shamrock II, Shamrock III, and Shamrock IV.
References
- ^ Inkersley, Arthur (May 1899). "The progress of the America's rival" (pdf). Outing. Vol. 34, no. 2. p. 214. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
- ^ Arthure, Humphrey (1983). Thornycroft: Shipbuilding and Motor Works in Chiswick. H. Arthure. p. 16.
External links
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