Sovereign of the Seas (clipper)
 Sovereign of the Seas
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Builder | Donald McKay of East Boston, MA |
| Launched | 1852 |
| Fate | Wrecked in the Strait of Malacca, on voyage from Hamburg to China, 1859.[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Extreme clipper |
| Tons burthen | 2421 tons. |
| Length | 252 ft. (76.8m) |
| Beam | 45.6 ft. (13.9m) |
| Draft | 29.2 ft. (8.9m) |
| Notes | Has held the record for the fastest speed ever for a sailing ship, 22 knots (41 km/h, 25 mph), since 1854 |
Sovereign of the Seas, a clipper ship built in 1852, was a sailing vessel notable for setting the 1854 world record for fastest sailing ship—22 knots.
Sovereign of the Seas has held this record for over 100 years.
Notable passages
Built by Donald McKay of East Boston, Massachusetts, Sovereign of the Seas was the first ship to travel more than 400 nautical miles in 24 hours.[2] On the second leg of her maiden voyage, she made a record passage from Honolulu, Hawaii to New York City in 82 days. She then broke the record to Liverpool, England, making the passage in 13 days 13.5 hours. In 1853 she was chartered by James Baines of the Black Ball Line, Liverpool for the Australia trade.
Fastest speed ever recorded for a sailing ship
In 1854, Sovereign of the Seas recorded the fastest speed ever for a sailing ship, logging 22 knots (41 km/h, 25 mph).[3]
Images
- Sovereign of the Seas, Springfield Museum Currier and Ives lithograph[4]
- Builder's half hull model of Clipper Ship Sovereign of the Seas
- Painting of clipper ship Sovereign of the Seas, San Francisco Public Library
See also
- Donald McKay
- List of large sailing vessels—Can be sorted by speed
- Hobart Bosworth—Cabin boy on Sovereign of the Seas who became a famous actor
Notes
- ^ Lars Bruzelius. "Sailing Ships: Sovereign of the Seas". Retrieved 19 February 2010.
- ^ "San Francisco Commerce, Past, Present and Future". Overland Monthly and Out West Magazine. April 1888. p. 370. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
- ^ Octavius T. Howe; Frederick G. Matthews (1986). American Clipper Ships 1833-1858. Vol. 1. New York. ISBN 0-486-25115-2.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Nathaniel Currier (1852). "Sailing Ships: Sovereign of the Seas, hand-colored lithograph". Springfield Museums Michele & Donald D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
References
- Lyon, Jane D (1962). Clipper Ships and Captains. New York: American Heritage Publishing.
- Lars Bruzelius (15 February 2000). "Sovereign of the Seas". Retrieved 27 November 2007.
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- Individual sailing vessels
- Ships built in Boston
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- Age of Sail merchant ships of the United States
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- Shipwrecks in the Strait of Malacca
- 1852 ships
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