![]() Their hull lines tended to be very sharp, with a "V"-shaped cross-section below the waterline and strongly raked stem, stern posts, and masts. These vessels may also be referred to as Baltimore Flyers.īaltimore clippers were built as small, fast sailing vessels for trade around the coastlines of the United States and with the Caribbean Islands. An early form of clipper, the name is most commonly applied to two-masted schooners and brigantines. Replica of 1847 "Baltimore Clipper" Californian built in 1984Ī Baltimore clipper is a fast sailing ship historically built on the mid-Atlantic seaboard of the United States of America, especially at the port of Baltimore, Maryland. ( April 2009) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. By the early 20th century, clipper ships were no longer competitive and disappeared from global shipping lanes.This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 also favored the usage of steamships in long-distance trade between Europe and Asia by reducing travel distances and undermining the niche advantage that clipper ships had over such distances. ![]() The economies of scale they conferred undermined the competitiveness of sailships over increasingly longer distances. The clipper era ended when reduced freight rates made possible the introduction of steamships that offered the double benefit of faster speeds as well as using direct paths. Tea was a particularly time-sensitive commodity since its quality deteriorated with time and thus commercially benefited from fast clipper services. As hinted, the growth of the China trade in the second half of the 19th century created the most substantial impetus for the usage of clippers. For instance, the California clipper, the China clipper, and the tea clipper were all ship-rigged vessels with sharp bows and were designed for speed. By 1845, the term was used in conjunction with a name indicating the cargo carried, or area served by a fast-sailing vessel, and a specific rig type was usually indicated. The absolute one-day distance record made by a clipper involved 436 nautical miles.Ĭlipper ships were fast, but no specific rig type was standard. For instance, the clipper ship “Oriental” could sail from Hong Kong to London in 97 days. ![]() Their impact on trade was very significant, as before their introduction, it could take between 12 and 15 months to sail from South Asia to England. They usually carried crews of about 25 to 50 sailors. Because of this advantage, they were able to fill a valuable niche of “express” cargo and passenger services, much similar to what long-distance airliners assumed from the 1960s. Up to 20 nautical mph speeds have been recorded but with limited cargo-carrying capacity (long and thin design with large sail surface). The name was adopted by the 1830s for a fast seagoing, cargo-carrying vessel. They represented the utmost evolution and refinement in the design of sailships. Source: “The Prinz Albert” (1897) painted by Antonio Jacobsen (1850-1921).Ĭlipper ships were so named because they were fast sailors, a term derived from to “clip”, which is getting as much propulsion as possible from the available wind.
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