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Line 1: − + − − Clippers were displaced by coal burning steamships which were even faster and carried larger cargoes. + + + + + + + + + +
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'''Clipper ships''' were long, narrow, very fast sailing ships designed by Americans (1843-1869) for very long voyages, as to China. The were [[full-rigged ship]]s that had upwards of an acre of canvas; the design made for limited cargo space.
'''Clipper ships''' were long, narrow, very fast sailing ships designed by Americans (1843-1869) for very long voyages, as to China. The were [[full-rigged ship]]s that had upwards of an acre of canvas; the design made for limited cargo space.
They set many speed records. The "Flying Cloud" in 1854 went from Boston to San Francisco in 89 days 8 hours. The "Sovereign of the Seas" once sailed 421 nautical miles (227 km) in a day--an average of 20.2 mph (32.5 km/h), or 17.5
They set many speed records. The "''Flying Cloud''" in 1854 went from [[Boston]] to [[San Francisco]] in 89 days 8 hours. The "''Sovereign of the Seas''" once sailed 421 nautical miles (227 km) in a day--an average of 20.2 mph (32.5 km/h), or 17.5 knots, which is faster than the cruising speed of most cargo ships today.
knots, which is faster than the cruising speed of most cargo ships today.
The [[American Civil War]] and the increasing use of composite iron and steel hulls led to a shift in clipper construction to Britain, where shipyards had been building smaller vessels of the clipper type for some time, but now began competing directly with the Americans. A golden age of the tea-clipper ensued with the races to bring the first of the seasons’ tea from [[China]] to the [[London]] tea-market, creating enormous public interest.
::In 1866, 5 clippers left Foo Chow in China at about the same time with the two leading ships – ''Ariel'' and ''Taeping'' - arriving in London on the same tide, 99 days later. The last of the 5 arrived less than 2 days after the leaders.
The opening of the [[Suez Canal]] in 1869 spelt the end of the specialised tea-clipper. For a while they were used in the Australian wool trade and carrying South American nitrate - and as a large smuggling craft they were without peer - but the development of the large 4 and 5 masted [[barque]]s with their enormous efficiency and a drop in the need for large cargoes to be transported very quickly led to a rapid end for this glorious craft.
It is fortunate that one of the last of the breed was preserved as a museum. The ''[[Cutty Sark]]'' resides at Greenwich, London, as a reminder of the era.
Whilst it is the large [[full-rigged ship]] that comes to mind, the term was first applied to the very fast [[schooner]]s of the [[Baltimore schooner|Baltimore]] type which became famous for their blockade-running exploits during the [[War of 1812]], and infamous as slave ships after the British abolition in 1807. The introduction of square-rig to the beautifully efficient hull design of these vessels created the American clipper which is still considered to be the pinnacle of the age of the sailing ship.
[[Image:Clipper.jpg|thumb|300px|American clipper ship of 1850s]]
[[Image:Clipper.jpg|thumb|300px|American clipper ship of 1850s]]