This work offers a new and comprehensive account of the fastest and most beautiful sailing ships ever built. It explores the quest for speed on the seas from the early 1800s through the fast-paced times of the 1850s spurred on by the California Gold Rush of 1849. Not only are the career details of such noted ships as the Flying Cloud and Challenge discussed in detail, but they are also put in context with the times in which they operated. Their builders in East Coast states from Maine to Florida are discussed in detail, as are the men, and a woman in one instance, who commanded and manned these ships. The book documents the roles that owners and shipping agents played, what kinds of cargo the ships carried worldwide and the unusual trades in which they participated.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments viii
Introduction 1
Part One: The History of the Clipper
I. Westward Ho: The Coming of the Clipper 6
II. Challenge: The Design of a Clipper Ship 17
III. Young Mechanic: The Building of a Clipper Ship 39
IV. Architect: The Clipper Ship Builders 70
V. Intrepid: Clipper Ship Commanders, Crew and Passengers 80
VI. Wild Rover: Clipper Ship Voyages and Trade 129
VII. Titan: Clipper Ship Owners and Agents 159
VIII. Sweepstakes: Fast Passages and Record Setting Voyages
IX. Hurricane: Shipwrecks and Other Noteworthy Clipper Events
X. Twilight: The End of the American Clipper Ship Era 232
Part Two: Clipper Builders and Their Ships by State 255
Bibliography 355
Index 359
