![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The ships had low expected lifetimes and rarely outlasted two decades of use before they were broken up for salvage. The "Challenger" returned from Shanghai with "the most valuable cargo of tea and silk ever to be laden in one bottom." The competition among the clippers was public and fierce, with their times recorded in the newspapers. The small, fast ships were ideally suited to low-volume, high-profit goods, such as spices, tea, people, and mail. "The Prinz Albert," 1897, by Antonio JacobsenĬlippers were built for seasonal trades such as tea, where an early cargo was more valuable, or for passenger routes. Sometimes these ships could reach 20 knots (37 km/h). Clippers, outrunning the British blockade of Baltimore, came to be recognized as ships built for speed rather than cargo space while traditional merchant ships were accustomed to average speeds of under 5 knots (9 km/h), clippers aimed at 9 knots (17 km/h) or better. In the United States, the term "clipper" referred to the Baltimore clipper, a topsail schooner that was developed in Chesapeake Bay before the American Revolution and was lightly armed in the War of 1812, sailing under Letters of Marque and Reprisal, when the type-exemplified by the Chasseur, launched at Fells Point, Baltimore, 1814- became known for its incredible speed a deep draft enabled the Baltimore clipper to sail close to the wind (Villiers 1973). ![]()
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