Although clippers could be much faster than early steamships, they depended on the vagaries of the wind, while steamers could keep to a schedule. Why did the clipper ship industry collapse?ĭecline in the use of clippers started with the economic slump following the Panic of 1857 and continued with the gradual introduction of the steamship. … From an economic standpoint clipper ships made poor slave ships. They were built for speed, with sleek, narrow hulls and limited cargo space. They were developed in the mid-1800s, decades after the importation of slaves was prohibited in the United States in 1808. Did clipper ships carry slaves?Ĭlipper ships played a minimal role in the slave trade. These ships were also much more loftily rigged than typical merchant ships. They were built to carry high-value freight, like tea from China or, during the Gold Rush, dry goods and provisions to California that would fetch very high prices. What was the purpose of the clipper ship? How long did it take the clipper ships to travel from New York to Hong Kong?Īn American merchantman, the Rainbow of 1845, is sometimes described as the first of the clipper breed, and her immediate successor, the Oriental, created a sensation by making the passage from New York to Hong Kong in only 81 days in 1850-a time unmatched for the day. A clipper ship had three masts with square sails covering every coverable feasible area on the mast. The most important aspect of a clipper ship was speed and it was built to enhance a streamlined design and enable cargo owners to maximize revenue while keeping down costs.
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