Clipper Ships

Clipper ships were so named because they were fast sailors, a term derived from to "clip", that is getting as much propulsion as possible from the available wind. The name was adopted to mean fast ship by the 1830s. For a seagoing, cargo-carrying vessel, the clipper ship was quite fast; speeds have been recorded up to 20 nautical mph. American clipper ships ranged in length from about 46-76 meters. They usually carried crews of about 25 to 50 sailors. Their impact on trade was very significant, as prior to their introduction, it could take between 12 and 15 months to sail from South Asia to England. By 1850, this journey was halved. For instance the clipper ship "Oriental" was able to sail from Hong Kong to London in 97 days that year. The absolute one day distance record made by a clipper involved 436 nautical miles.

"Clipper ships were a high point in the development of the art and science of building sailing vessels. Their bows were distinctively narrow and heavily raked forward, which allowed them to rapidly cut, or “clip,” through the waves. The ships were sleek and generally thin for their length. They possessed limited capacity to carry bulk freight. Still, by incorporating a large relative sail area, the ships created value by capturing and harnessing wind power, and using it rapidly to carry passengers and high value goods over long distances. In this respect, clipper ships filled a transportation niche similar to that of long-range airliners and air-freight transport in the international commerce of today."

Clipper ships were fast but no specific rig type was standard. 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. For instance, the California clipper, the China clipper and the tea clipper which were all ship-rigged vessels with sharp bows and were designed for speed.

"Trade with China began to grow in the 1840s, after the first Opium War, which lasted from 1839-1842. Previously, trade with China had been restricted to transactions that were rigidly managed by Chinese merchants, in strict accord with rather exclusionary Chinese laws and customs. But the Opium War temporarily broke the back of traditional Chinese custom and power, and led Chinese trade to conform more closely to a “Western” style. Increasing levels of trade with China created demand for ships that could make the trip between China, and Europe, and the U.S. in faster time than was previously the case. One key export from China was tea, a seasonal product. These types of Chinese tea became a big hit in the West, which in turn placed an emphasis on speed of transport to ensure that teas reached consumers before their flavors faded. So the earliest clipper ships were built to fulfill the need for extremely fast ships catering to the China tea trade."

The clipper era ended when reduced freight rates made possible the introduction of steamships because only vessels which could carry tremendous amounts of freight were profitable. The opining of the Suez Canal in 1869 also favored the usage of steamships in the long distance trade between Europe and Asia.