Clippers were mostly constructed in British and American shipyards, though France, Brazil, the Netherlands and other nations also produced some. "Clipper" does not refer to a specific sailplan clippers may be schooners, brigs, brigantines, etc., as well as full-rigged ships. Clippers were generally narrow for their length, small by later 19th century standards, could carry limited bulk freight, and had a large total sail area. In 1856, with approximately 500 immigrants from China on board, she ran aground 12 miles (19 km) west of Havana.A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century merchant sailing vessel, designed for speed. The aging clipper ship was reassigned to serve as a steerage vessel carrying immigrants to the Western Hemisphere. Later in the 1850s, Sea Witch physically deteriorated and her place in the fast-freight trade was taken over by newer vessels. In early 1850, Sea Witch completed this passage in 97 days, the first vessel ever to do so in less than 100 days. Voyages Īfter gold was discovered in California, Sea Witch 's owners, Howland & Aspinwall, transferred her from the China trade to the new Cape Horn run from the East Coast to San Francisco. Without the competitive element, I am not sure I could have handled this long voyage.” As of October 25, 2013, Sea Witch continues to hold the Hong Kong-New York record for a monohulled sailing vessel. Du Moulin wrote, “The power of the Sea Witch in heavy seas and strong winds is still awesome, and it was carrying cargo! For me it was essential to have the Sea Witch as a competitor. He said that the Sea Witch did not have the advantage of modern technology or weather forecasts from outside sources. Rich du Moulin, one of the sailors on the Great American II, noted that Sea Witch had faced greater obstacles.
This March 1849 mark is one of the longest-lived human speed records, bettered only in May 2003 by the trimaran Great American II in 72 days 21 hours 11 minutes 38 seconds. She lowered this record to 74 days under the same captain in 1849. In 1847, under Waterman, she made a record-setting run from Hong Kong to New York in 77 days. Howland & Aspinwall gave the command of Sea Witch to Captain Robert Waterman, known in the trade as "Bully Bob" Waterman. The hull was painted black with a contrasting sheerline strip at deck level and the spars were all bright work." Hong-Kong to New York record holder, 1849-2003 "The figurehead was a Chinese dragon with an open mouth and a partly coiled tail. She was briefly the tallest ship afloat, and is credited with being one of the first American "clipper ships." Figurehead Her 140-foot mainmast carried five tiers of sails, as did the shorter foremast and mizzenmast. To this end, she was very heavily sparred and built with especially tall masts for a vessel of her size. She was designed and built by the shipbuilding firm of Smith & Dimon in New York City as a purpose-built vessel for the speedy movement of high-value freight, such as porcelain and tea, from China to the United States East Coast.
Sea Witch was 192 feet in length, had a 43-foot beam, and was of 908 tons burthen.
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