Clipper City (schooner)
 The 1984 replica of the Clipper City
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Clipper City |
| Operator | Manhattan by Sail.com |
| Ordered | 1984 |
| Builder | Haglund Boatworks, Green Cove Springs, Florida |
| Homeport | New York, NY |
| Identification | 688904 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Topsail Schooner |
| Tonnage | 99.5 |
| Displacement | 200 tons |
| Length | 158 ft (48 m) |
| Beam | 27.5 ft (8.4 m) |
| Height | 135 ft (41 m) from waterline |
| Draft | 14 ft (4.3 m) w/ centerboard, 6 ft (1.8 m) w/o |
| Propulsion | Sail; auxiliary engine |
| Sail plan | Two-masted square-topsail gaff schooner, 9,836 square feet (913.8 m2) total sail area |
| Capacity | 150 persons (not including crew) |
| Crew | 9 |
Clipper City is a modern replica of a nineteenth-century cargo schooner.
The original Clipper City
[edit]The first Clipper City was a cargo clipper schooner built in Manitowoc, Wisconsin in 1854.[1] Manitowoc soon became known for its shipbuilding industry, and "Clipper City" was adopted as a nickname for the town itself. A replica cross section of the Clipper City is on permanent display at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum.[2]
The replica
[edit]In 1984, the plans for the original Clipper City were purchased from the Smithsonian Institution,[3] and naval architects DeJong & Lebet, Inc. were hired to adapt the design to meet modern safety requirements. The new vessel, also named Clipper City, was a steel-hulled schooner carrying eight sails on two steel masts: six fore-and-aft rigged sails, and two square topsails.[4]
The Clipper City offered passenger sails out of Baltimore, Maryland for over twenty years, with occasional trips to the Caribbean and other destinations.
Current status
[edit]In 2007, Clipper City's then owner, John Kircher, filed for bankruptcy to avoid foreclosure on the vessel by Regal Bancorp, Inc. Clipper City's Coast Guard certification was revoked shortly thereafter due to a hull failure. Following a brief seizure by U.S. Marshals, the vessel was sold at auction to Regal Bancorp for $350,000.[5]
Clipper City was then purchased by ESV Corp and rebuilt to original condition. She operates as a day sail tour boat, running out of Battery Park in New York City, and is also available for private charters and corporate events by Manhattan By Sail.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Gjerset, Knut (1979). Norwegian Sailors on the Great Lakes. Ayer Publishing, p. 66. ISBN 0-405-11636-5. Google Book Search. Retrieved on July 18, 2008.
- ^ Wisconsin Maritime Museum Exhibits
- ^ Former owner's website[permanent dead link]
- ^ Naval architects DeJong & Lebet, Inc.
- ^ WJZ-TV article, "Baltimore's Clipper City Tall Ship Sold"[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Tour ship runs aground near Statue of Liberty". 21 September 2014.
External links
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