"They are the most perfect of Man's creations, the closest he shall ever come to divinity and when they are gone, we shall not see their kind again." -- J. Conrad
Neither answer so far is correct. Clippers were wooden hulled and used standard hemp rope as running lines and stays. They were the products of 18th century technology honed to a high degree as the perfect fast wooden sailing vessel. All power for trimming sails and other tasks was human power. Normally less than 2,000 tons. Windjammers on the other hand were steel-hulled and used steel for the lower masts. Stays were usually steel cable, although running rigging would be hemp rope. Power for trimming sail and other rope-hauling tasks sometimes assisted using small steam engines. Much longer, stronger and heavier, built for capacity as well as speed. Not quit as fast as the wooden-hulled clippers, but only two or three knots slower. Wooden clippers were delicate and lightly built and wore out fast. Windjammers were much tougher, many that were not victims of German subs and commerce raiders during the first great war lasting in commercial service until the 1920's and early '30's. The shots seen of sailing ships in this video are windjammers. The only surviving clipper from that era, as far as I know is the Cutty Sark, too delicate to be floated, now in dry-dock with a network of beams to keep it from collapsing on itself Compared to the windjammers from that era that still set sail, often used as training ships.
“Wind jammer” was originally a derogatory term for a subsequent generation of sailing ships about the turn of the 20th century. They used the latest in technology- steel hulls, masts and spars, and wire standing and wire running rigging, swaged to hemp lines for the portion handled by the sailors. They had up to four times the cargo capacity of a typical clipper and were far more economical to run, but almost as fast.
Americans have a nationally chauvanistic and insular view of the history of naval architecture. Boat builders the world over have always understood what makes a fast sailing or rowing vessel. It all depended on the cargo and its timeliness. Fishermen, privateers, opium and slave trades, naval dispatch vessels etc., were built for speed, well before the American clippers of 1848 to 1861, when the war finished them off.
What a load of rubbish, Britian had the biggest fleet of merchant ships including baarques in the world including the fastrat clipper ships . will american B:S. never end
Answer to your question: No; neither will British BS. The American clippers were faster. The film didn't claim a bigger fleet on the American side. The narrative may not be perfect but it is aligned with the traditional understanding of the development of fast cargo ships under sail. America did win the first America's Cup and has won a total of 30, more than all other nations combined. Britain has yet to win one. But to be clear, I am an Anglophile who loves the history of the British Navy and its traditions, though I am a Yank. I'm assuming the use of the word "rubbish" indicates you're British. In the words of a famous American philosopher, can't we all just get along?🙂 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper
@@terrulianI think it is more amusing that the video illustrates the amazing qualities of wooden American clipper ships with film of British and German built four masted steel barques!
@@bunkerhill4854 Right. The first America's Cup was a half-century later and won by a schooner, as you say, with the same name as the vessel in the video. But the statistics on the AC victories/losses are correct.
janandkeithdenton1740, speaking of "rubbish", if you knew anything about sailing ships you would know that the English spelling of "baarques' is actually *barks*. My great grandfather captained and owned a few out of Canada from the 1880's to ~1900. His last was the bark Hamburg, the largest bark built in Canada. Not at all surprising that Britain had a larger mercantile fleet as they had a long history of trade and depended on their colonies for much of their goods and food. But that's beside the point, this documentary is about clipper ships. As for speed; length, in ships like these, determines maximum speed, and generally, a longer ship is faster at intermediate speeds given its likely able to carry more sail. But port to port speed records are determined by conditions and the will of the captain as much as by absolute speed. My great grandfather did the New York to China run from ~1880 to ~1900, well after the clippers. Sailing the bark Hamburg, out of Hantsport NS, set a speed record from Durban South Africa to New York in ~1895. I have the clipping somewhere... I wonder if he surpassed a clipper ship record.
"They are the most perfect of Man's creations, the closest he shall ever come to divinity and when they are gone, we shall not see their kind again." -- J. Conrad
HOW TRUE!
Conrad's quote referrs to me 'n the boys in high school.
As usual america is the best, it gets to be boring after a while.
Propaganda
What's the difference between a Clipper and a Wind Jammer?
Speed. All clippers are wind jammers but not all wind jammers are clippers
Arguably the best windjammers were as fast as the best clippers.@Finderskeepers.
Neither answer so far is correct.
Clippers were wooden hulled and used standard hemp rope as running lines and stays. They were the products of 18th century technology honed to a high degree as the perfect fast wooden sailing vessel. All power for trimming sails and other tasks was human power. Normally less than 2,000 tons.
Windjammers on the other hand were steel-hulled and used steel for the lower masts. Stays were usually steel cable, although running rigging would be hemp rope. Power for trimming sail and other rope-hauling tasks sometimes assisted using small steam engines. Much longer, stronger and heavier, built for capacity as well as speed. Not quit as fast as the wooden-hulled clippers, but only two or three knots slower.
Wooden clippers were delicate and lightly built and wore out fast. Windjammers were much tougher, many that were not victims of German subs and commerce raiders during the first great war lasting in commercial service until the 1920's and early '30's. The shots seen of sailing ships in this video are windjammers. The only surviving clipper from that era, as far as I know is the Cutty Sark, too delicate to be floated, now in dry-dock with a network of beams to keep it from collapsing on itself
Compared to the windjammers from that era that still set sail, often used as training ships.
@@andywomack3414 Thank you for the explanation.👍👍
“Wind jammer” was originally a derogatory term for a subsequent generation of sailing ships about the turn of the 20th century. They used the latest in technology- steel hulls, masts and spars, and wire standing and wire running rigging, swaged to hemp lines for the portion handled by the sailors. They had up to four times the cargo capacity of a typical clipper and were far more economical to run, but almost as fast.
Americans have a nationally chauvanistic and insular view of the history of naval architecture. Boat builders the world over have always understood what makes a fast sailing or rowing vessel. It all depended on the cargo and its timeliness. Fishermen, privateers, opium and slave trades, naval dispatch vessels etc., were built for speed, well before the American clippers of 1848 to 1861, when the war finished them off.
Then why didn't they do it?.....😊
You have an erroneous view of Americans. You kind of suck.
@@kenneth9874 Who? What?
@@dereksollows9783 anyone else the world over....wasn't that apparent?
Where the hell did you research this crap
Everywhere you look.
@@ChimeraActual read a book
What a load of rubbish, Britian had the biggest fleet of merchant ships including baarques in the world including the fastrat clipper ships . will american B:S. never end
Answer to your question: No; neither will British BS. The American clippers were faster. The film didn't claim a bigger fleet on the American side. The narrative may not be perfect but it is aligned with the traditional understanding of the development of fast cargo ships under sail. America did win the first America's Cup and has won a total of 30, more than all other nations combined. Britain has yet to win one. But to be clear, I am an Anglophile who loves the history of the British Navy and its traditions, though I am a Yank. I'm assuming the use of the word "rubbish" indicates you're British. In the words of a famous American philosopher, can't we all just get along?🙂
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper
@@terrulianI think it is more amusing that the video illustrates the amazing qualities of wooden American clipper ships with film of British and German built four masted steel barques!
@@terrulianYou are aware that the Clipper America mentioned in the video is not the America that won the Schooner America’s cup, right?
@@bunkerhill4854 Right. The first America's Cup was a half-century later and won by a schooner, as you say, with the same name as the vessel in the video. But the statistics on the AC victories/losses are correct.
janandkeithdenton1740, speaking of "rubbish", if you knew anything about sailing ships you would know that the English spelling of "baarques' is actually *barks*. My great grandfather captained and owned a few out of Canada from the 1880's to ~1900. His last was the bark Hamburg, the largest bark built in Canada.
Not at all surprising that Britain had a larger mercantile fleet as they had a long history of trade and depended on their colonies for much of their goods and food. But that's beside the point, this documentary is about clipper ships.
As for speed; length, in ships like these, determines maximum speed, and generally, a longer ship is faster at intermediate speeds given its likely able to carry more sail.
But port to port speed records are determined by conditions and the will of the captain as much as by absolute speed. My great grandfather did the New York to China run from ~1880 to ~1900, well after the clippers. Sailing the bark Hamburg, out of Hantsport NS, set a speed record from Durban South Africa to New York in ~1895. I have the clipping somewhere... I wonder if he surpassed a clipper ship record.