Ship Encyclopaedia Article

Old Clipper Ships: The Baltimore Clipper

Old clipper ships were in use before the newer ships, which
emerged after 1812. These clippers were fast, and were modified
from English and Dutch ship designs. In Jamaica and Bermuda,
they were also known and used from the 17th Century through the
19th Century. However, the Baltimore clipper was one of the
first of the old clipper ships modified for American use. The
Baltimore clipper appeared as a modified version of a Bermuda
clipper on Chesapeake Bay sometime prior to the American
Revolution.

The Baltimore clipper was not meant as a merchant vessel, even
though other old clipper ships, and most of the clipper ships of
the middle 19th Century were. In fact, these boats were
originally used as pilot boats. They were most often rigged as
schooner or brigantine, but the hull was designed with a
heart-shaped midsection, and was low-sided and sharp-bowed.
Baltimore clippers had a short keep and a very raking stern.

Of the old clipper ships, the Baltimore clipper style ship
quickly became the most well known. It was fast sailing and more
than seaworthy. While heavy cargoes could not be carried, a
Baltimore clipper was very adept and carrying light cargoes, and
were used regular for naval service as well as for illegal
trading (including slave importation after it was outlawed by
the U.S. in 1808). The Baltimore clipper was a favorite of
smugglers and privateers, as well as pirate craft in the West
Indies. Baltimore clippers gained in popularity and renown due
to the parts they played in the U.S.-British War of 1812 and the
Napoleonic Wars.

The most common of the Baltimore version of the old clipper
ships was a topsail schooner. This would be heavily sparred and
canvassed to make maximum use of the sails while sailing close
to the wind. Sharply raking masts help the sails in place, and a
low-sided and sharp-bowed hull made for cutting quickly through
the water (even though there was a draft deep at the rudder’s
heel). In France and the West Indies, this design was copied to
greatest effect, but it faded along with the other old clipper
ships in the 1840s and 1850s when newer, oceangoing vessels
capable of carrying a larger load replaced them.

However, even though there are no surviving Baltimore clippers
left from the era of old clipper ships, it is worth noting that
many small and fleet craft such as fishing boats, schooners,
yachts, and pilot boats were designed after the order of the
Baltimore clipper.