.jpg) Fiery Cross, in later years, with the rig reduced tobarque | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Owner | John Campbell,Glasgow |
| Builder | Shipyard at Chaloner, Liverpool |
| Launched | 1860 |
| Notes | First tea clipper home in 1861,1862, 1863 and 1865.[1]: 122 |
| History | |
 Norway | |
| Name | Ellen Lines |
| Acquired | 1887 |
| Out of service | 1889 or 1893 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Clipper ship |
| Tonnage | 695 NRT[1]: 122 |
| Length | 185 ft (56 m)[1]: 120 |
| Beam | 31.7 ft (9.7 m)[1]: 120 |
| Depth | 19.2 ft (5.9 m)[1]: 120 |
| Notes | Designed by William Rennie.[1]: 120 Equipped with Cunningham'sroller-reefingtop-sails and steel masts.[2] |
Fiery Cross was a famous British teaclipper which sailed in theGreat Tea Race of 1866. She was the first ship home in the tea seasons of 1861, 1862, 1863, and 1865.[1]
She was the second tea clipper of this name; the firstFiery Cross, built in 1855, had the same owner and designer and was also built in Liverpool. This earlier ship was lost on the then-unchartedFiery Cross Reef in the China Sea on 4 March 1860 (the crew reached land safely in her boats). The new ship was already being built and so took on the name of her predecessor.[1]
From 1860 to 1875, the ship sailed in the tea trade betweenLondon andChinese ports likeHong Kong,Fuzhou,Canton, andShanghai.[1]: 231–241
Laden with close to a million pounds of tea,Fiery Cross raced nine other ships from China toEngland inThe Great Tea Race of 1866.Fiery Cross arrived fourth, in "the closest run ever recorded".[3] The first five ships,Taiping,Ariel,Serica,Fiery Cross, andTaitsing, finished the 14,000 mile race within three days of one another.
Fiery Cross had the best overall 24-hour run of all the competitors in this race on 24 June, when she travelled 318 miles, averaging 13.7 knots.[4]
According to Lubbock, the tea clippersFiery Cross,Taeping,Serica andLahloo performed at their best inlight breezes, as they were all rigged with singletopsails.[5]
The Taeping took in 1,108,700 lbs. of tea, the Ariel 1,230,900 lbs., the Serica 954,236 lbs., the Fiery Cross 854,236 lbs., and the Taitsing 1,093,130 lbs.
The best twenty-four hours' runs were as follows : Average, Ariel June 25 317 miles 13.2 knots ... Fiery Cross June 24 328 miles 13.7 knots