 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Race Horse |
| Owner | J.M. Forbes, I. Goddard & Co.,Boston |
| Builder | Samuel Hall,East Boston |
| Launched | June 1850 |
| Fate | Vanished early 1865 |
| Notes | Designed by Samuel Hall; sometimes attributed toSamuel H. Pook |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 512[1]/530 tons |
| Length | 128 ft. LOA |
| Beam | 30 ft. 6 in. |
| Draft | 16 ft. |
| Notes | 1 deck and hold beams partially decked[2][3] |
Race Horse was an 1850clipperbarque. She set a record of 109 days from New York to San Francisco during the first Clipper Race around the Horn.
Race Horse was similar to a barque built by Samuel Hall a few years earlier,Coquette. The design ofRace Horse has been credited to bothSamuel Hartt Pook and to Hall. According to a letter written by Hall to the "Boston Daily Atlas", he asked Pook to make the models and molds forRace Horse based on Coquette, with a few modifications, in order to help Pook to "get his name before the public".[4]
Race Horse performed well in the First Clipper Race Aroundthe Horn, which took place in 1850.Race Horse sailed from Boston to San Francisco in 109 days (or 94 days, 14 hours land to land). She made Cape Horn just 52 days out on this trip, 20 miles offshore.[3]
"The keen rivalry between clippers led to races over thousands of miles of seas; and upon the result thousands of dollars were often wagered."[5]
The new clippersRace Horse,Celestial, andMandarin challengedHoqua,Sea Witch,Samuel Russell, andMemnon, which were old rivals in theChina trade.
"Large sums of money were wagered on the result, the four older vessels having established high reputations for speed. TheSamuel Russell was commanded by Charles Low, previously of theHoqua, while theHoqua was now commanded by Captain McKenzie; Captain Gordon was again in theMemnon, and Captain George Fraser, who had sailed withCaptain Waterman as chief mate."[6]
Samuel Russell knocked eleven days off the record, arriving first in San Francisco after 109 days from New York.Race Horse would also make a 109-day passage, but it wasHoqua that arrived next, having made a 120-day trip from New York. The following daySea Witch arrived after a 97-day passage, knocking an additional 12 days off the record. The performance ofSea Witch was particularly astonishing because she had rounded Cape Horn during the Antarctic midwinter.
"The remaining ships arrived in the following order:Memnon, 123 days,Celestial, 104 days,Race Horse, 109 days from Boston, andMandarin, 126 days from New York-- all 'exceptionally fine passages,' average passages of the time being 159 days."[6]
On August 8, 1851,Race Horse sailed from Boston toSmyrna, Turkey under the command of Captain Searles, with several passengers who were en route with their wives to work as missionaries inArmenia: Sanford Richardson, Edwin Goodell, and Benjamin Parsons.[7]
clipper memnon.