 |
 Columbia (right) in 2011 | |
| Yacht club |  New York Yacht Club |
|---|---|
| Nation |  United States |
| Class | 12-metre |
| Sail no | US–16 |
| Designer(s) | Olin Stephens |
| Builder | Nevins, City Island, Bronx |
| Owner(s) | Henry Sears syndicate |
| Racing career | |
| Skippers | Briggs Cunningham |
| Notable victories | 1958 America's Cup |
| America's Cup | 1958 |
| Specifications | |
| Type | Monohull |
Columbia (US-16) was the successful defender of the 1958 America's Cup for the New York Yacht Club, besting the British challenger Sceptre.
Columbia was designed by Olin Stephens and built by Nevins. Built to compete for the right to defend the '58 America's Cup, she was owned by a syndicate headed by New York Yacht Club members Henry Sears, Gerard B. Lambert, Briggs Cunningham, Vincent Astor, James A. Farrell, A. Howard Fuller, and William T. Moore.
Columbia was helmed by Cunningham, the inventor of the cunningham downhaul, with syndicate head Sears as navigator. After defeating Sceptre in the Cup challenge, she went on to a long career competing in the Defender trials for the 1962, 1964, and 1967 America's Cup competitions.
The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy and the other from the yacht club that is challenging for the cup. There is no fixed schedule, with matches held several years apart on dates agreed between the defender and the challenger. The most recent America's Cup match took place in March 2021.
Oracle Team USA is an American yacht racing syndicate initially formed to compete for the 2003 America's Cup. They competed again in the 2007 event before winning the 33rd America's Cup regatta in 2010 – representing the Golden Gate Yacht Club. The team also won the 34th America's Cup in 2013.
The 12 Metre class is a rating class for racing sailboats that are designed to the International rule. It enables fair competition between boats that rate in the class whilst retaining the freedom to experiment with the details of their designs. The designation "12 Metre" does not refer to any single measurement on the boat, and is not referencing the vessels overall length, rather, measures the sum of the components directed by the formula which governs design and construction parameters. Typically 12 Metre class boats range from 65 to 75 feet in length overall; they are most often sloop-rigged, with masts roughly 85 feet tall.
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Dame Pattie is an International 12-metre class racing yacht built for the America's Cup challenge series in 1967. She was designed by Warwick Hood and built by W.H. Barnett in New South Wales, Australia.
Shamrock was a racing yacht built in 1898 that was the unsuccessful Irish challenger for the 1899 America's Cup against the United States defender, Columbia.
Columbia was an American racing yacht built in 1899 for the America's Cup races. She was the defender of the tenth America's Cup race that same year against British challenger Shamrock as well as the defender of the eleventh America's Cup race in 1901 against British challenger Shamrock II. She was the first vessel to win the trophy twice in a row
Columbia was one of the two yachts to successfully defend the second America's Cup race in 1871 against English challenger Livonia.
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Henry Sears was an American commander and a commodore of the New York Yacht Club who competed in the America's Cup and discovered multiple species of marine fish.
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The 1958 America's Cup marked the first Cup match sailed in 12-metre class yachts. Twenty years had passed since the last Cup match, held between immense Universal Rule J-class yachts in 1937 besides World War II, and the New York Yacht Club sought a more affordable alternative to restart interest in the Cup. In 1956 Henry Sears led an effort advancing class yachts. The Royal Yacht Squadron of Great Britain agreed to challenge with a new 12-metre, Sceptre. The New York Yacht Club defended with theirs, Columbia, winning the Cup in a four-race sweep.
Resolute was a yacht designed and built by Nathanael Greene Herreshoff for a syndicate of New York Yacht Club members headed by Henry Walters to contend the 1914 America's Cup.
Sceptre (K-17) was the unsuccessful challenger of the 1958 America's Cup for the Royal Yacht Squadron.
Weatherly is a 12-metre racing yacht that was an unsuccessful defense candidate for the 1958 America's Cup and victorious defender in the 1962 America's Cup.
Sappho was one of two defender yachts at the second America's Cup challenge, stepping in when defender Columbia was damaged in the third race.
Sovereign was the unsuccessful challenger of the 1964 America's Cup for the Royal Thames Yacht Club.
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