Red Rover (clipper)

The opium clipper Red Rover (left) and the Streatham on the Hooghly river in the 1830s
History
Name	Red Rover
Owner	Captain William Clifton
Builder	Captain William Clifton, Howrah
Launched	1830
Acquired	Jardine, Matheson & Co., 1832
General characteristics
Class & type	Opium clipper
Tons burthen	254 (bm)
Length	97 ft (29.5656000 m)
Beam	24 ft (7 m)
Draught	11 ft (3 m)
Sail plan	Barque

Red Rover was the name of two clipper ships.

Red Rover, opium clipper

Red Rover, built in 1829, was a 254-ton clipper "built, owned, and operated" by Captain William Clifton which was "one of the fastest" opium clippers running between Calcutta and Lintin in the 1830s. ^[1] Red Rover was modeled after an American War of 1812 blockade runner, Prince de Neufchatel , and was "the first clipper to sail to Canton against the wind." ^[2]

The well-known firm of Jardine, Matheson & Co. held shares in the ship beginning in 1832. ^{[1] [3]}

Red Rover, California clipper

United States
Name	Red Rover
Builder	Fernald & Pettigrew, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Launched	1852
Renamed	Sold to James Baines & Co., Liverpool, for $25.000 in 1861, renamed Young Australia
Fate	Wrecked on Moreton Island, May 1872
General characteristics
Class & type	Clipper

The second Red Rover Clipper ship, her sailing card

A second clipper named Red Rover, active in the California trade, was built by Fernald & Pettigrew in 1852. ^[4] Between 22 January – 2 May 1854, the ship sailed from New York to San Francisco in 120 (122) days. The Seaman's Bride and Winged Racer which left New York one respectively two days after the Red Rover arrived at San Francisco on 23 May. ^[5]

Red Rover was damaged in the 26–27 December 1853 fire which destroyed the clipper Great Republic . ^[5]

Later, the ship served in the guano trade, sailing "from Baker's Island with a cargo of guano to Hampton Roads in 99 days," between 28 August – 5 December 1860. ^[5]

Citations

1. Le Pichon, Alain (10 August 2006). China Trade and Empire: Jardine, Matheson & Co. and the Origins of British Rule in Hong Kong, 1827-1843. Oxford University Press. pp. 214–. ISBN   978-0-19-726337-2 . Retrieved 31 March 2013.
2. Carl Trocki (1999). Opium Empire and the Global Political Economy. Psychology Press. pp. 104–. ISBN   978-0-415-19918-6 . Retrieved 31 March 2013.
3. Lubbock, Basil (1933). The Opium Clippers. Boston, MA: Charles E. Lauriat Co. p. 382.
4. Clark, Arthur Hamilton (1910). The Clipper Ship Era: An Epitome of Famous American and British Clipper Ships, Their Owners, Builders, Commanders, and Crews, 1843-1869. Putnam. p. 216. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
5. Bruzelius, Lars (20 May 1998). "Clipper ships: "Red Rover" (1852)" . Retrieved 31 March 2013.

References

• Lubbock, Basil (1933). The Opium Clippers. Boston, MA: Charles E. Lauriat Co. Extensive mention of Red Rover 's career.