Last Days of the Sail

Packets

After 1800, a new type of merchant ship developed called the packet. Companies were interested in them because not because of the ships, but because of the operation. Packets were early ocean liners, carrying comfortable accomadations and were reasonably timely. Companies kept their fleets up-to-date and sold off packets just a few years old to whalers.

Clippers

Clippers were probably some of the most famous sailing vessels ever, and not without reason. They were very fast, moving at a good 'clip', hence the name. The first clippers were schooners called Baltimore clippers (they were built in Baltimore). Typical clippers were narrow and long, with sharp bows. Their large amound of sail allowed them to go faster than any other ship of the time. They were used in the highly competitive opium and tea trade in China, over which the Opium Wars were fought. Later, the California gold rush gave another incentive to clippers, which could rush passengers and material to California under three months. Later, these ships ran to Australia, during its gold rush of 1851, and continued running to China. The Civil War radically changed the seas, and clipper era was over. When the Suez Canal opened in 1869, cutting down the distance between Europe and Asia, steamers became dominant.

The Last Sailing Ships

The last merchant sailing ships (sports yachts are ever popular), which survived into the 20th century, were down-easters and iron sailing ships. Down-easters were about the best overall sailing ships ever. They were developed during the Civil War times. Down-easters were not as fast as clippers, having a less sharp hull and less sail, but had more capacity and were cheaper to operate. Wire had replaced rope, making the ships more durable. Large sails had been cut up into several rectangular ones that were easily managed. Steam machinery onboard lowered the size of the crew.

Iron, and later, steel, were flexible materials: strong and versatile. Iron sailing ships not only survived, but prospered, well into the 20th century. Designers replaced wooden masts and spars with iron masts and spars, wooden hulls with iron hulls. Iron schooners with up to seven masts made their appearance and operated economically. What helped them succeed was the fact that steamers needed incredible amounts of coal. Iron schooners hauled cargo anywhere and everywhere whereas steamers could only go where there was coal to refuel them. However, steam ships improved steadily and by World War II, the sailing merchant had practically dissapeared from the seas.