Dutch clipper
Encyclopedia
While the majority of the clipper ships sailed under British and American flags, more than a hundred clippers were built in the Netherlands
. They were medium clipper
s rather than the larger extreme clipper
.
At an exhibition in Amsterdam in 1852 the Dutch lieutenant-commander M.H. Jansen showed a model of a medium-clipper which he obtained from the shipbuilders Perrine, Patterson & Stack of Williamsburg, Brooklyn
. The shipping company of Gebr. Blussé (Dordrecht
) were very impressed by this model. This resulted in the launching of the clipper Kosmopoliet
(800 tons) for the company in 1854. She is said to be the first Dutch clipper.
But in 1850 the barque Magdalena (377 ton) was built in Amsterdam
, and in 1853 four more ships with clipper lines were launched, of which the iron ship California
(663 ton) is the most famous. She was built by Fop Smit
, commanded by F.C. Jaski for the company L. Bienfait & sn. On her maiden voyage Jaski sailed her in 86 days from The Downs
to Port Adelaide
, delivering a hundred satisfied English immigrants.
The Kosmopoliet also carried cargo and passengers. She was full-rigged and carried royals
and skysail
s on all three mast
s. Though a voyage from Holland to Java normally took a hundred days or more (port to port), the Kosmopoliet completed her maiden voyage in 89 days. Later she did the passage in 76, 74 and 77 days. In 1862 the Kosmopoliet II (1200 tons) was launched, followed by Kosmopolitet III, which measured 1385 tons.
Other companies soon followed Gebr. Blussé. Some clipper ships were purchased from abroad, like the Electra
(formerly, Witch of the Wave), but most were built in Dutch shipyards.
Other famous series were built, like the Noach I to VI (950 to 1350 tons), several Thorbecke's, the Lichtstraal (1260 tons), Voorlichter (1660 tons), Nestor, Utrecht, etc.
In 1874 a Dutch government investigation into the condition of the shipping industry, called the Enquête of 1874, stated that in 1868 sixteen clipper ships were registered, with a total tonnage of 6000 tons. In 1873 there were eighteen ships (totalling 7878 tons). However, other sources mention a greater number of ships that can be called medium clippers.
Probably there was a difference of opinion in the definition of the clipper. Maybe the ships in the Enquête were only called clipper when they were full rigged, but there were other rigs too. In 1854 for example, the Argo was launched as a 4-masted Jackass-barque
. Others were rigged as barque
and the Reinhart was a brigantine
.
The total list enumerates 140 ships. Eighteen of those were built in foreign shipyards.
Of the 122 Dutch ships:
In later years some of the full-rigged ships were re-rigged as other types. 21 were re-rigged as barques, and 1 barque was even re-rigged into a ship. One re-rigged barque was further reduced into a schooner.
Ten ships were built in iron, 6 were composite
ships and 3 were built in steel.
Three ships were built with auxiliary steam engine
s, but all three ships had the engines taken out after a few years.
Even today the Dutch have a clipper sailing - the full rigged ship Stad Amsterdam
. Built in 2000 by Damen Shipyards
, owned by Randstad Holding and the city of Amsterdam
. They also built the Cisne Branco
which was commissioned for Brazilian Navy
in 2000.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. They were medium clipper
Medium clipper
A Medium clipper is a type of clipper designed for both cargo carrying capacity and speed. An evolutionary adaptation of the extreme clipper, the medium clipper had been invented by 1851, when the hull type appeared in U.S. shipyards...
s rather than the larger extreme clipper
Extreme clipper
An extreme clipper is a clipper designed to sacrifice cargo capacity for speed. They had a bow lengthened above the water, a drawing out and sharpening of the forward body, and the greatest breadth further aft. Extreme clippers were built in the period 1845 to 1855.-Medium and extreme clippers:From...
.
At an exhibition in Amsterdam in 1852 the Dutch lieutenant-commander M.H. Jansen showed a model of a medium-clipper which he obtained from the shipbuilders Perrine, Patterson & Stack of Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
. The shipping company of Gebr. Blussé (Dordrecht
Dordrecht
Dordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...
) were very impressed by this model. This resulted in the launching of the clipper Kosmopoliet
Kosmopoliet
Kosmopoliet I is said to have been one of the first Dutch clippers.-Kosmopoliet I:She was launched on 29 November, 1854 by the shipyard of Cornelis Gips and Sons in Dordrecht, The Netherlands, for the account of the shipping company of Gebr...
(800 tons) for the company in 1854. She is said to be the first Dutch clipper.
But in 1850 the barque Magdalena (377 ton) was built in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, and in 1853 four more ships with clipper lines were launched, of which the iron ship California
California (Dutch Ship)
California is the most famous of four Dutch clippers launched in 1853. An iron-hulled clipper, she was built by Fop Smit and mastered by F.C. Jaski for the company L. Bienfait & sn. On the maiden voyage Jaski sailed her in 86 days from The Downs to Port Adelaide, delivering a hundred English...
(663 ton) is the most famous. She was built by Fop Smit
Fop Smit
Fop Smit was a Dutch naval architect, shipbuilder, and shipowner. He founded the towage and salvage company L. Smit & Co that is now part of Smit International...
, commanded by F.C. Jaski for the company L. Bienfait & sn. On her maiden voyage Jaski sailed her in 86 days from The Downs
The Downs
The Downs are a roadstead or area of sea in the southern North Sea near the English Channel off the east Kent coast, between the North and the South Foreland in southern England. In 1639 the Battle of the Downs took place here, when the Dutch navy destroyed a Spanish fleet which had sought refuge...
to Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide is a suburb of Adelaide lying about 14 kilometres northwest of the City of Adelaide. It lies within the City of Port Adelaide Enfield and is the main port for the city of Adelaide...
, delivering a hundred satisfied English immigrants.
The Kosmopoliet also carried cargo and passengers. She was full-rigged and carried royals
Royal (sail)
A royal is a small sail flown immediately above the topgallant on square rigged sailing ships. It was originally called the "topgallant royal" and was used in light and favorable winds....
and skysail
Skysail
*A skysail is the uppermost sail in many old square-rigged sail-plans .It was also on the royal mast above the royal sail....
s on all three mast
Mast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
s. Though a voyage from Holland to Java normally took a hundred days or more (port to port), the Kosmopoliet completed her maiden voyage in 89 days. Later she did the passage in 76, 74 and 77 days. In 1862 the Kosmopoliet II (1200 tons) was launched, followed by Kosmopolitet III, which measured 1385 tons.
Other companies soon followed Gebr. Blussé. Some clipper ships were purchased from abroad, like the Electra
Witch of the Wave (clipper)
Witch of the Wave was a long-lived extreme clipper in the California trade, with a sailing life of over 34 years. She held the record passage from Calcutta to Boston.-Construction:...
(formerly, Witch of the Wave), but most were built in Dutch shipyards.
Other famous series were built, like the Noach I to VI (950 to 1350 tons), several Thorbecke's, the Lichtstraal (1260 tons), Voorlichter (1660 tons), Nestor, Utrecht, etc.
In 1874 a Dutch government investigation into the condition of the shipping industry, called the Enquête of 1874, stated that in 1868 sixteen clipper ships were registered, with a total tonnage of 6000 tons. In 1873 there were eighteen ships (totalling 7878 tons). However, other sources mention a greater number of ships that can be called medium clippers.
Probably there was a difference of opinion in the definition of the clipper. Maybe the ships in the Enquête were only called clipper when they were full rigged, but there were other rigs too. In 1854 for example, the Argo was launched as a 4-masted Jackass-barque
Jackass-barque
A jackass-barque, sometimes spelled jackass bark, is a sailing ship with three masts, of which the foremast is square-rigged and the main is partially square-rigged and partially fore-and-aft rigged...
. Others were rigged as barque
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
and the Reinhart was a brigantine
Brigantine
In sailing, a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.-Origins of the term:...
.
Some figures
The book De clippers of Anno Teenstra (1946) contains a list of all ships under Dutch flag which were classified as clippers during the period 1850-1890.The total list enumerates 140 ships. Eighteen of those were built in foreign shipyards.
Of the 122 Dutch ships:
- 61 were built as full rigged shipFull rigged shipA full rigged ship or fully rigged ship is a sailing vessel with three or more masts, all of them square rigged. A full rigged ship is said to have a ship rig....
s - 44 were built as barqueBarqueA barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
s - 15 were built as brigBrigA brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
s - 2 were built as schoonerSchoonerA schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
s - 1 was built as a brigantineBrigantineIn sailing, a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.-Origins of the term:...
In later years some of the full-rigged ships were re-rigged as other types. 21 were re-rigged as barques, and 1 barque was even re-rigged into a ship. One re-rigged barque was further reduced into a schooner.
Ten ships were built in iron, 6 were composite
Composite material
Composite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or...
ships and 3 were built in steel.
Three ships were built with auxiliary steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
s, but all three ships had the engines taken out after a few years.
Even today the Dutch have a clipper sailing - the full rigged ship Stad Amsterdam
Stad Amsterdam
The Stad Amsterdam is a three-masted clipper that was built in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 2000 at the Damen Oranjewerf....
. Built in 2000 by Damen Shipyards
Damen Group
Damen is a Dutch shipbuilding company which was founded in 1927 by Jan and Marinus Damen in a self-built workshop. In 1954 their 200th ship was delivered.-History:...
, owned by Randstad Holding and the city of Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. They also built the Cisne Branco
Cisne Branco
Cisne Branco is a tall ship of the Brazilian Navy hailing out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, though she travels worldwide.Cisne Branco is a full-rigged ship built in Amsterdam, Netherlands by Damen Shipyard...
which was commissioned for Brazilian Navy
Brazilian Navy
The Brazilian Navy is a branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible for conducting naval operations. It is the largest navy in Latin America...
in 2000.