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 and 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[edit]

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[edit]

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 and 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 January 22 - May 2, 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 May 23.[5]

Red Rover was damaged in the December 26–27, 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 August 28 - December 5, 1860.[5]

## Citations[edit]

1. ^ a b Alain Le Pichon (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. ^ a b c Lars Bruzelius (1998-05-20). "Clipper ships: "Red Rover" (1852)". Retrieved 2013-03-31.

## References[edit]

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