| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Serica |
| Owner | James Findlay |
| Builder | Robert Steele & Company, Greenock |
| Launched | 1863 |
| Fate | Wrecked on the Paracels, 1872 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 708 NRT[1] |
| Length | 185.9 ft (56.7 m)[1] |
| Beam | 31.1 ft (9.5 m)[1] |
| Depth | 19.6 ft (6.0 m)[1] |
| Complement | Crew of 23 |
The Serica was a clipper built in 1863 by Robert Steele & Co., at Greenock on the south bank of the Clyde, Scotland, for James Findlay. She was the last-but-one wooden clipper built by Steele before the yard went over to building composite clippers.[2]: 146
Winner of 1864 Tea Race
[edit]Serica is Latin for "China"—the ship was built expressly for the China tea trade. Serica participated in the annual "tea races" to bring the new season's crop to London; she won in 1864. In 1865 she was the leading ship off Beachy Head, but failed to get a tug to take her on to London, so was beaten by 12 hours by Fiery Cross. In The Great Tea Race of 1866, she came in third, by a matter of hours.[2]: 146
Sailing performance
[edit]According to Basil Lubbock, the tea clippers Serica, Fiery Cross, Lahloo and Taeping performed at their best in light breezes, as they were all rigged with single topsails.[3]
Loss of the ship
[edit]On her final voyage under Capt. George Innes, she left Hong Kong bound for Montevideo, 2 November 1872, and was wrecked on the Paracels, in the South China Sea the following day. Out of a crew of twenty-three that manned her, only one survived.[2]: 146
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c d Lloyd's Register of Shipping. Lloyd's Register. 1871. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ a b c MacGregor, David R. (1983). The Tea Clippers, Their History and Development 1833-1875. Conway Maritime Press Limited. ISBN 0-85177-256-0.
- ^ Lubbock, Basil (1919). The China Clippers (4th ed.). Glasgow: James Brown & Son. p. 155.
External links
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