Donald McKay

A medium clipper launched in 1855, at the shipyard of Donald McKay, East Boston, for the Black Ball Line of Liverpool. Dimensions: 266'×46'3"×29'5" and tonnage: 2604 RT, 2486 GRT, and 1616 NRT.

She was equipped with Howes patent double topsails.

1855 January
Launched at the shipyard of Donald McKay, East Boston, for the Black Ball Line of Liverpool.
1855 February 21 - March 10
Sailed from Boston to Liverpool in 17 days under command of Captain Henry Warner late of the clipper Sovereign of the Seas. During the trans-Atlantic passage a 421 miles 24-hour run was recorded and Cape Clear off the south coast of Ireland was sighted after 12 days.
1855 June 6 - August 21
Sailed from Liverpool to Port Phillip, Melbourne, in 81 days.
1855 October 3 - December 28
Sailed from Melbourne to Liverpool in 86 days.
1857 July 8 - September 29
Sailed from Liverpool to Port Phillip, Melbourne, in 83 days.
1857
Sailed from Melbourne to Liverpool in 87 days with a cargo of 1500 casks of tallow, 2600 bales of wool, 8521 bags and 961 casks of copper ore.
1864 March 12/13
Collided with the barque Albina in the English Channel.
1866
Sold to Thomas Harrison, Liverpool, and chartered back to the Black Ball Line until 1868 after which time she was employed in general trading.
1867
Sailed from Liverpool to Hobson's Bay in 84 days.
1874
Sold J.S. de Wolf, Liverpool, for £ 8750 but was almost immediately resold to Captain William Williams of London.
1878 November
Took in a cargo of case oil in Philadelphia which was the largest ever loaded before.
1879
Sold to the sailmaking firm of Bertus Bartling & Co, Bremerhaven, who kept her on the Bremen - New York run.
1886
Her last owner came to be Carl Brewer, Bremerhaven, and she was used as a coal hulk in Madeira.
1888
Burned and was subsequently broken up.
The figurehead of the Donald McKay, which pictures a Highlander in the McKay tartan, is preserved at the Mystic Seaport Museum, CT, USA.

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Updated 1997-03-21 by Lars Bruzelius.


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