Red Rover

An extreme clipper ship built in 1852 by Fernald & Pettigrew, Portsmouth, NH. Dimensions 172'×35'9/10×23' and tonnage 1021 tons OM and 766 tons NM.

1852 October 27: Launched at the shipyard of Fernald & Pettigrew, Portsmouth, NH, for Robert L. Taylor & Co., New York. Captain W.O. Putnam was given command of the new vessel.
1852 December 18 - April 19: Sailed from New York to San Francisco in 117 days. Lost the main topmast and fore and main topgallant masts in a gale 36 hours out.
1853 December 26-27: Damaged in the fire which destroyed the new clipper ship Great Republic.
1854 January 22 - May 24: 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.
1855 February 24 - June 13: Sailed from New York to San Francisco in 108 (110) days. She was 20 days to the Line and 48 days to the Horn.
1855 July 16 - October 21: Sailed from San Francisco to New York in 98 days.
1854 December 17 - April 7: Sailed from New York to San Francisco in (110) 112 days.
1857 February 28 - July 4: Sailed from New York to San Francisco in 126 days [124 or 123 also given] .
1858 December 2 - February 4: Sailed from Iquique to London in 65 days. Dragged her anchor off the East India Docks and drifted ashore. Later run into by a German steam ship and had to be repaired at Victoria dock.
1858: Capt. Cumming.
1860 August 28 - December 5: Sailed from Baker's Island with a cargo of guano to Hampton Roads in 99 days.
1861: Sold to James Baines & Co., Liverpool, for $25.000 and was renamed Young Australia. Captain William Lowrie was given command of the ship.
1867: Sold to J.P. Foulks, Liverpool.
1872 May 31: Left Brisbane for Liverpool [?] but was wrecked on Moreton Island four and a half hours out.

References:

Clipper ships, general references.
The Voyage of Isaac Fox and Lydia Pavey to Australia in 1862 by David Fox.
Young Australia Illustrated Times, 1864. Shipspaper.
Chapelle, Howard I.: The Search for Speed under Sail 1700-1855.
Norton, New York, 1967. 8vo, xiv, 451 pp, ill., 16 plates.
Howe, Octavious T. & Matthews, Frederick C.: American Clipper Ships.
1926. 8vo, xvi, 372 pp, 57 plates & x, pp 373-780, 57 plates.
McGregor, David R.: British & American Clippers. A Comparison of their Design, Construction and Performance in the 1850s.
Conway Maritime Press, London, 1993. 4to, 192 pp, ill.
Watt, Richard: Second Cabin Passage.
Sea Breezes Vol. 21-22 (1956), pp 21:162-168, 250-256, 318-323, 408-415, 22:12-16, 82-92, ill.

Updated 1998-05-20 by Lars Bruzelius

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