LIGHTNING AND RED JACKET SAILING SHIPS

LIGHTNING AND RED JACKET

The Sailing Ship Lightning was built by Donald Mackay to the order of James Baines in the winter of :1853-4 at a cost of '£30,000, and on her arrival in ,Liverpool was furnished and decorated below at a further cost of £2000. Her poop was 92 feet long and her saloon 86 feet, while she had 8 feet under her beams tween decks a most unusual height for those days. Her stem raked boldly forward, The lines of the bow gradually becoming convex and blending with the sheer line and cut-water, while the only ornament was a full length figure of a beautiful young  women holding a golden thunderbolt in her out stretched hand. Donald Mackay sailing ships were chiefly distingished for their powerfull workman like apperance.

bea1~biiully modelled and she had concave bow lines, she was hot so extreme a ship as the Lightning.
Donald Mackay's ships were chiefly distinguished for their .powerful workman-like appearance rather than for delicate beauty-they showed strength ~rugged and unmistakable, but the Red Jacket's strength was more disguised under graceful curves; for instance, she had the graceful arched stem and clipper' bow of a China ship, whereas Lightning's stem was almost straight,. with only a very slight curve in it.
Red Jacket was not named after Tommy Atkins, but af;ter a' great 1ndiOin ch4ef, and her figure-head was a beautiful represcntation ofthis warrior in all the magni- ficence oj' feather head-dress and headed buckskins.

Ra<;:e across the Atlantic between" Lightning" and" Red Jacket."
The Lightning loaded at Constitution Wharf, Boston, and sailed for Liverpool on 18th February" 1854, whi.lstbhe Red ,Jacket sailed from New York on the following day; and great interest was shown in shipping circles as to which should make the best passage across '\tlw A tIantic.
In the end tlwse two mngniHcent clippers arrived in Liverpool on the same day, 4th March, their exact times 'Deing:.
Red Jaokot-Sandy Hook to Rock Lig!1t 13 days 1 hour, Lightning-Boston Light to Rock Light 13 days 19! flours. Their 24-hour runs opened the eyes of the packet
ship commanders and in fact the whole world. The Red J acke t put tlp runs of 413, 374, 371, 343, and 300 against the Lightning's 436, 328, 312 and 306, thus there was little to choose between the two vessels }on tllis point.

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01/25/2008