The yacht America
| |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Owner |
|
Operator | Richard "Dick" Brown |
Builder | William H. Brown |
Cost | $30,000 |
Laid down | November 1850 |
Launched | May 3, 1851 |
Christened | America |
Renamed | Camilla (1856), America (1862) |
Honors and awards | R.Y.S. £100 Cup, 1851 |
Fate | Scrapped, 1945 |
Confederate States of America | |
Renamed | Memphis (1860) |
Fate | Scuttled (Jacksonville, 1862) |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Gaff schooner |
Tonnage | 100; 208 Thames Measurement[1] |
Length |
|
Beam | 22 ft 10 in (6.96 m) |
Depth | 10 ft 11 in (3.33 m) |
Propulsion | Sail |
Sail plan | 5,296 sq ft (492.0 m2) Upwind sail area |
Armament | Two 24-pounder & one 12-pounder[2] |
Notes | Hull material: Wood (white oak, locust, cedar, and chestnut) |
America was a 19th-century racing yacht and first winner of the America's Cup international sailing trophy.
On August 22, 1851, America won the Royal Yacht Squadron's 53-mile (85 km) regatta around the Isle of Wight by 18 minutes.[3] The Squadron's "One Hundred Sovereign Cup" or "£100 Cup", sometimes mistakenly known in America as the "One Hundred Guinea Cup",[4] was later renamed after the original winning yacht.