Sir Lancelot (clipper)

Sir Lancelot
History
United Kingdom
BuilderRobert Steele & Company, Greenock
Launched1865
India
OwnerVisram Ibrahim
Acquired1886
NotesIndia-Mauritius trade
Persia
Acquired1895
Out of service1895
General characteristics
Class and typeComposite clipper
Tonnage886 NRT
Length197.6 ft (60.2 m)[1]: 164 
Beam33.7 ft (10.3 m)[1]: 164 
Depth21 ft (6.4 m)[1]: 164 
Sail plan
  • Full-rigged ship
  • 32,811 sq ft[1]: 164 
  • "Double topsails on the fore and main masts." "A single mizzen roller-reefing topsail of Cunningham's patent."[1]: 164 

Sir Lancelot was a clipper ship which sailed in the China trade and the India-Mauritius trade.

She was built in 1865 by Robert Steele & Company, Greenock, and was of composite construction: wooden planking on iron frames. She was planked with elm below the bilge and teak above that. She carried 100 tons of permanent iron ballast.[1]: 164, 166 

There is some discussion as to whether Sir Lancelot was an exact sister ship of Ariel. This is felt unlikely, as the two ships were built for different owners, and Sir Lancelot did not display the tenderness aft that Ariel displayed. But it is clear that the two ships were very similar.[1]: 133–134, 152, 163–166 

Sir Lancelot was typical of all of Steele's ships, celebrated for their beauty of model, perfection of build, and superb finish. They were often said to have a "yacht-like" feel, with lines that please the eye and plenty of teak and mahogany used for woodwork both on deck and below.[2]: 92–93  In the poem By the Old Pagoda Anchorage, she is referred to as "Sir Lancelot of a hundred famous fights with wind and wave".[3]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g MacGregor, David R. (1983). The Tea Clippers, Their History and Development 1833–1875. Conway Maritime Press Limited. ISBN 0-85177-256-0.
  2. ^ Lubbock, Basil (1946) [1914]. The China Clippers. Glasgow: Brown, Son and Ferguson Ltd. ISBN 0851741096.
  3. ^ "By The Old Pagoda Anchorage [1926]". All Poetry. Retrieved 31 May 2021.