Subdeacon Joe Posted October 22, 2023 Share Posted October 22, 2023 This is a rather wonderfully colourised photo of the ‘Lancing’, perhaps the fastest of the great windjammers, in 1908 at her home port of Kristiania (as Oslo was then known). It was from here the year before that she made a passage of 75 days to Melbourne, according to Basil Lubbock in his ‘Colonial Clippers’. This would have been an excellent passage from Britain (from where most of the wool clippers sailed to Australia), but Kristiania/Oslo is another 900 miles by sea from, say, Falmouth, so it was something else again. It was a few years earlier, ‘running her easting down’ to Melbourne in 1890-91, that ‘Lancing’ recorded an extraordinary 18 knots over 4 consecutive watches and was credited by the Guinness Book of Records(1976) as reaching 22 knots – the greatest speed attained by a sailing merchantman. Much later again in her long career, in February 1916, she made a trans-Atlantic crossing that became legendary, sighting Cape Wrath, Scotland, 6 days 18 hours out of New York – that’s some 3266 nautical miles and an average speed of around 20 knots. There has been some question about whether this time period was from New York or from further towards Newfoundland, but Captain A Christofferson, who served as a boy on the Scandinavian-American liner “Frederik VIII’, supports this account. He wrote that his ship left New York at the same time and its service speed was 17.5 knots. However, when they arrived at Cape Wrath, they found ‘Lancing’ had beaten them by a full 24 hours. ‘Lancing’ was also the last four-masted full-rigged ship (36 sails) – most others of the era were barques – and at 405 ft (123.4m) she was the longest. This was no doubt a factor in her great speed as it enabled slender lines while maintaining cargo capacity. Her main and mizzen masts were 203 ft (61.8m) from keelson to truck, and her yards were 98 ft 9in (30.09m) across, as can perhaps be appreciated in this picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted October 22, 2023 Share Posted October 22, 2023 WOW that’s fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twelve mile REB Posted October 22, 2023 Share Posted October 22, 2023 Wow, thats a lot of cordage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kloehr Posted October 22, 2023 Share Posted October 22, 2023 Beautiful ship! (Otto, I am so glad I caught that error!). Just toured the Pinta replica in Knoxville, half the speed and maybe 1/4 the size. I love the old sailing ships and what it took to navigate for real. On my tour of the Pinta, I learned all the horses, cows, sheep, goats, and such were in slings below decks so they would not hurt their legs as the ship tacked from one side to the other. And the cabin boy had to clean up after them. Imagine cleaning up after pooping and peeing pendulums... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted October 22, 2023 Share Posted October 22, 2023 From Oslo to Melbourne is 13,840 Nautical Miles. 75 days is 1,800 hours. A nautical mile is 1.15 miles 13,840 NM is 15,916 miles. Avg speed 8.84mph That’s pretty good for a sailing vessel. http://ports.com/sea-route/#/?a=2761&b=4284&c=Port of Oslo, Norway&d=Port of Melbourne, Australia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted October 22, 2023 Share Posted October 22, 2023 She started out in 1866 as the steamship La Pereire. She was converted to a sailing ship in 1877 and rechristened as Lancing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted October 22, 2023 Share Posted October 22, 2023 In comparison, Cutty Sark, the one remaining clipper ship recorded 17.5 knots as a top speed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutty_Sark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted October 22, 2023 Share Posted October 22, 2023 19 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said: All those sheets and shrouds, yet not a stitch of canvas to be seen.... (Her yards are bare) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062 Posted October 22, 2023 Share Posted October 22, 2023 4 minutes ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said: All those sheets and shrouds, yet not a stitch of canvas to be seen.... (Her yards are bare) ....... mighta send'd them out to the laundromat ....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted October 22, 2023 Author Share Posted October 22, 2023 33 minutes ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said: All those sheets and shrouds, yet not a stitch of canvas to be seen.... (Her yards are bare) If you embiggen the photograph you can see that they are furled up tight. Either that or the yards were adzed by novices. Looks like she is about to take a tow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted October 22, 2023 Share Posted October 22, 2023 29 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said: If you embiggen the photograph you can see that they are furled up tight. Either that or the yards were adzed by novices. Looks like she is about to take a tow. Joe... you missed the pun... Hint: "Sheets? Shrouds?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted October 22, 2023 Author Share Posted October 22, 2023 8 minutes ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said: Joe... you missed the pun... Hint: "Sheets? Shrouds?" I'm being dense today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted October 22, 2023 Share Posted October 22, 2023 9 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said: I'm being dense today. It's a sailor thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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