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Ann McKim (clipper)

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Clipper ship built in Maryland, US
Ann McKim
Ann McKim
History
United States
OwnerIsaac McKim and his cousin, John McKim Jr.
BuilderKennard & Williamson, Fell's Point, Maryland
Cost$50,000
Launched4 June 1833
In service1833
FateSold to Howland & Aspinwall 1838
United States
OwnerHowland & Aspinwall
Acquired1838
FateSold to Chile 1847
Chile
Acquired1847
Out of service1851
FateDismantled 1852
General characteristics
TypeClipper
Tonnage493 tons OM
Length143 ft (44 m)
Beam31 ft (9.4 m)
Draft14 ft (4.3 m)
PropulsionSails
Complement18 men

Ann McKim was one of the early true clipper ships, designed to meet the increasing demand for faster cargo transportation between the United States and China in the early 1840s. The opening of new Treaty ports in the East allowed American merchants greater access to trade with China, leading to the need for ships that could move cargo more quickly than traditional merchant ships. Ann McKim was one of the ships that had answered the demand in the early years and sailed between New York and China in 1840–1842, until newer and faster cargo-carriers, such as the nearly 600-ton clipper Houqua, the 598-ton China packet Helena, Witch of the Wave, and Rainbow (with the last two built expressly to outperform Ann McKim) started dominating the shipping world of the US-China trade and Ann McKim was shifted back to the South American trade routes.

History

Ann McKim was built in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, by James Williamson in partnership with Samuel Kennard on a commission of "the wealthy sea-dog and merchant," Honorable Issac McKim and named after his wife, Ann.

Kennard & Williamson partnership

The Kennard & Williamson partnership was a shipbuilding firm in Fell's point, Baltimore in 1830s. The partnership began 15 June 1831. It was formed between James Joseph Williamson and Samuel Kennard (also known as Kinard and Kinnard). Williamson used to work for Kennard as a carpenter prior to the forming of the partnership. Kennard built at least five vessels before their partnership: the sloop Dolphin (95 tons), the sloop Edward (36 tons) in 1815; the brig Cervantes (231 tons) in 1818; the brig Montezuma (223 tons) in 1825; and the brig James Ramsey (134 tons) in 1830. Their partnership built only two vessels, the schooner Pennsylvania, which brought in a $1,500 profit, and Ann McKim. Kennard & Williamson also grossed a lot of profit from repair work. The partnership was dissolved on 26 September 1834. After the partnership's demise, Kennard built one more vessel in 1835, the schooner Gunpowder, 75 tons. Williamson, as a partner at Williamson & Richardson, in 1837 built the ferry Susquehanna, 453 tons (cost $56,595.81) and another fourteen vessels: a barque, two brigs and eleven schooners. Williamson died in 1839.

McKim's pet ship

Ann McKim was designed to have a small cargo capacity that made her much faster that the regular cargo ships of her time. Her launch was attended by thousands of spectators as she was hailed by a local newspaper as "the most masterly and beautiful specimen of the naval architecture" of the shipyards of Baltimore, if not any other city in the union. Although, she was a matter of pride and admiration for the public and surely for her owner, she had never brought significant profit to Mr. Isaac McKim due to her small cargo capacity. She was more of a pet-ship for a wealthy merchant than anything else.

In the Canton trade

In 1838, after the death of Isaac McKim and five years in the China trade she was sold to Howland & Aspinwall, New York, the company known for owning other famous clippers, such as Rainbow and Sea Witch. Under new owner she was commanded by Captain Perry and was put into the Canton trade. The ship was heavily used and brought some profit to the owners as she was superior in speed over the other vessels engaged in that line of trade at that time.

Under the Chilean flag

The Ann McKim was sold to Valparaiso, Chile in 1847 and sailed under the Chilean flag for five years between Valparaiso and San Francisco. Although, there are some accounts that she sailed as an Ecuadorean under Captain Van Pelt, before being registered as a Chilean vessel in December 1849. She was advertised for sale in Daily Alta California from January to August 1850, but evidently couldn't find a buyer and on 2 September 1851 she cleared Port of San Francisco, leaving the North American waters for the very last time with Van Pelt as her captain and Orrego Bros. as owners. She was mentioned once again for sale in the issue of Daily Alta California dated 18 February 1852 and later that year the Baltimore legend was dismantled at Valparaiso.

Other ships of the same name

In 1847, there was mention of a steamer of New Orleans of the same name participating in the Mexican–American War.

Design

Lines of ''Ann McKim''

Ann McKim was a Baltimore clipper, measuring 143 feet in length, making her "easily the largest merchantman of her day...and...by far the handsomest." William M. Williamson, a notable authority on sailing ships at the time, described her as "a thing of beauty." She had three sky-sail yards and royal stunsails. Her square raking stern and the heavy after-drag were the common features of Baltimore clippers then. She was also distinguished by her long, easy waterlines with low freeboard and a V-shaped hull. Her length-to-width ratio of over 5:1 corresponded to an extreme clipper. The bow was round in contrast with the sharp bows of the later clippers. Her bow was decorated with a figurehead in a shape of a woman. She had sloping keel—another feature that was not present in true clippers. The frame was made of live oak. The hull was covered with imported red copper, adding $9,000 to her total cost. (The use of copper was probably related to the fact that Isaac McKim Isaac owned a copper rolling and refining mill.) The decks were of teak and her rails, hatch coamings, and skylights were finished with Spanish mahogany. The finest materials used in her construction were personally selected by Captain James Curtis. She also had twelve brass guns mounted on her together with brass capstan heads and bells. The figurehead was design after the wife of the owner, Mrs. Ann McKim.

The total amount paid by Isaac McKim for the Ann McKim was reported as $50,000, which is probably an exaggeration given the compassion with the similar ships built at the time. Kennard & Williamson sent thirty one bill to Isaac McKim, amounting $11,981.66, which could be all related to Ann McKim.

Voyages

She was ready for her maiden voyage on 30 August 1833, under the command of Captain Walker. She brought 3,500 barrels of flour to Callao, Peru, on 3 December, after a passage of 95 days. Ann McKim remained on the South American coast for some time, and it was not until April 1834 when she sailed back to Cape Henry in 72 days and was once more lying in the port of Baltimore on 16 June 1834. In 1837 she set one of her records on the South American trade, sailing in just 59 days from Valparaiso to the Virginia Capes of Chesapeake Bay and in 42 days from off Cape Horn to Chesapeake Bay.

Daily Alta California, Volume 1, Number 27, 30 January 1850 — Advertising the McKim for sale.

In 1838, she made the passage from Coquimbo, Chile to Baltimore in 60 days and in 53 days from Valparaiso to Baltimore, establishing a new record of her career on this route. The same year she sailed under Captain Martin's command to China and back home in 150 days, arriving to New York on 23 November 1840. On her second voyage, she reached China in 92 days and the return trip lasted 88 days. In 1842, she set in a new record of 79 days, sailing from New York via Java Head to Anyer, Indonesia. Her return trip home to New York in 1843 was 96 days. As the faster clippers started dominating the routes to and from China the Ann McKim wasn't able to compete with them and was brought back to South America. She was sold at Valparaiso to a Chilean owners in 1847.

Under the Chilean flag, she arrived to San Francisco on 19 January 1849 from Valparaiso, touching at Guayaquil, Ecuador on 24 December 1849. This voyage lasted 51 days (51 days at sea from Valparaiso; 29 days from Guayaquil). Her next voyage from San Francisco to Valparaiso was a chocking one as Captain James Van Pelt did not stock enough water on the ship and ten of her passengers suffered from dehydration upon her arrival to the destination on 10 October 1849.

List of known voyages
Voyage Dates Captain Notes/References
Baltimore – Callao, Peru 30 August (or ~6 September) 1833 – 3 December 1833 Walker 95 (or 89) days at sea; 3,500 barrels of floor
Valparaiso, Chile – Coquimbo, Chile – Huasco, Chile – Baltimore 9 or 10 March 1834 – Unk – ~1 April 1834 – 16 June 1834 Walker 72 days at sea; $215,000 in gold, silver, cooper
Valparaiso – Baltimore ~30 April 1835 – 3 June 1835 Walker 65 days at sea; $250,000 in specie
Valparaiso – Baltimore 5 June 1837 – 3 August 1837 Walker 59 days from Valparaiso and 42 days from Cape Horn with $100,000 in specie
Coquimbo – Valparaiso – Baltimore ~6 September – ~13 September – 5 November 1838 Walker 53 days from Valparaiso and 60 days from Coquimbo to the Capes
Baltimore – Valparaiso 19 June 1939 – Unk Martin N/a
New York – Canton Unk – February 1840 Martin Arrived without cargo
Canton – Singapore 20 March 1840 – before July 1840 Martin Cargo of tea
Canton – New York 21 or 25 June 1840 – ~September 1840 Martin 104 days
New York – Canton Ukn – April 1841 N/a N/a
Wampoa – New York after 19 June 1841 – December 1841 Vasner, spelled as Cargo of tea
China – New York 15 February 1843 – 22 May 1843 Vasmar, spelled as 95 days
China – New York 10 November 1843 – 22 February 1844 Vasmer Cargo of tea
New York – Anyer, Indonesia Unk – 7 July 1844 Vasmer N/a
Whampoa – Anyer – New York 19 November 1844 – 7 December 1844 – April 1845 Vasmer Cargo of tea
Shanghai, China – New York
 in 1846 N/a first US vessel to arrive from Shanghai
Valparaiso – Guayaquil, Ecuador – San Francisco ~December 1848 – 24 December 1848 – 19 January 1849 Rubinet 51 days at sea from Valparaiso and 29 days from Guayaquil.
San Francisco – Valparaiso ~March 1849 – 15 April 1849 N/a 45 days; $80,000 in gold
Valparaiso – San Francisco ~April 1849 – 29 June 1849 VanPelt 60 days
San Francisco – Valparaiso 29 July 1849 – Unk VanPelt N/a
Valparaiso – San Francisco ~December 1849 – 29 January 1850 VanPelt 42 days
San Francisco – Valparaiso 24 February 1850 – 16 April 1850 VanPelt 47 days
Valparaiso – San Francisco Unk – 14 June 1851 VanPelt N/a
San Francisco – Valparaiso 2 September 1851 – 8 November 1851 N/a Last known passage

Legacy

Although Ann McKim was the first large clipper ship ever constructed, it is not to say that she opened the clipper ship era, or even that she directly influenced shipbuilders, since no other ship was built like her. She may have suggested the clipper design in vessels of ship rig. Ann McKim was rather a transitional vessel, which did, however, influence the building of Rainbow in 1845, the first extreme clipper ship. Rainbow's design was formulated by John W. Griffiths after he, very impressed with the speed of Ann McKim, studied her blueprints. On the same note: the terms Baltimore clipper and clipper ship should not be confused. The former term is refereed to the clippers with a displacement between 50 and 200 tons built in Chesapeake Bay in the late 18th century and the latter is to the much larger clippers of the 1840s from New York with a displacement often ten times of what was the Baltimore clippers.

During 1843–1844, the first American woman ever in China traveled on board of Ann McKim. (A year prior an American, Mrs. Noble was taken a prisoner in China.)

A model of Ann McKim in Addison Gallery of American Art.

In 1986, Ann McKim was induced in the fifth class of seafarers and ships by the National Maritime Hall of Fame at the American Merchant Marine Museum.

Paintings

One of the earliest appearances of Ann McKim in print was a lithograph of master mariner and ship model maker E. Armitage McCann, circa 1920. She later printed on a collection of ceramic serving platters by Wedgwood, Josiah & Sons Inc., circa 1938.

Ann McKim appeared on a few paintings of Montague Dawson. Most notable are The "Ann McKim" leaving Foochow for Home, circa 1960, sold at Christie's for $116,550 in 2013 and White Squall – Clipper Ship "Ann Mckim", sold for $68,500 to a private collector from Virginia in 2014.

She was printed with five sails per mast by Charles J. A. Wilson on Ann McKim of Baltimore – First American Clipper. Ann McKim was painted by the American painter John W. Schmidt in 1977, showing her at sea in the morning light. Two paintings of her by Danish-American artist Torsten Kruse appeared in a book about Fell's Point.

References

  1. McKim, Marvin R. (2003). The Inheritance of God's Blessing: The Heritage of Christian Values. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1412003810.
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  5. ^ Tyler, David (January 1943). "Time and Waste Books of James Williamson, builder of the Ann McKim". The American Neptune. III: 26–31.
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  9. ^ Monaghan, James (1973). Chile, Peru, and the California Gold Rush of 1849 Jay Monaghan. University of California Press.
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  11. "Daily Alta California". Vol. 2, no. 268. 6 September 1851. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  12. Sacramento Daily Union, vol. 1, 8 September 1851
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  14. Semi-weekly Eagle, Brattleboro, Vermont, October 8, 1847, p.2
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  30. The Sun (Baltimore, Maryland) November 6, 1838, p.2
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  34. Hartford Daily Courant (Hartford, Connecticut)November 25, 1840, p.2
  35. National Gazette (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)September 7, 1841, p.3
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  40. The New York Herald (New York, New York) February 25, 1845, p.3
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  50. Visit to a Chinese City by American Ladies (Hartford, Connecticut) April 13, 1844, p. 60
  51. "SHIP NOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM NEWS". Sea History – Summer 1986. 040. National Maritime Historical Society & Sea History Magazine: 34. 1986.
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  54. "ANN McKIM plate". Australian National Maritime Museum. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  55. "Montague Dawson, F.R.S.A., R.S.M.A. (British, 1895–1973), The 'Ann McKim' leaving Foochow for Home". www.christies.com. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  56. "Freeman's Auction | Fine Art, Antiques & Jewelry". auctions.freemansauction.com. Archived from the original on 2019-04-13. Retrieved 2019-04-13.
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  58. Greff, Jacqueline (2005). Fell's Point. Arcadia. pp. 23–24. ISBN 9781467123983. OCLC 950745780.
  59. Kruse, Torsten. "Torsten Kruse – Private Commissions". www.krusemarineart.dk. Archived from the original on 2019-10-23. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
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