Falcon

A fullrigged wooden clipper ship built in 1859 by Robert Steele & Co., Greenock, as Yard No. 144. Her dimensions were 191'4"×32'2"×20'0" and tonnage: 794 GRT, 794 NRT and 729 tons under deck. D.R. MacGregor has calculated her under-deck coefficient as 0,59.

Spar Lengths and Dimensions:

	Length Ex.	Outside Kt. Hd.	Diar.
	Ft. In.	Ft. In.	Ft. In.
Bowsprit	35:0	25:0	...
	Inner.	Outer.	Flying or Pole.
	Ft. In.	Ft. In.	Ft. In.
Jib-boom Outside Cap.	22:0	13:6	...
	Length Ex.	Deck to Hounds.	Head.	Diar.
	Ft. In.	Ft. In.	Ft. In.	Ft. In.
Foremast.	75:0	41:0	12:0	...
Mainmast.	79:0	46:0	12:0	...
Mizenmast.	72:0	40:6	11:0	...
Fore and Main Topmast.	43:0		7:0	...
Mizen Topmast.	35:0		6:0	...
Fore and Main Top-gallant Mast.	23:0		...	...
Mizen Top-gallant Mast.	18:0		...	...
Fore and Main Royal Mast.	14:0		...	...
Mizen Royal Mast.	11:0		...	...

	Length Ex.	Arms.	Diar.
	Ft. In.	Ft. In.	Ft. In.
Fore Yard.	64:0	3:0	...
Main Yard.	70:0	3:0	...
Cross Jack Yard.	57:0	2:0	...
Fore Topsail Yards.	51:0	3:0	...
Main Topsail Yards.	57:0	3:0	...
Mizen Topsail Yard.	45:0	2:0	...
Fore Top-Gallant Yard.	38:0	2:0	...
Main Top-Gallant Yard.	43:0	2:0	...
Mizen Top-Gallant Yard.	33:0	1:3
Fore Royal Yard.	27:0	1:0	...
Main Royal Yard.	31:0	1:0	...
Mizen Royal Yard	24:0	1:0	...
Spanker Boom	43:0		...
Spanker Gaff	29:0		...

Also rigged with a skysail on the mainmast.
[Report made to the Commitee of Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping by the Society's Chief Surveyor and his Assistants, concerning the Dismasting of Large Iron Sailing Ships. Lloyd's Register of Shipping, London, 1886.]

Rigged with Cunningham's patent selfreefing topsails.

Later rigged as a barque according to Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1879-80.

Career:

1859: Launched at the shipyard of Robert Steele & Co., Greenock, for Phillips, Shaw & Lowther, London. Assigned the Official British No. 27000 and signal PNKW. Employed in the China tea trade.
1859-1861: In command of Captain P. Maxton.
1859 August 23 - December 7: Sailed from Shanghai to London in 106 days.
1860 June 10 - September 28: Sailed from Foochow to London in 110 days.
1861 June 11 - October 9: Sailed from Foochow to London in 120 days.
1862-1864: In command of Captain John Melville Keay late of the same owner's ship Ellen Rodger.
1862 June 13 - October 13: Sailed from Shanghai to London in 122 days. Met with the Blackwall frigate Kent at the Line while in company with the tea clippers Ellen Rodger, Robin Hood and Queensberry. The Kent was able to dock in London a few hours before the first of the tea clippers.
1863 May 28 - October 4: Sailed from Foochow to London in 129 days.
1863 November 7 - February 12: Sailed from London to Hong Kong in 97 days under command of Captain John Keay
1864 June 20 - October 14: Sailed from Woosung to London in 116 days.
1865: The owners were changed to Shaw, Lowther & Maxton, London.
1865: LR 1865-66: In command of Captain Gunn.
1866 June 7 - October 4: Sailed from Foochow to London in 119 days.
1867 July 8 - October 31: Sailed from Canton to London in 115 days.
1868 June 18 - October 19: Sailed from Macao to London in 123 days under command of Captain J.J. Gunn.
1869 July 27 - November 15: Sailed from Foochow to London in 111 days under command of Captain J.L. Dunn.
1870: LR 1870-71: In command of Captain J. Dunn.
1870 September 2 - December 20: Sailed from Foochow to London in 109 days under command of Captain J.L. Dunn.
1872 August 4 - November 21: Sailed from Hong Kong to London in 109 days under command of Captain J.L. Dunn.
1873 October 27 - January 31: Sailed from Canton to New York in 96 days under command of Captain J.L. Dunn.
1874 November 13 - March 21: Sailed from Hong Kong to London and was off Start Point in 128 days out. Under command of Captain Shiell.
1876 February - June 10: Sailed from Shanghai to New York in 119 days under command of Captain Westrup.
1879: LR 1879-80: Owner: Shaw & Son, London. In command of Captain D. Barry.
1879: Sold to J. Brailli, Orebich, Austria, and was renamed Sofia Brailli.
1900: Broken up.

References:

Clipper ships, general references.
Report made to the Commitee of Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping by the Society's Chief Surveyor and his Assistants, concerning the Dismasting of Large Iron Sailing Ships.
Lloyd's Register of Shipping, London, 1886.

Updated 1999-07-14 by Lars Bruzelius

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