AROUND THE WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 2, 3 January 1931, Page 4

AROUND THE WORLD.

GOSSIP OF , THE PORTS.

WHICH WAS THE FASTEST?

(By LEE FORE BRACE.)'

An esteemed correspondent has forwarded me . a cutting from an American newspaper, in which it is claimed that American ships were the fastest _ that ever sailed the seven seas. This re an old claim that has caused much argument wherever sailormen foregather, and my correspondent, who takes a keen interes in the stories of the old-time sailing ships, asks for information concerning me Cl The writer of the article in question makes special claim for the famous American clipper Flying Cloud, stating, among other things, that never has any ship equalled her speed in her voyaging from port to port. He gives Particulars of the records she made,_ of the great est distance she covered m a day, and gives a thrilling picture of the manner ui which she was driven through storm and gale. New York to San Francisco. One must make a close study of a series of voyages of a ship before any claim can be made that she was the fastest in the world, and this, unfortunately, the writer of the article has not done. He gives an account of only two of her voyages, which he claims to be records. Both these' passages were from New York to San Francisco, and made in the wonderful time of 89 days. He gives extracts from her log books to substantiate his statement, of which the following is the most interesting: "It was during this last passage of the Flying Cloud when her world-famous run of 374 nautical miles was made in one day of twenty-four hours, while steering to the northward from Cape Horn. This was the fastest day's .'un, under steam or sail, that had ever been made up to that time, and exceeded by 42 miles the best day's run that had ever been made by a mail steamship on the Atlantic (1851), and has never been equalled by any sailing vessel since, either under the American flag or under the flag of England." Now, ' before going further, I would state that inquiry proves that the New York-San Francisco record is held by the Flying Cloud, as the writer states. But such a record is not out of the ordinary. New York to San Francisco by way of Cape Horn makes a sailing distance of 12,110 miles. Flying Cloud averaged only 136 miles per day over the passage, or 5% knots per hour. Compare that record with-any of the following: Ship Senator in 1889 ran from. London to San Francisco in 88 days, a distance of 13,548 miles, or' an average of 153 miles per day. This ship made the return voyage over a greater distance on account of adverse winds in the same time. But Britishers do not make claim that the Senator was the fastest ship under the flag. These were the only voyages of any account that she ever made. New Zealand Clipper's Voyage., A passage that caused sailormen all the world over to sit' up and take notice was that of the New Zealand clipper Westland in 1896. She sailed from Astoria, Oregon, to Liverpool, England, a, distance of 14,104 nautical miles, in the extraordinary time of 79 days, or an average of over 178 miles per day. Compare that with the claim made by Flying Cloud's admirers. And to back up Westland's claim we have still with us one who helped to drive her along on that wonderful voyage. Captain White, of the Auckland firm of Messrs. Nearing and Company, was chief officer of Westland at the time, and as the, figures have been verified by the official log of Westland, Flying "" Cloud's passage in comparison, therefore, is a very ordinary one. But, as had been said before, one must take a series of a ship's voyages to make good her claim of being the world's fastest. From my records, which I have collected over a period of close on thirty years, I cull the following: Cutty Sark: Average of seven voyages out and Home, London-Sydney, 74 days; best day's run, October 15, 1893, 376 knots; best week's run, 2358 knots, or almost 337 per day. To make a comparison with the extract given from the log book of Flying Cloud, If give one from the log of Cutty Sark: "Kan in to land and made signal to Green Cape at 3.40 p.m. P. and O* liner Britannia passed inside of us, making north. .Wind light, from south-west. Signalled Britannia and asked to be reported 'All well.' 4.10 p.m., wind freshens and ,made all plain sail. Britannia out of sight ahead. 5 p.m., blowing fresh gale, set royals and skysail. 5.30 p.m., ship doing 17% knots by patens and hand, logs. 8 p.m., gale still holds, seas moderate. 9 p.m., mizzeo royal split at lee clue; sent new one aloft at 9.30 p.m. Midnight, Britannia close to under the bows. Ship "logging from 14 to over 17 knots. 1 a.m., Britannia abeam. Morsed us asking what ship. Re'plied and received answer, 'Well done;- Cutty Sark!' 3 a.m., Britannia out of sight astern. Land bearings make average speed since passing the Cape 16% knots. 5 a.m., took tug and pilot off Heads. 6 a.m., anchored Watson's Bay. Britannia arrived 8.30 a.m. Passengers lined her rails as she passed us, making up harbour, and gave 'Cutty' three cheers." There! Could anything be more thrilling than the reading of that extract? The cock of the walk of the Australian mail liners being beaten by a little windjammer. But even with all the extraordinary passages made by Cutty Sark, seamen do not make claim that she was the fastest ship in the world. The Thermopylae. If any ship can lay claim to the great honour of being the cock of the walk among the clippers,' then such honour must be given to the Aberdeen White Star liner Thermopylae. It will be remembered by sailormen that the great tea race from China in '66 caused much rivalry among shipowners. Fortunes were spent with shipbuilders in producing a ship that would beat anything sailing the seas, and in response to that demand Hall of Aberdeen built their masterpiece, the Thermopylae. Her first voyage to Melbourne in 1868, in 62 days a record that never been equalled, was only the first of many similar passages to her credit. Compare her average day's run of 207 nautical miles with Flying Cloud's 136, and her best day's run on the voyage of 395 with the Cloud's 374, and it will be at once seen that the Thermopylae has greater claims to the title than any other ship, American or British. And to prove it, at the end of her ninth voyage, every one of 1 which was made in record time, the underwriters at Lloyds presented her with a golden cock, which was proudly carried at her mainmast-head until the close of her career. Many shipmasters tried to wrest the emblem from her. Ships were specially built to do so, but in every case they failed. The only two that came anywhere near lowering her colours were Cutty Sark and Ben Yoirlich. The latter was built in 1873 specially to get the cock from Thermopylae. She was commanded by one of the most able and most daring commanders that ever sailed the seas, Captain McPetrie, and it was confidently expected that if anyone could sail a ship to beat the crack, it was he. She made the 'run to Melbourne in 63 days from Plymouth and 61 from the Lizard. This_was one day better than Thermopylae, and -McPetrie received hundreds of cables congratulating him on his great win. Thermopylae was hard behind him, having sailed from London some three weeks after the Voirlich. On February 4 Thermopylae came thrashing into Port Phillip with her golden cock freshly gilded, only 60 days from the Lizard and 65 from London. And we are told that McPetrie was a great sport, for as soon as he heard of Thermopylae's arrival he went aboard and presented her famous master, Captain v Matheson, with all the cablegrams he had received on his supposed victory. Comparisons are always odious, but after. having made a close study of all the claims made on behalf of various ships, I would be safe in saying that Thermopylae was the fastest ship that ever sailed tb~ seas.