Sea
Witch
Clipper Ship
History of the Sea Witch
The famous clipper ship, Sea Witch, was built by Smith
& Dimon in their yards at the foot of Fourth Street, New York
City in the year 1846. Her plans were drawn by J. W. Griffiths for
her owners Howland and Aspinwall, merchants and ship operators of New
York. Griffiths was the first marine architect to employ testing
models and other scientific principles in ship designing and his
Sea Witch design was a drastic innovation in line and
construction.
The Sea Witch was launched on December 8, 1846, and soon
became famous for her record runs to and from China. There is no
doubt that the Sea Witch was the fastest vessel afloat at the
time of her launching. Authorities differ in deciding which was the
first clipper ship, but some experts give the Sea Witch the
distinction of being the first true clipper.
She was small, overall length 192' with 43' beam and 908 tons,
compared to the 2000 ton clippers which were built in later years. In
spite of her comparatively smaller spars and sails she established
records which have never been beaten by ships under sail. It has
often been said that her lines were never improved upon in clippers
which folowed but their lines were merely enlargements and variations
of the famous Sea Witch design.
Captain Robert Waterman commanded the Sea Witch on most of
her record breaking runs. He was famous for his shrewd and skillful
piloting which pushed his ship to new and almost unbelievable
records. From the day of her launching until the untimely wreck on a
ledge off the coast of Cuba in 1856, the Sea Witch
consistently established new records. Her two fastest runs from
Canton, China to New York stand this day as all time records for
sailing vessels. She was famous for fast runs to California too,
being the first ship to sail from New York to San Francisco, 'round
the horn, in less than one hundred days.
Our Model
The Sea Witch is a miniature of the original ship which has
been built from scaled-down plans based on the original design. The
hull has dull black topsides and antiqued copper-green bottom which
simulate the corrosive action of the salt water on the copper bottom.
The deck houses are white with blue tops and other fittings include
detailed hatches, ship boats, water casks and other fine deck
details. The base is mahogany with brass finished nameplates on each
side of the name block.
Model Measurements
|
Length overall
|
18 1/2"
|
|
Height
|
13"
|
|
Width of main yard
|
5 1/4"
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How to Order
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