What happened to the China clippers?

Answer 1

The Americans were the first to build clipper ships for the China trade, racing from New York, round Cape Horn to San Francisco and on to China. Most of these ships were built of softwood and the strain of perpetual fast sailing and carrying as much sail as they could ruined them on a short space of time. I don't think any have survived.

The British followed from the 1850's to 1870's. Most of their ships were build of teak and therefore stood up to the battering of racing much better. From the 1860's, these ships were built on the 'composite' principle - iron frames with teak planking. These ships were very strong. Toward the end of the period, some iron clippers were built and some were both very fast and very strong, though they suffered from fouling of their hulls. Every year from the mid 1850's to about 1872 a fleet of these vessels raced from China to London with the first of the season's teas since the first ships into London commanded a very high price for the tea. The only clipper to remain completely intact (except for a recent very bad fire) is the Cutty Sark, permanently moored in dry dock at Greenwich near London.

A very good history of both the American and British clipper fleets is given in Basil Lubbock's book 'The China Clippers' published in 1914 and long out of print, however a good local library might be able to get hold of a copy.

Answer 2

The China clippers were fast sailing ships that were utilized for trade between China and Western countries in the mid-19th century. They gradually fell out of use with the advent of steamships, which offered faster and more reliable transportation. Many clippers were repurposed or fell into disrepair as steam technology became more prevalent in maritime trade.