Saturday, June 27, 2015

The schooner John Gilprin

SAILING SCHOONER JOHN GILPRIN
MARYLAND
1831 TO 1845




The schooner John Gilprin was begun in 1826 at St. Michael's and launched in 1831 , sent to sea the

year following. Most of it's voyages were with the China Tea trade. The John Gilprin was a two

master brig 104 feet in length and is said to be the last large ship to be launched at St. Michael's. Ar

Michael's was at the hub of the Eastern Shore, once having the material ready for building such vessels,

such as live oak, locusts and cedar, carpenters with the knowledge of the use of hand tools necessary to

construct such a ship. It could take several years to complete these vessel's said to be a link between

the early Baltimore Clipper Ships and the larger clipper ships of a later era. The ship sank off

Newfoundland sometime around 1845, having traveled some 228,533 miles during the 144,323 days

she was afloat. She held a record of a 56 day, 4 hour run, from Callao , Peru to Lintin, China in 1837

which she held until 1843 when the record was broken by the Helena, a larger ship.

A model of the John Gilprin rest in the Chesapeake Bay Museum built by the historian R. Hamiton

Gibson.

Source: Dick Moore, Salisbury Daily Times, 30 March , 1977

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