Donald McKay
Encyclopedia
Donald McKay was a Canadian-born
American
designer and builder of sailing ship
s.
He was born in Jordan Falls, Shelburne County on Nova Scotia
's South Shore. In 1826 he moved to New York, working for shipbuilders Brown & Bell and Isaac Webb. In 1841, he opened his first yard in Newburyport and moved to East Boston in 1845, building substantial packet ships for the Atlantic emigrant route. McKay later designed and built some of the most successful clipper
s ever built. His house in East Boston
is on the National Register of Historic Places
. He was the great-great-grandfather of the American actor
, author
, and artist
Gardner McKay
(1932–2001).
(1845), an early China clipper. The long, hollow bow helped to penetrate rather than ride over the wave produced by the hull at high speeds, reducing resistance as hull speed
is approached. Hull speed is the natural speed of a wave the same length as the ship, in knots,
, with LWL the waterline length in feet. His hulls had a shorter afterbody, putting the center of buoyancy farther aft, than was typical of the period, as well as a full midsection with rather flat bottom. These characteristics led to lower drag at high speed compared to contemporary ships of similar length, as well as great stability which translated into the ability to carry sail in high winds (more power in extreme conditions). His fishing schooner design was even more radical than his clippers, being a huge flat-bottomed dinghy similar in form to 20th century planing boats. These design changes were not favorable for light wind conditions such as were expected on the China trade, but were helpful in the California and Australian trades.
Pan Am named one of their Boeing 747s Clipper Donald McKay in his honor.
McKay is also probably the designer of two fishing schooners of an extreme clipper design, the Mary B. Dyer and H & R. Attwood.
During the American Civil War
he was contracted by the US Navy to build the USS Nausett
, one of the few Casco-class
monitors
to be commissioned. There is a monument to McKay in South Boston, near Fort Independence, overlooking the channel, that lists all his ships. There were more than 30.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
designer and builder of sailing ship
Sailing ship
The term sailing ship is now used to refer to any large wind-powered vessel. In technical terms, a ship was a sailing vessel with a specific rig of at least three masts, square rigged on all of them, making the sailing adjective redundant. In popular usage "ship" became associated with all large...
s.
He was born in Jordan Falls, Shelburne County on Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
's South Shore. In 1826 he moved to New York, working for shipbuilders Brown & Bell and Isaac Webb. In 1841, he opened his first yard in Newburyport and moved to East Boston in 1845, building substantial packet ships for the Atlantic emigrant route. McKay later designed and built some of the most successful clipper
Clipper
A clipper was a very fast sailing ship of the 19th century that had three or more masts and a square rig. They were generally narrow for their length, could carry limited bulk freight, small by later 19th century standards, and had a large total sail area...
s ever built. His house in East Boston
Donald McKay House
The Donald McKay House is a historic wood-frame home at 78-80 White Street in East Boston, Massachusetts. It was the residence of Donald McKay, noted builder of clipper ships....
is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. He was the great-great-grandfather of the American actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
Gardner McKay
Gardner McKay
George Cadogan Gardner McKay was an American actor, artist, and author.-Biography:Born in New York City, McKay graduated from Cornell University, where he majored in art. He became a Hollywood heart throb in the 1950s and 1960s. He landed the lead role in Adventures in Paradise, based loosely on...
(1932–2001).
McKay's clippers
- 1842 Courier, early clipper trading ship, 380 tons OMBuilder's Old MeasurementBuilder's Old Measurement is the method of calculating the size or cargo capacity of a ship used in England from approximately 1720 to 1849. It estimated the tonnage of a ship based on length and maximum beam...
- 1849 Helicon, extreme clipper barque, 400 tons OM
- 1849 Reindeer, extreme clipper trading ship, 800 tons OM
- 1850 Moses Wheeler, extreme clipper trading ship, 900 tons OM
- 1850 Sultana, extreme clipper barque, 400 tons OM
- 1850 Stag HoundStag Hound-Performance:On many of her voyages, the ship did not meet with favorable winds; nevertheless "in moderate breezes she was conceded to be a very fast ship and in strong winds frequently logged 16 and 17 knots. Her best day’s run ... was 358 miles."...
, extreme clipperExtreme clipperAn extreme clipper is a clipper designed to sacrifice cargo capacity for speed. They had a bow lengthened above the water, a drawing out and sharpening of the forward body, and the greatest breadth further aft. Extreme clippers were built in the period 1845 to 1855.-Medium and extreme clippers:From...
, 1534 tons OM (first large or true clipper ship built by Donald McKay) - 1851 Flying Cloud, extreme clipper, 1782 tons OM
- 1851 Staffordshire, extreme clipper, 1817 tons OM
- 1851 North America, extreme clipper, 1464 tons OM
- 1851 Flying Fish, extreme clipper, 1505 tons OM
- 1852 Sovereign of the SeasSovereign of the Seas (clipper)The Sovereign of the Seas, a clipper ship built in 1852, was a sailing vessel notable for setting the 1854 world record for fastest sailing ship-- 22 knots.Sovereign of the Seas has held this record for over 100 years.-Notable passages:...
, extreme clipper, 2421 tons OM - 1852 Westward Ho!Westward Ho! (clipper)Westward Ho! was an 1852 extreme clipper which made two very fast passages to San Francisco, 100 days from Boston and New York. She had a very close race with Neptune's Car, and ended her days in the coolie trade.-Construction:...
, extreme clipper, 1650 tons OM - 1852 Bald Eagle, extreme clipper, 1704 tons OM
- 1853 Empress of the Seas, extreme clipper, 2200 tons OM
- 1853 Star of Empire, extreme clipper, 2050 tons OM
- 1853 Chariot of Fame, extreme clipper, 2050 tons OM
- 1853 Great RepublicGreat RepublicLaunched on October 4, 1853 the Great Republic is noteworthy as the largest wooden clipper ship ever constructed.-Construction of the largest wooden clipper ship:...
, extreme clipper barque, 4555 tons OM (largest clipper ship ever built) - 1853 Romance of the Sea, extreme clipper, 1782 tons OM
- 1854 LightningLightning (clipper)Lightning was a clipper ship, one of the last really large clippers to be built in the USA. She was built by Donald McKay for James Baines of the Black Ball Line, Liverpool, for the Australia trade....
, extreme clipper, 2083 tons OM - 1854 Champion of the SeasChampion of the SeasChampion of the Seas was the second large clipper ship destined for the Liverpool, England - Melbourne, Australia passenger service. Champion was ordered by James Baines of the Black Ball Line from Donald McKay...
, extreme clipper, 2447 tons OM - 1854 James BainesJames Baines (clipper)The James Baines was a passenger clipper ship completely constructed of timber in the 1850s and launched on 25 July 1854 from the East Boston shipyard of the famous ship builder Donald McKay in the USA for the Black Ball Line of James Baines & Co., Liverpool...
, extreme clipper, 2525 tons OM - 1854 Blanche Moore, extreme clipper, 1787 tons OM
- 1854 Santa Claus, medium clipper, 1256 tons OM
- 1854 Commodore Perry, medium clipper, 1964 tons OM
- 1854 Japan, medium clipper, 1964 tons OM
- 1855 Donald McKay, extreme clipper, 2594 tons OM (last extreme clipper ship built by Donald McKay)
- 1855 Zephyr, medium clipper, 1184 tons OM
- 1855 Defender, medium clipper, 1413 tons OM
- 1856 Henry Hill, medium clipper barque, 568 tons OM
- 1856 Mastiff, medium clipper, 1030 tons OM
- 1856 Minnehaha, medium clipper, 1695 tons OM
- 1856 Amos Lawrence, medium clipper, 1396 tons OM
- 1856 Abbott Lawrence, medium clipper, 1497 tons OM
- 1856 Baltic, medium clipper, 1372 tons OM
- 1856 Adriatic, medium clipper, 1327 tons OM
- 1858 Alhambra, medium clipper, 1097 tons OM
- 1867 Helen Morris, medium clipper, 1285 tons OM
- 1869 Glory of the Seas, medium clipper, 2102 tons OM
McKay's design practices
McKay's designs were characterized by a long, fine bow with increasing hollow and waterlines as his career progressed. He was perhaps influenced by the writings of John Griffiths, designer of RainbowRainbow (clipper)
The Rainbow, launched in New York in 1845 to sail in the China trade for the firm Howland & Aspinwall, was the first extreme clipper ship.-The first extreme clipper ship:...
(1845), an early China clipper. The long, hollow bow helped to penetrate rather than ride over the wave produced by the hull at high speeds, reducing resistance as hull speed
Hull speed
Hull speed, sometimes referred to as displacement speed, is the speed of a boat at which the bow and stern waves interfere constructively, creating relatively large waves, and thus a relatively large value of wave drag...
is approached. Hull speed is the natural speed of a wave the same length as the ship, in knots,
, with LWL the waterline length in feet. His hulls had a shorter afterbody, putting the center of buoyancy farther aft, than was typical of the period, as well as a full midsection with rather flat bottom. These characteristics led to lower drag at high speed compared to contemporary ships of similar length, as well as great stability which translated into the ability to carry sail in high winds (more power in extreme conditions). His fishing schooner design was even more radical than his clippers, being a huge flat-bottomed dinghy similar in form to 20th century planing boats. These design changes were not favorable for light wind conditions such as were expected on the China trade, but were helpful in the California and Australian trades.Pan Am named one of their Boeing 747s Clipper Donald McKay in his honor.
Records set by McKay's clippers
- Lightning set multiple records
- 436 miles in a 24-hour period
- 64 days from Melbourne, Australia, to Liverpool, England
- Sovereign of the Seas posted the fastest speed ever by a sailing ship - 22 kts. in 1854.
- James Baines logged a speed of 21 knots (June 18, 1856)
- Flying Cloud made two 89-day passages New York to San Francisco
McKay's other ships
Between 1845 and 1850 McKay built five large packet ships for Enoch Train's White Diamond line, which specialised in the Atlantic emigrant route from Europe to North America. These were the Washington Irving, the Anglo Saxon, the Anglo American, the Daniel Webster, and the Ocean Monarch. The Ocean Monarch was lost to fire on 28 August 1848, soon after leaving Liverpool and within sight of Wales; over 170 of the passengers and crew perished. The Washington Irving carried Patrick Kennedy to Boston in 1849.McKay is also probably the designer of two fishing schooners of an extreme clipper design, the Mary B. Dyer and H & R. Attwood.
During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
he was contracted by the US Navy to build the USS Nausett
USS Nausett (1865)
USS Nausett, a single-turreted, twin-screw monitor, was built by Donald McKay, South Boston, MA, and launched on 26 April 1865, and commissioned on 10 August 1865, Acting Master Win. U. Grozier in command...
, one of the few Casco-class
Casco class monitor
The Casco-class monitor was a unique class of light draft monitor built on behalf of the United States Navy for the Mississippi theatre during the American Civil War. The largest and most ambitious ironclad program of the war, the project was dogged by delays caused by bureaucratic meddling...
monitors
Monitor (warship)
A monitor was a class of relatively small warship which was neither fast nor strongly armoured but carried disproportionately large guns. They were used by some navies from the 1860s until the end of World War II, and saw their final use by the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.The monitors...
to be commissioned. There is a monument to McKay in South Boston, near Fort Independence, overlooking the channel, that lists all his ships. There were more than 30.
Images
- Donald McKay's Shipyard - Museum of Science, Boston, MA
External links
- Donald MacKay Memorial, Jordan Falls, NS
- Model of Flying Cloud Clipper Ship, Smithsonian
- Figurehead from clipper ship Donald McKay, Mystic Seaport Museum
- List of ships built by Donald McKay
- 1850 McKay and the Clipper Age - .pdf case study in innovation, bostoninnovation.org