Snow Squall

Snow Squall was an extreme wooden American clipper ship built in Maine for the China trade. A large part of her bow was preserved and is the sole remaining example of the American-built clipper ships.[1]

Snow Squall on a Library of Congress record
History
United States
Name: Snow Squall
Builder: Cornelius Butler, Turner's Island, Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Cost: $30,410
Launched: 15 July 1851
Fate: Ran aground, condemned and sold, 1864
General characteristics
Class and type: Clipper
Tons burthen: 743 tons
Length: 157 ft (48 m)
Beam: 32 ft (9.8 m)
Draft: 16 ft (4.9 m)
Propulsion: Sail

History

She was launched by Cornelius Butler at Turner's Island, Cape Elizabeth, Maine. She was bought by Charles R. Green of New York for $30,410.[2]

Snow Squall's sailing card, c. 1850.

She serve on the Pacific and Atlantic routes for over ten years. She made the New York-San Francisco trip in 155 days. 

On 1 March 1864, while carrying gunpowder among other cargo from New York to San Francisco, Snow Squall ran aground in the Straits of Le Marie in South America.[3] She was delivered to Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands, where she was discharged of her cargo and found damaged beyond repair. In July, she was condemned and sold. The largest surviving piece was used as a dock at Port Stanley.

In 1979 she was rediscovered in the Falklands, and in 1982 a 32-foot portion of her bow and other remains were returned to Maine. Since 1995 the bow resides at the Maine Maritime Museum, Bath, Maine.[4] It is the sole remaining example of the hundreds of American-built clipper ships.

See also

Further reading

References
  1. "HAER ME,3-PORTS,2- (sheet 1 of 10) - Clipper Ship SNOW SQUALL Bow, Spring Point Museum, Southern Maine Technical College, South Portland, Cumberland County, ME". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
  2. "Sailing Ships: "Snow Squall" (1851)". www.bruzelius.info. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
  3. "Yankee Clipper's proud prow. Snow Squall bow will be feature piece for Portland museum". Christian Science Monitor. 1987-03-24. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
  4. "SNOW SQUALL Remains". CAMM. 2014-03-14. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
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