Ambassador (clipper) facts for kids
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Ambassador
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | Ambassador |
| Owner | W. Lund & Co |
| Builder | William Walker, Lavender Dry Dock, London |
| Launched | 1869 |
| Out of service | 1896 |
| Status |
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| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Composite clipper |
| Tonnage | 692 GRT |
| Length | 176.0 ft (53.6 m) |
| Beam | 31.3 ft (9.5 m) |
| Depth | 19.1 ft (5.8 m) |
| Sail plan |
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The Ambassador was a special kind of sailing ship called a tea clipper. She was built in the UK in 1869.
What made her special was that she was a "composite" ship. This means she had a strong iron frame, but her outer hull was made of wood. This design combined the best parts of both materials. The Ambassador was the first tea clipper owned by W. Lund & Co.
Today, the Ambassador is a shipwreck. You can find her beached on the coast of southern Chile.
The Story of the Ambassador
The Ambassador was built by William Walker at the Lavender Dry Dock in London. She was launched in 1869.
Even though she was known for being fast, some people said the Ambassador was a bit "cranky." This meant she might have been a bit unstable or hard to handle, and perhaps had too much sail for her size.
Her first big trip from Fuzhou, China, to the UK was part of the famous Tea Race of 1870. This was a competition where clippers raced to bring the first new tea harvest to England. The Ambassador's journey took 115 days. This was an okay time, but not the fastest. In the same year, another clipper, the Lahloo, completed the same journey in just 98 days.
The Ambassador's quickest trip between China and England happened in 1872, taking 108 days.
The Ambassador's Final Resting Place
The Ambassador has been beached at a place called Estancia San Gregorio, Chile since 1899. This means she was left on the shore and abandoned.
In 1973, the country of Chile recognized her importance. They officially declared the Ambassador a historic monument.
Today, the wreck of the Ambassador is mostly just a skeletal frame. You can see her ribs and structure, but much of the original ship is gone.
See also
Better preserved composite ship constructions include:
- City of Adelaide (1864), passenger clipper relocated from Scotland to Adelaide in 2014
- Cutty Sark (1869), tea-clipper in Greenwich, England
- HMS Gannet (1878), a Naval sloop in Chatham, England
- PS Oscar W (1908), a paddle steamer at Goolwa on the River Murray, South Australia
