Lahloo (clipper) facts for kids

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Lahloo was a very fast British tea clipper. Tea clippers were special sailing ships built to race tea from China to London. Lahloo was famous for winning the Tea Race of 1870. She also came in second place in the Tea Race of 1871. In 1868, she sailed from Fuzhou, China, to London, England. She carried over a million pounds (about 500 tons) of tea on that trip.

Contents

• Building a Fast Ship
• Amazing Journeys of Lahloo
• Winning the Great Tea Race of 1870
• Second Place in the 1871 Tea Race
• How Lahloo Sailed So Well
• The Final Voyage

Building a Fast Ship

Lahloo was designed by William Steele. She was built to be very fast, much like another famous clipper called Ariel. Lahloo had a special type of hull called a composite hull. This meant her frame was made of iron, but her outer skin was made of wood. This design made her both strong and light. She also used special sails called "roller-reefing topsails." These sails could be rolled up easily, which helped the crew control the ship better in different winds.

Amazing Journeys of Lahloo

Lahloo made several important voyages, especially carrying tea. Her speed was key to her success.

• From Fuzhou to London:

• 101 days in 1868
• 101 days in 1869 (she took a longer route called the "Eastern Passage" through the Pacific Ocean, which sometimes helped ships find better winds)
• 111 days in 1871

History
United Kingdom
Name	Lahloo
Owner	James Findlay
Builder	Robert Steele & Co., Greenock, for Alexander Rodger, Glasgow
Launched	23 July 1867
Fate	Lost Sandalwood Island, 30 or 31 July 1872 16°35′S 179°11′E / 16.583°S 179.183°E / -16.583; 179.183
General characteristics
Tons burthen	799 tons, 985 83/94 tons OM
Length	191 ft. 6 in.
Beam	32 ft. 9 in.
Draught	19 ft. 9 in.

• From London to Shanghai:

• 98 days in 1869 (or 95 days from when the pilot left the ship until a new pilot boarded)

Winning the Great Tea Race of 1870

The Tea Race of 1870 was a big event for these fast ships. It was a race from Foo-chow (Fuzhou) in China to London. Lahloo proved her speed by winning this race in just 97 days! Other famous ships in the race included:

• Windhover, which took 100 days
• Sir Lancelot, which took 102 days
• Leander, which took 103 days
• Thermopylae, which took 106 days

Second Place in the 1871 Tea Race

Lahloo, preparing to land a pilot near the Owers, England, in 1867.

In 1871, Lahloo raced again from Foo-chow to London and finished second. The ship Titania won that year in 93 days. Lahloo took 111 days. Other ships in different races that year included:

• Thermopylae, which took 106 days from Shanghai to London
• Cutty Sark, which took 110 days from Shanghai to London
• Forward Ho, which took 118 days from Shanghai to London

This race was one of the last big tea clipper races. Soon, new steamships and the opening of the Suez Canal made sailing ships less important for carrying tea quickly. After 1869, no more tea clippers were built. These beautiful, fast ships slowly moved into other types of trade, and the era of tea clipper racing came to an end.

How Lahloo Sailed So Well

Experts like Lubbock noted that tea clippers such as Lahloo, Fiery Cross, Taeping, and Serica were best in light winds. This was because they were first built with single topsails. However, the picture of Lahloo at the top of this article shows her with double topsails. This change likely happened in the early 1870s, but it's not clear exactly when.

The Final Voyage

Map of Sandalwood Island, where Lahloo was wrecked.

Sandalwood Island, now called Vanua Levu.

Lahloo was on a voyage from Shanghai to London with tea when she was wrecked. This happened on July 31, 1872, near Sandalwood Island in the Sunda Islands. Luckily, all of her crew survived the shipwreck.