Baltimore clipper, small, fast sailing ship developed by Chesapeake Bay builders in the 18th century. It was a top-sail schooner, with steeply raked masts that were rigged with various combinations of fore-and-aft and square sails. The typical length would be about 96 feet long, and about 26 feet wide. It was fully used all the way up to the early nineteenth century along the coasts of the United States and the Caribbean islands. Originally built for the merchant trade, it’s incredible agility and speed soon lend it to the use in privateering (with enough room for 4-6 4 inch guns), illegal slave trading, and for speedy conveying perishables.
It’s swift speed earned it the “clipper” moniker.
Some naval historians believe its hull design makes it a legitimate ancestor of the larger clipper ships that developed in the middle of the 19th century. The Ann McKim was the first attempt to ‘extend’ a Baltimore Clipper by adding an additional mast but it did not have the extended hull for deep-water intercontinental shipping, nor a sufficient cargo hold to justify globetrotting voyages as later clipper ships contained.
