Glory of the Seas

Among the foremost icons of the 19th century were the clipper ships. They were built to carry high value cargo over great distances with speed. The most famous designer of these ships was Donald McKay, a Canadian-born American. Mc Kay designed and built clipper ships begining in the 1850s. The Glory of the Seas was to be his finest effort. He bet all his personal assets to build the ship on speculation. The Glory of the Seas was launched in 1869; on her maiden voyage she made a record run of 94 days from New York to San Francisco. Her arrival there was a great event. She was admired for the sumptuousness of her craftsmanship. Unfortunately, word of the instability of McKay's financial condition preceded the vessel, and McKay was compelled to sell the ship in San Francisco. McKay never financially recovered. She made ocean voyages until the last years of the 19th century. She was then put into the coast-wise lumber and coal trade. In the early part of the 20th century she was laid up and subsequently used as a floating cannery and finally as a storage hulk. She was burned for her metal south of Brace Point in Seattle in 1923. (source: www.criterionweb.com)

This painting depicts her racing for Queenstown, England from San Francisco in August 1870 sailing south off the California coast in with the downeaster "Frolic" and the full rigged ship "Bell Hill" in the distance. She arrived 112 days later making the fastest run of any ship sailing from California in the month of July.