Shamrock

Photo date: June 14, 1892. by John S. Johnston

Although there were five versions of Shamrock (numbered I through V), Johnston only lived long enough to photograph the first Shamrock, now referred to as Shamrock I. Indeed, it was during the 1899 America's Cup race between Shamrock and Columbia that Johnston reportedly caught the cold which led to his death.

(Note that there was another yacht named Shamrock - according to the August 1896 issue of Outing magazine, there was a Shamrock owned by W. P. Ward. Does anyone know anything about this vessel?)

Type	Gaff-rigged cutter
Class	1883 Seawanhaka 90' Rule
Design	William Fife, Jr. (1898)
Shipyard	J. Thorneycroft & Co.
Dimensions	LOA 38.86m LWL 25.12m Beam 7.46m Draught 6.15m
Displacement	156.9 metric tonnes
Rig	Lower-Mast 29.56m Top-Mast 18.90m Boom 32.61m Bowsprit 8.60m Sail Area 1214.30m²

Shamrock was the unsuccessful Irish challenger for the 10th America's Cup in 1899 to the US defender, Columbia. Shamrock was designed by William Fife III, Jr. and built in 1898 by Builder: J. Thorneycroft & Co, at Millwall on the Thames near London, England for owner Sir Thomas Lipton (of Lipton Tea Fame).

According to Americascup.com :

"Shamrock I is launched on June 24, 1899 and christened by Lady Russell of Killowen. Its build has been shrouded by secrecy and its hull is hidden by canvas, as was the case forThistle, in 1887. The 1895 challenger Valkyrie III is refitted to be sailed as a trial horse for Shamrock I. Soon after its launch, Shamrock I races against the Prince of Wales' yacht,Britannia. The Irish challenger outpaces the royal yacht in two regattas on the Solent. Shamrock I arrives in New York on August 18, 1899, and sails daily to train the crew for the Cup races.

"During the second [cup] race, on the first windward leg, Shamrock's topmast snaps and the challenger withdraws. The same evening a new spar is fitted. The Irishmen add four tonnes of ballast, so the yacht is re-measured on October 18, but its sailing performance is not improved. The Irish yacht's Steel mast is too bendy. During the 1899 yachting season, the boat goes through six sets of sails.

"On November 2, 1899, Shamrock I leaves New York and is towed back to Great Britain by Lipton's steam yacht, Erin, via the Azores. It is dry-docked on arrival. [In] 1901Shamrock I is refitted by Lipton and sails as a trial horse for his new challenger, Shamrock II, a George L. Watson design. [In April] 1903, Shamrock I is refitted again and sails as a trial horse for

Shamrock III. On May 28, 1903, with 41 crewmen onboard, Shamrock I sails to New York and races against Shamrock III before the Cup. After the Cup, Lipton tries to sell his two yachts, without success. [In] 1914 Shamrock I sails against Shamrock IV off Cowes before Lipton's fourth challenger sails across the Atlantic.

"Yacht club: Royal Ulster Yacht Club, Ireland
Sailmaker: Ratsey, Cowes
Skipper: Captain Archibald "Archie" Hogarth and his assistant, Captain Robert "Bob" Wringe
Afterguard: Jesse Connell and Captain Ben Parker "

Shamrock (also known as Shamrock I, to distinguish it from its successors) was built in 1898 under a shroud of secrecy, and christened by Lady Russell of Killowen at its launch on June 24, 1899.
During its trials it raced against the 1895 America's Cup challenger, Valkyrie III, as well as twice beating His Majesty's Yacht Britannia in regattas on the Solent. It sailed to New York for the America's Cup race in the summer of 1899. The Cup defender Columbia beat Shamrock in all three races. It returned to Britain in the autumn of 1899, towed by Lipton's steam yacht, Erin. It was subsequently refitted by Lipton and used as a "trial horse" to test the later challengers, Shamrock II, III, and IV.