Nantucket Shipbuilding - Clipper Ships

Clipper Ships

In 1801, the 'small' clipper ship 'Mars' was built at Brant Point for the Old China Trade. Captained by Uriah Swain, 'Mars' set sail for China in 1802. "In 1800, Captain Uriah Swain (1754–1810) took the ship 'Mars' to China, initiating a direct economic relationship between Nantucket and the Far East. Trading in sealskins allowed the ship to load a cargo of Tea and other Chinese goods and souvenirs." There is a discrepancy in dates between those in the Egan Maritime Institute Exhibit and those in the timeline published by the Nantucket Historical Society. There is a trading barque Mars in several late 19th century photographs (albumen prints) in the collection of the New Bedford Whaling Museum. of New Bedford, Massachusetts, but it is unlikely this is the clipper ship built at Brant Point in 1801.

In 1803, the China clipper 'Rose' was built at Brant Point and quickly attained a reputation for speed. On her last voyage under the United States flag, the 'Rose' was captured by the British and finished her days as a dispatch ship for the Royal Navy.