Lot Essay
Comissioned by Donald McKay of Boston between 1853-54 the ship cost +30,000 to be built. Her mass weight was 1,468 tons with a length of 244 feet, a beam of 44 feet and a depth of 23 feet. On August 20, 1854 under the command of Captain Launchlan McKay, the brother of the designer, she made a record run from Autralia to the Head of Cape Horn in 19 days, 1 hour. The full run was to Liverpool where it took the "Lightning" only 64 days, 3 hours and 10 minutes, a record that was never broken. In 1869 the boat caught fire and had to be scuttled.