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Lot Essay
Built for Alexander Rodger, the Glaswegian owner of the legendary Taeping, by Robert Steele & Co. at Greenock, Lahloo was launched in 1867. A magnificent heavily-sparred clipper of the same class as Ariel and Titania, she was registered at 799 tons (756= under deck) and measured 191= feet in length with a 34 foot beam.
The greatest 'Tea Race' of them all took place in 1866 but that of 1868 provoked almost as much attention. Lahloo, on her maiden passage, was considered the favourite to win and loaded 1,231,397 pounds of tea prior to leaving Foochow on 30th May. Unfortunately for her, several other notable clippers, including Ariel and Spindrift, managed to get away just ahead of Lahloo and despite Captain John Smith's best efforts to drive her hard, it was Ariel followed by Spindrift which got home first and second respectively. Lahloo was only four days behind them but it was nevertheless a disappointing start to her career. On her second voyage she ran out to Shanghai against the monsoon in 100 days, a fine achievement in itself, and came home in a creditable 101 days via the 'eastern route'. In 1869, she left London on 28th October and reached Shanghai in 95 days, pilot to pilot, beating Ariel on the voyage out by 10 days. First home after a very fast 98 day run from Foochow, she docked in London on 18th January 1871 which proved the best pasage of the season. Clearing Foochow on 27th July the same year, she was home with the new season's tea in 111 days but that was to be her swansong. The next year she left Shanghai fully laden and bound for London on 30th June but was wrecked on Sandalwood Island, one of the East Indian Sunda Islands, on 31st July 1872.
The greatest 'Tea Race' of them all took place in 1866 but that of 1868 provoked almost as much attention. Lahloo, on her maiden passage, was considered the favourite to win and loaded 1,231,397 pounds of tea prior to leaving Foochow on 30th May. Unfortunately for her, several other notable clippers, including Ariel and Spindrift, managed to get away just ahead of Lahloo and despite Captain John Smith's best efforts to drive her hard, it was Ariel followed by Spindrift which got home first and second respectively. Lahloo was only four days behind them but it was nevertheless a disappointing start to her career. On her second voyage she ran out to Shanghai against the monsoon in 100 days, a fine achievement in itself, and came home in a creditable 101 days via the 'eastern route'. In 1869, she left London on 28th October and reached Shanghai in 95 days, pilot to pilot, beating Ariel on the voyage out by 10 days. First home after a very fast 98 day run from Foochow, she docked in London on 18th January 1871 which proved the best pasage of the season. Clearing Foochow on 27th July the same year, she was home with the new season's tea in 111 days but that was to be her swansong. The next year she left Shanghai fully laden and bound for London on 30th June but was wrecked on Sandalwood Island, one of the East Indian Sunda Islands, on 31st July 1872.