Dawning - the 'Queen of the Clippers'

Queen of Clippers was one of a famous trio of clippers, including the John Bertram and Winged Racer, designed and built by Robert E. Jackson at East Boston, Massachusetts. Ordered by Messrs. Seccomb and Taylor, no expense was spared to make her the perfect ship and ensure her success. Registered at 2300 tons and measuring 258 feet in length and with a 44 foot beam, she was long and graceful and capable of 18 knots with a leading wind. Her frame was constructed of seasoned white oak and her scantling of hard pine, sheathed with yellow metal and painted black above the metal. The figurehead was the creation of J. W. Mason, regarded as one of the most skilled artists of the time. The Boston Daily Atlas reported on 2nd April 1853 'This splendid vessel has been the admiration of all who have inspected her, not only for her faultless beauty of her model, but also for the strength of her construction and the excellence of the workmanship.'