The Original Lightning
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From: The Lone Star State
The Original Lightning
Having been with the US DoD for over two decades, I have had the unique opportunity to examine different military hardware and weapons systems up close. As I have an Engineering background, I am always interested in how these systems were developed and their evolution.
I have utilized a Tivo, digital hard disk recorder, for about a year to peruse the TV networks for shows that I find interesting. The Tivo seeks out my interests, any channel, any time and records up to thirty hours of high quality video for me to view at my leisure.
The other night there was a one-hour show on the History Channel called “The Great Ships: High Tech, High Seas”. The show covered “The Evolution of Propulsion” of ships and gave a development and progress of the vessels that men have used to cross the seas. Starting with oars on ancient vessels and progressing to sails, steam, diesel, and on to nuclear power. The show provided an interesting insight as to man’s progress and improvement of the “state of the art technology” of the times.
What caught my attention was the reference to a ship named “The Lightning”. Could this be the namesake of our F-150 Lightning?
She had been built in Boston by Donald Mackay for James Baines's Black Ball Line in the winter of 1853-54 as a three masted, ship rigged vessel. Her tonnage was registered at 1600 tons, length 244ft, beam 44ft, height of mainmast 164ft and she spread over 13,000 yards of sail. She utilized “Stutisal” sails that extended away from the regular sails on the masts to provide extra power.
In 1855, John Willis Griffiths observed in the Monthly Nautical Magazine, "No timid hand or hesitating brain gave form and dimensions to the Lightning. Very great stability; acute extremities; full, short midship body; comparatively small deadrise, and the longest end forward, are points in the excellence of this ship."
The hand and brain that had made her, Donald Mackay, wrote a Letter to the Editor to the Scientific American in November 26, 1859, saying: Although I designed and built the Clipper Ship Lightning and therefore ought to be the last to praise her, yet such has been her performance since Englishmen learned to sail her that I must confess I feel proud of her. You are aware that she was so sharp and concave forward that one of her stupid captains who did not comprehend the principle upon which she was built, persuaded the owners to fill in the hollows of her bows. They did so, and according to their British bluff notions, she was not only better for the addition, but would sail faster, and wrote me to the effect. Well, the next passage to Melbourne, Australia, she washed the encumbrance away on one side, and when she returned to Liverpool, the other side was also cleared away. Since then she has been running as I modeled her. As a specimen of her speed, I may say that I saw recorded in her log (of 24 hours) 436 nautical miles, a trifle over 18 knots an hour.
It was a great day when this remarkable ship left Constitution Dock in Boston for her maiden voyage. Duncan McLean in the Boston Daily Atlas of 1854, said of her, "Not a ripple curled before her cutwater, nor did the water break at a single place along her sides. She left a wake straight as an arrow, and this was the only mark of her progress. There was a slight swell, and as she rose, one could see the arc of her forefoot rise gently over the sea as she increased her speed."
On March 1, 1854, the Lightning sailed 436 miles, which is the longest day's run recorded by a sailing ship. The ship’s log reported, March 1. Wind S., strong gales; bore away for the North Channel, carried away the foretopsail and lost jib; hove the log several times, and found the ship going through the water at the rate of 18 to 19 knots per hour; lee rail under water, and the rigging slack; saw the Irish land at 9:30 p.m. Distance run in the twenty-four hours, 436 miles.
Sadly she was destroyed by fire in late 1869.
Click here for more information on The Lightning
Skyhawk
[This message has been edited by Skyhawk (edited 03-22-2001).]
I have utilized a Tivo, digital hard disk recorder, for about a year to peruse the TV networks for shows that I find interesting. The Tivo seeks out my interests, any channel, any time and records up to thirty hours of high quality video for me to view at my leisure.
The other night there was a one-hour show on the History Channel called “The Great Ships: High Tech, High Seas”. The show covered “The Evolution of Propulsion” of ships and gave a development and progress of the vessels that men have used to cross the seas. Starting with oars on ancient vessels and progressing to sails, steam, diesel, and on to nuclear power. The show provided an interesting insight as to man’s progress and improvement of the “state of the art technology” of the times.
What caught my attention was the reference to a ship named “The Lightning”. Could this be the namesake of our F-150 Lightning?
She had been built in Boston by Donald Mackay for James Baines's Black Ball Line in the winter of 1853-54 as a three masted, ship rigged vessel. Her tonnage was registered at 1600 tons, length 244ft, beam 44ft, height of mainmast 164ft and she spread over 13,000 yards of sail. She utilized “Stutisal” sails that extended away from the regular sails on the masts to provide extra power.
In 1855, John Willis Griffiths observed in the Monthly Nautical Magazine, "No timid hand or hesitating brain gave form and dimensions to the Lightning. Very great stability; acute extremities; full, short midship body; comparatively small deadrise, and the longest end forward, are points in the excellence of this ship."
The hand and brain that had made her, Donald Mackay, wrote a Letter to the Editor to the Scientific American in November 26, 1859, saying: Although I designed and built the Clipper Ship Lightning and therefore ought to be the last to praise her, yet such has been her performance since Englishmen learned to sail her that I must confess I feel proud of her. You are aware that she was so sharp and concave forward that one of her stupid captains who did not comprehend the principle upon which she was built, persuaded the owners to fill in the hollows of her bows. They did so, and according to their British bluff notions, she was not only better for the addition, but would sail faster, and wrote me to the effect. Well, the next passage to Melbourne, Australia, she washed the encumbrance away on one side, and when she returned to Liverpool, the other side was also cleared away. Since then she has been running as I modeled her. As a specimen of her speed, I may say that I saw recorded in her log (of 24 hours) 436 nautical miles, a trifle over 18 knots an hour.
It was a great day when this remarkable ship left Constitution Dock in Boston for her maiden voyage. Duncan McLean in the Boston Daily Atlas of 1854, said of her, "Not a ripple curled before her cutwater, nor did the water break at a single place along her sides. She left a wake straight as an arrow, and this was the only mark of her progress. There was a slight swell, and as she rose, one could see the arc of her forefoot rise gently over the sea as she increased her speed."
On March 1, 1854, the Lightning sailed 436 miles, which is the longest day's run recorded by a sailing ship. The ship’s log reported, March 1. Wind S., strong gales; bore away for the North Channel, carried away the foretopsail and lost jib; hove the log several times, and found the ship going through the water at the rate of 18 to 19 knots per hour; lee rail under water, and the rigging slack; saw the Irish land at 9:30 p.m. Distance run in the twenty-four hours, 436 miles.
Sadly she was destroyed by fire in late 1869.
Click here for more information on The Lightning
Skyhawk
[This message has been edited by Skyhawk (edited 03-22-2001).]
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From: President HALO
Being a marine engineer I would have loved for this story to be true, but! The original Lightning was a car driven by Parnelle Jones powered by FORD at the Indy 500 and is sitting in a small museum of his. Saw it on Speedworld about two months ago. Haven't been able to fine any puctures though. Tried to get Speedworld to send me something but to no avail.
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From: The Lone Star State
With all due respect to 1BADTK (and I could be wrong here) with regards to the original Lightning namesake, I believe Clipper ships, circa 1854, probably predate automobiles.
Skyhawk
Skyhawk
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From: Palo Alto, CA
