''Shamrock IV'' was a yacht owned by
Sir Thomas Lipton
Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton, 1st Baronet (10 May 18482 October 1931) was a Scotsman of Ulster-Scots parentage who was a self-made man, as company founder of Lipton Tea, merchant, philanthropist and yachtsman who lost 5 straight America's Cup ...
and designed by
Charles Ernest Nicholson
Charles Ernest Nicholson (12 May 1868 – 26 February 1954) was a British yacht designer.
Biography
He was born in 1868, one of four sons and six daughters of Benjamin Nicholson (1828-1906), also a yacht designer, and the original Nicholson of ...
. She was the unsuccessful challenger in the
1920 America's Cup.
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]
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While the boat was launched in 1914, and soon towed across the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
by Lipton's boat Erin, she was soon dry docked due to
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Shamrock IV was known as the 'ugly duckling' due to its
scow
A scow is a smaller type of barge. Some scows are rigged as sailing scows. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, scows carried cargo in coastal waters and inland waterways, having an advantage for navigating shallow water or small harbours. S ...
-like
bow.
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]
The boat was considerably faster than the defender,
''Resolute'', and owed seven minutes under the newly instated
Universal rule.
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]
While Shamrock IV lost the America's Cup, it was a public sensation. Lipton allowed tours after the last race, and reportedly 35,000 people walked aboard during a three-day period.
See also
*''
Shamrock'', 1898 yacht
References
External links
* C. A. McAllister
"The International Yacht Race" ''Marine Engineering'', July 1920, technical article including photos.
America's Cup challengers
Sailing yachts designed by Charles Ernest Nicholson
Ships built in Gosport
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