The result of _Sovereign of the Seas’_ visit to Liverpool and that of her builder and designer Donald Mackay was a further order to America and Nova Scotia for still bigger ships.
In fact, Donald Mackay returned to Boston with James Baines’ commission to build the famous quartette, _Lightning_, _Champion of the Seas_, _James Baines_ and _Donald Mackay_, which were shortly to astonish the world. Against these the White Star Line put forward the equally big _White Star_ and _Red Jacket_, two vessels which both in strength, beauty and speed were worthy to be ranked on equal terms with the great Black Ballers.
Only two wooden ships were ever launched in England which could compare in size with these six giants. One of these was the ill-fated _Schomberg_ and the other the beautiful _Sobraon_, which, however, had iron frames and was not launched until the palmy days of the gold rush were over. Both came from the famous yard of Hall, of Aberdeen. _Schomberg_ was, of course, wrecked on her maiden passage, but _Sobraon_, though never as hard sailed as the great Black Ball and White Star ships, made equally good passages, and being built of the finest Malabar teak retained her speed right up to the end of her long and successful career.
In comparing the measurements of the American built, Nova Scotian built and Aberdeen built ships the most noticeable point is the greater beam of the Nova Scotians and the greater length of the British.
This is well shown by the following table:—
{ _Lightning_ 5.54 beams to length. { _Red Jacket_ 5.54 beams to length. American { _Champion of the Seas_ 5.55 beams to length. Built { _James Baines_ 5.70 beams to length. { _Donald Mackay_ 5.72 beams to length.
British { _Schomberg_ 5.82 beams to length. Built { _Sobraon_ 6.80 beams to length.
Nova Scotian { _Marco Polo_ 4.86 beams to length. Built { _White Star_ 4.84 beams to length.
Perhaps no ships ever sailed the seas which held on to their canvas longer than these great Black Ball and White Star clippers; and yet the carrying away of spars and sails, which was so common an occurrence with the earlier American clippers and also with the early British iron clippers, was quite rare on these big emigrant ships.