Pride of Baltimore: The Story of the Baltimore Clippers

by Thomas C. Gillmer

Arguably the most beautiful sailing ships of all times, the rakish Baltimore clippers had an influence on American history and naval architecture far out of proportion to their brief lifespan. During the War of 1812, their dramatically superior speed enabled privateersmen to repeatedly destroy heavily escorted British convoys. One audacious American commander even went so far as to nail a notice to the door of Lloyd's of London declaring the British Isles under siege! The losses suffered by British commerce were catastrophic. Far more than the highly publicized battles between British and American frigates like the Java and the Constitution, the depredations of the Baltimore clippers helped bring the War of 1812 to a close.

226 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992