Shamrock IV

Shamrock IV was a yacht owned by Sir Thomas Lipton and designed by Charles Ernest Nicholson. She was the unsuccessful challenger in the 1920 America's Cup.^[1] While the boat was launched in 1914, and soon towed across the Atlantic by Lipton's boat Erin, she was soon dry docked due to World War I. Shamrock IV was known as the 'ugly duckling' due to its scow-like bow.^[2]

Shamrock IV

Shamrock IV
Yacht club	Royal Ulster Yacht Club
Nation	United Kingdom
Designer(s)	Charles Ernest Nicholson
Launched	26 May 1914
Owner(s)	Sir Thomas Lipton
Fate	Broken up 1932
Racing career
Skippers	William P. Burton
America's Cup	1920
Specifications
Displacement	108.3 tonnes
Length	33.63 m (110.3 ft) (LOA) 22.86 m (75.0 ft) (LWL)
Beam	6.35 m (20.8 ft)
Draft	4.16 m (13.6 ft)
Sail area	971.70 m2 (10,459.3 sq ft)

The boat was considerably faster than the defender, Resolute, and owed seven minutes under the newly instated Universal rule.^[3]

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

1. "First Yacht Race For America's Cup Starts, Noon Today" (PDF). New York Times. 15 July 1920. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
   - "America's Cup's AC-clopaedia: Shamrock IV". Retrieved 22 April 2012.
2. Rayner, Ranulf (2003). The Story of the America's Cup 1851-2003. Toronto, ON. Canada: Warwick Publishing. p. 60. ISBN 1894622-41-3.
3. D'Antonio, Michael (2010). A Full Cup. New York: Riverhead Books. p. . ISBN 978-1-59448-760-6.

External links

• C. A. McAllister, "The International Yacht Race", Marine Engineering, July 1920, technical article including photos.