DONALD McKAY

East Boston MA

Most recent update: May 20, 2016.

Donald McKay, a naval architect and shipbuilder of almost legendary status, moved in 1826 from Nova Scotia to New York City, where he worked for Brown & Bell and for Isaac Webb.   He started his own yard in Newburyport in 1841 but moved to East Boston in 1845.  The yard was located at the foot of Border Street, where General Ship was until fairly recently.  I think that the table below is close to complete but it may be that some of the ships listed were designed by McKay but not built by him.  If anyone has any additions or corrections, please send them to me at timcolton@aol.com

Hull # O.N. Original Name Original Owner Type GT Feet Built Disposition
Built in Newburyport
  Mary Broughton         1841  
  Ashburton         1842  
  Courier   Trading Ship 380   1842  
  St. George   Packet 845   1843  
  John R. Skiddy   Packet 930   1844  
  Joshua Bates   Packet 620   1844  
Built in East Boston
  Washington Irving White Diamond Line Packet 751   1845  
  Anglo Saxon White Diamond Line Packet 894   1846  
  New World   Packet 1,404   1846  
  Anglo American White Diamond Line Packet 704   1847  
  A.Z.   Packet 700   1847  
  L.Z.   Packet 897   1848  
  Daniel Webster White Diamond Line Packet     1848  
  Jenny Lind   Packet 533   1848  
  Ocean Monarch White Diamond Line Packet 1,301   1847 Burnt in North Atlantic 1848
  Helicon   Barque 400   1849  
  Reindeer   Clipper Ship 800   1849  
  Plymouth Rock   Packet 960   1849  
  Parliament   Packet 998   1849  
  Stag Hound George B. Upton Clipper Ship 1,534   1850 Burnt off Pernambuco 1869
  Moses Wheeler   Clipper Ship 900   1850  
  Sultana   Barque 400   1850  
  Cornelius Grinell   Packet 1,118   1850  
  Antarctic   Packet 1,116   1850  
  Daniel Webster   Packet 1,187   1850  
  Flying Cloud Enoch Train & Co Clipper Ship 1,782   1851 Wrecked on Beacon Island 1874
  Flying Fish Sampson & Tappan Clipper Ship 1,505   1851 Wrecked off Foochow 1858, rebuilt as El Bueno Succeso
  Staffordshire Enoch Train & Co Clipper Ship 1,817   1851 Wrecked off Cape Sable 1853
  North America   Clipper Ship 1,464   1851  
  Bald Eagle George B. Upton Clipper Ship 1,705   1852 Disappeared in the Pacific 1861
  Sovereign of the Seas Andrew F. Meinke Clipper Ship 2,421   1852 Wrecked in the Malacca Straits 1859
  Westward Ho Sampson & Tappan Clipper Ship 1,650   1852 Burnt in Callao 1864
  Chariot of Fame Enoch Train & Co Clipper Ship 2,050   1853 Lost at sea 1876
  Empress of the Seas William Wilson & Co Clipper Ship 2,197   1853 Burnt in Australia 1881
  Great Republic Low & Bros. Clipper Ship 4,555   1853 Lost at sea 1872
  Romance of the Seas George B. Upton Clipper Ship 1,782   1853 Disappeared in the North Pacific 1863
  Star of Empire   Clipper Ship 2,050   1853  
  Champion of the Seas Black Ball Line Clipper Ship 2,447   1854 Sank off Cape Horn 1877
  Commodore Perry Black Ball Line Clipper Ship 1,964   1854 Burnt near Bombay 1869
  James Baines Black Ball Line Clipper Ship 2,515   1854 Scrapped 1863
  Lightning Black Ball Line Clipper Ship 2,083   1854 Burned at Geelong 1869
  Blanche Moore   Clipper Ship 1,787   1854  
  Santa Claus   Clipper Ship 1,256   1854  
  Japan   Clipper Ship 1,964   1854  
  Benin   Schooner 692   1854  
  Donald McKay Black Ball Line Clipper Ship 2,598   1855 Burnt in Madeira 1888
  Zephyr   Clipper Ship 1,184   1855  
  Defender   Clipper Ship 1,413   1855  
  Mastiff George B. Upton Clipper Ship 1,034   1856 Burnt in the South Pacific 1859
  Henry Hill   Barque 568   1856  
  Minnehaha   Clipper Ship 1,695   1856  
  Amos Lawrence   Clipper Ship 1,396   1856  
  Abbott Lawrence   Clipper Ship 1,497   1856  
  Baltic   Clipper Ship 1,372   1856  
  Adriatic   Clipper Ship 1,327   1856  
  Alhambra   Clipper Ship 1,097   1858  
  R.R. Higgins   Schooner     1858  
  Benj. S. Wright     107   1859  
  Mary B. Dyer   Schooner     1860  
  H. & R. Atwood   Schooner     1860  
  General Putnam   Ship     1861  
  Trefoil   Ship 370   1864  
  na Yucca US Navy Gunboat 1,375   1864 Sold 1868
  na Ashuelot US Navy Gunboat 1,375   1865 Wrecked 1883
  na Nausett US Navy Monitor 1,175   1865 Later Aetna 1869, scrapped 1874
  na Squando US Navy Monitor 1,175   1865 Later Algoma 1869, scrapped 1874
  Geo. B. Upton   Ship 604   1866  
  Theodore D. Wagner   Ship 607   1866  
  North Star   Brig 410   1867  
  Helen Morris   Clipper Ship 1,285   1867  
  Sovereign of the Seas   Clipper Ship 1,502   1868  
  Frank Atwood   Schooner 107   1869  
  Glory of the Seas Donald McKay Clipper Ship 2,103   1869 Scrapped 1923
  na Adams US Navy Gunboat 1,375   1876 Scrapped 1921
  na Essex US Navy Gunboat 1,375   1876 Sold 1930