William Pile and the China tea clipper Undine

Summary

Archival research and archaeological investigations have identified an unknown shipwreck in the Savannah River as the remains of the Undine, a British-built China Tea Clipper. In a class with other famous Clippers like the Flying Cloud and the Cutty Sark, the Undine represents the evolution apex of the sailing merchantman, and is in the class of the most significant clippers, those built specifically for the China Tea or Opium trade. The vessel also represents the work of William Pile who was a renowned builder of Clipper Ships. This paper will examine the career of Pile as a builder of clippers, the history of the Undine, and the archaeological and historical research that resulted in her identification and record action.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• Case Studies in Maritime Archaeology

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-5,09