1853 Great Republic Ship - Largest Wooden Clipper Ship Start Price USD 129.99 Current Price USD 129.99 Time Left 3 days 23 hours 14 minutes Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Thursday, October 09, 2008 End Time Monday, December 08, 2008 Location Columbus, Mississippi See more about '1853 Great Republic Ship - Largest Wooden Clipper Ship ' Description lumponthehill store 1853 Great Republic Ship - Largest Wooden Clipper Ship - Ship is 20" long and 14" tal and in excellent condition.  The model ship is made out of solid wood with detailed rigging and stands on a wooden stand and brass name plate.Launched on October 4, 1853 the Great Republic is noteworthy as the largest wooden clipper ship ever constructed. The biggest "down easter" (originally a resident of Maine; later on the square riggers from the down east coast of the US - i.e. a certain coastal range in New England including Maine and Massachusetts) was planned to be launched on September 4, 1853 - Donald McKay's birthday, but the launch had to be postponed to October 4 due to problems with the timber supplies which ran out and became extremely expensive. Between 30,000 and 50,000 spectators came to watch that century event, among them Ferdinand Laeisz of the famous Flying P-Line of Hamburg. Originally designed by naval architect/shipbuilder Donald McKay as a four-deck four-masted medium clipper barque, the Great Republic—at 4,555 tons registry (most likely Gross Register Tonnage or GRT measurement)—was intended to be the most profitable wooden sailing ship ever to ply the Australian gold rush and southern oceans merchant trade. After being launched, christened by Capt. Alden Gifford with a bottle of pure Cochituate water, and outfitted, the Great Republic sailed from Boston to New York, where in December 1853 its first cargo was loaded. Place a Bid!