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Ship speeds during the Industrial Revolution: East India Company ships, 1770–1828

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  • Peter M. Solar
  • Luc Hens

Abstract

The duration of voyages to Asia by English East India Company ships fell by a quarter to a third between the 1770s and the 1820s. The adoption of copper sheathing was the main reason for faster passages and worked through two channels. The more direct was to increase sailing speed by about 11 percent. The indirect, but quantitatively more important, effect was to eliminate the need for a stop at or near the Cape. These results show that there were significant improvements in shipping technology well before the use of steam and iron.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter M. Solar & Luc Hens, 2016. "Ship speeds during the Industrial Revolution: East India Company ships, 1770–1828," European Review of Economic History, European Historical Economics Society, vol. 20(1), pages 66-78.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:ereveh:v:20:y:2016:i:1:p:66-78.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/ereh/hev017
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    1. repec:cup:jechis:v:18:y:1958:i:04:p:537-555_10 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Cited by:

    1. Peter M. Solar & Oliver Buxton Dunn & Aidan Kane, 2024. "Shipping in the London coal trade, 1700‒1860," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 77(3), pages 1005-1034, August.
    2. Timothy J. Hatton, 2024. "Sailing Ship Technology, Navigation and the Duration of Voyages to Australia, 1848-85," CEH Discussion Papers 07, Centre for Economic History, Research School of Economics, Australian National University.
    3. Timothy J. Hatton, 2025. "Emigrant voyages from the UK to North America and Australasia, 1853–1913," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 78(2), pages 452-473, May.
    4. Dan Bogart & Oliver Dunn & Eduard J. Alvarez‐Palau & Leigh Shaw‐Taylor, 2021. "Speedier delivery: coastal shipping times and speeds during the Age of Sail," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 74(1), pages 87-114, February.
    5. Kelly, Morgan & Ó Gráda, Cormac, 2018. "Speed under Sail during the Early Industrial Revolution," CEPR Discussion Papers 12576, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    6. Kelly, Morgan & Ó Gráda, Cormac & Solar, Peter M., 2021. "Safety at Sea during the Industrial Revolution," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 81(1), pages 239-275, March.
    7. Kelly, Morgan & Gráda, Cormac Ó & Solar, Peter, 2019. "Safety at Sea during the Industrial Revolution," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 439, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    8. Dan Bogart & Oliver Buxton Dunn & Eduard J. Alvarez‐Palau & Leigh Shaw‐Taylor, 2022. "Organizations and efficiency in public services: The case of English lighthouses revisited," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 60(2), pages 975-994, April.
    9. Bogart, Dan & Lefors, Michael & Satchell, A.E.M., 2019. "Canal carriers and creative destruction in English transport," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 1-24.
    10. Wolfgang Keller & Markus Lampe & Carol H. Shiue, 2020. "International Transactions: Real Trade and Factor Flows between 1700 and 1870," NBER Working Papers 26865, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Morgan Kelly & Cormac Ó Gráda, 2017. "Speed under Sail, 1750–1830," Working Papers 201710, School of Economics, University College Dublin.

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