It IS absolutely as historic as any warship. Commerce has had as much influence as war, and this vessel was the apogee of sailing ship technology when it came out, much as planes like the Grumman Bearcat and P-51 Mustang were the apex of piston engine aircraft when they were produced.
And a beautiful ship, too. If I understand correctly...it was priceless, the last of its kind.
What a shame.
Addition to your list ... Dornier Do 335 (Arrow). Just one remaining today.
Great analogy. This is an irreplaceable loss.
Prior to the 1870 completion of the transcontinental railroad, clippers were the only way to get goods from the West Coast to the East coast of the US in under 4 months. I think the record run was 90 days+ -.
One of my favorite maritime reads is Richard Henry Dana's Two Years Before the Mast(E-book!), a great narrative of being clipper crewman sailing around the Horn to California and back in the pre-gold rush days.