Information AboutCutty Sark |
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The ''Cutty Sark'' was, in 1869 , one of the last sailing Clipper s to be built, and she is the only classic clipper still surviving. She is now preserved in Dry Dock at Greenwich London , England . HISTORY The ship is named after the short shirt worn by the fleet-footed witch featured in the poem '' Tam O' Shanter '' written by Robert Burns . She was designed by Hercules Linton and built in 1869 at Dumbarton in Scotland , by the firm of Scott & Linton , for Captain John Willis , and launched November 23 of that year. The ''Cutty Sark'' was destined for the China Tea Trade , at that time an intensely competitive race across the globe from China to London , with immense profits to the ship to arrive with the first Tea of the year. However she did not distinguish herself in this trade; in the most famous race, against '' Thermopylae '' in 1872 , they left Shanghai together on June 18 , but after two weeks ''Cutty Sark'' lost her rudder after passing through the Sunda Strait , and arrived in London on October 18 , a week after ''Thermopylae'', for a total passage of 122 days. Her legendary reputation is supported by the fact that her captain chose to continue this race with an improvised rudder instead of putting into port for a replacement and still managed to be beaten by only one week. In the end, clippers lost out to the Steamship s, which could pass through the recently-opened Suez Canal and deliver reliably, if not quite so quickly, which as it turned out was better for business. The ''Cutty Sark'' was then used in the Australian Wool Trade , and did very well, posting Australia-to-England times of as little as 67 days. Her best run, of 360 nautical miles in 24 hours, was said to have been the fastest of any ship of her size. In 1895 Willis sold her to the Portuguese firm of Ferreira , where she was renamed after the firm, then in 1916 she was dismasted off the Cape Of Good Hope , sold, re-rigged in Cape Town as a Barquentine , and renamed the ''Maria do Amparo''. In 1922 she was bought by Captain Wilfred Dowman , who restored her to her original appearance and used her as a stationary training ship. In 1954 she was dry-docked at Greenwich. Cutty Sark is also preserved in literature in Hart Crane 's long poem "The Bridge" which was published in 1930. TODAY The ''Cutty Sark'' is today preserved as a Museum Ship , and is a popular Tourist attraction. She is located near the centre of Greenwich town, in south east London , near the National Maritime Museum , the former Greenwich Hospital and Greenwich Park . She is also a prominent landmark on the route of the London Marathon . She flies Signal Flag s on her Ensign Staff reading "JKWS", which is the code representing Cutty Sark in the International Signal Code, which was introduced in 1857. Kept in a de-watered Dry Dock since 1954 , the ''Cutty Sark'' has deteriorated considerably. The Cutty Sark Trust has stated that unless she is restored she will have to be closed to the public in 2007, and it has launched an appeal to raise £25 million to pay for a complete renovation and new visitor facilities. An application for funding was made to the Heritage Lottery Fund . This created some controversy and many people were surprised by the amount required. Simon Jenkins argued in '' The Times '' that it might be worthwhile to spend such a sum to return ''Cutty Sark'' to the ocean, but not to preserve her in dry dock. Nonetheless a £12.95 million grant has been secured from the Fund, subject to the trust securing the remaining funding from other sources. ''Cutty Sark'' has inspired the name of a brand of Whisky . An image of the ship appears on the label, and the maker has sponsored the Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Race . It also inspired the name of the Saro Cutty Sark flying boat. ACCESS The ''Cutty Sark'' is open to the public. Open hours and admission charges can be found on the ship's website (see ''External links''). The Cutty Sark Station on the Docklands Light Railway is a minute's walk away, offering connections to central London and the London Underground . Greenwich Pier is immediately adjacent to the ship, and is served by scheduled river boats from piers in central London. A tourist information office stands to the east of the ship. GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
OTHER CLIPPER SHIPS EXTERNAL LINKS
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