The Last of its Kind ...



On November 3, 1868, one of the most famous ships of her time was launched in Dunbarton, Scotland (near Glasgow):

The tea clipper "Cutty Sark" ...:




The name of the ship comes from Robert Burns' famous work Tam O'Shanter (1791), in whose vernacular, the Lowland Scots, also called Lallans, it means a "short (under) shirt" that belongs to the beautiful witch Nannie. Accordingly, the ship has a lady - the nannie - as figurehead dressed in a short shirt ...:



Tea clippers were built primarily for speed, with huge sails and large holds.

It was their job to take the first possible harvest in the tea-growing regions in China on board and return to England by the fastest route - because only the cargo of the first ship to arrive with the fresh harvest achieved the maximum price!

In the so-called "Tea Races" of the clippers there were real races over hundreds of miles!

The race of the two clippers "Cutty Sark" under Captain G. Moodie ...



...and "Thermopylae"...



... became famous!



Both ships left Shanghai on the same day, the "Thermopylae" reached London a week before the Cutty Sark (which, however, had lost its rudder en route).
The "Thermopylae" won not least because of the prudence of her captain, who despite everything did not expose his crew or his ship to any unnecessary risk.

After the Suez Canal was opened, faster steamers took over the tea trade and the "Cutty Sark" operated in the wool trade, as did her old rival, the "Thermopylae".

The two ships fought each other again - this time a friendly one - and the "Cutty Sark" won!

At some point the once so proud clipper was getting on in years, should be scrapped and, because no buyer could be found, was launched in Lisbon ...:



It was there that retired Captain Wilfred Dowman recognized ...



... the 53-year-old ship, which he always valued as a cabin boy, and bought it in Lisbon from the Portuguese owner for 3,750 pounds sterling, moved it to Falmouth ...



... and restored it to its original condition with the help of his wife, who shared his enthusiasm for the beautiful ship.

The "Cutty Sark" served as a stationary training ship in Falmouth until 1938 - together with H.M.S. "Fourdroyant", a ship of the line from Admiral Nelson's time ...:



In 1938 the clipper came as a gift from Captain Dowman's widow to the Thames Nautical Training College in Greenhithe (until 1949).

In 1954 the famous ship was transferred to the specially built dry dock in Greenwich on its last voyage, where it was accessible as a museum ship from 1957 ...:



At the beginning of October 2006 the ship was closed for extensive restoration work and should be reopened in 2009.

However, on May 21, 2007, a fire occurred, presumably due to a defective vacuum cleaner, in which the hull largely burned out ...:



Fortunately, at this point, because of the work, around half of the ship's equipment - such as the masts and steering wheel - had been relocated and 19th century teak (valued at £ 400,000) for restoration had not yet been used.



The iron skeleton was also not completely destroyed by the fire.

Due to these circumstances, a complete restoration was possible.


The reopening in a museum in the same place, which now also includes the viewing of the underwater hull
made possible on April 25, 2012 in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philipp.









On October 18, 2014, the ship was again badly damaged by another fire on deck ...



... and had to be repaired again.

And that's a good thing, because the "Cutty Sark" is the world's last surviving ship from the proud tea clipper era!

Yes, me too Kev, back in the late 50s we had a school trip to the Tower and the Cutty Sark. Like you say, massive and miles of rope!

Thanks Martin

Phil