Cutty Sark

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Cutty Sark is a British clipper ship built in 1869. One of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest, she is now preserved as a museum ship in Greenwich, London.

History

Cutty Sark was built on the River Clyde in Dumbarton, Scotland, by Scott & Linton and launched on 22 November 1869. The ship was commissioned by Jock Willis Shipping Line and was designed to carry tea from China to Britain. The name "Cutty Sark" comes from the Robert Burns poem "Tam o' Shanter" and refers to the short shirt worn by the witch Nannie Dee in the poem.

Design and Construction

Cutty Sark was designed by Hercules Linton and built with a composite construction of a wooden hull over an iron frame. The ship measures 212 feet 5 inches (64.74 m) in length, with a beam of 36 feet (11 m) and a depth of 21 feet (6.4 m). She was rigged as a full-rigged ship and was known for her speed and sleek lines.

Service History

Tea Trade

Cutty Sark was initially used in the tea trade, making eight voyages to China. However, the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the advent of steamships made the tea trade less profitable for sailing ships.

Wool Trade

In 1883, Cutty Sark was sold to the Portuguese firm Ferreira and Co., and she was renamed Ferreira. She was used in the wool trade between Australia and Britain, where she continued to set speed records.

Preservation

In 1922, Cutty Sark was bought by Captain Wilfred Dowman, who restored her to her original appearance. She was later transferred to the Thames Nautical Training College at Greenhithe, and in 1954, she was moved to a custom-built dry dock in Greenwich, where she remains today as a museum ship.

Museum Ship

Cutty Sark is now part of the Royal Museums Greenwich and is a popular tourist attraction. The ship underwent extensive restoration work after a fire in 2007 and was reopened to the public in 2012.

Related Pages

• Clipper ship
• Tea clipper
• Greenwich
• Robert Burns
• Suez Canal
• Royal Museums Greenwich