Cutty Sark facts for kids

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|} The Cutty Sark is a famous British clipper ship. Clippers were very fast sailing ships. She was built in 1869 in Scotland for the Jock Willis Shipping Line. She was one of the last and fastest tea clippers ever made. These ships were designed to carry tea quickly from China. Her name comes from a fictional witch in a poem by Robert Burns called Tam o' Shanter.

After steamships became more fuel-efficient, and the Suez Canal opened in 1869, the Cutty Sark only spent a few years carrying tea. Steamships could use the shorter canal route. So, the Cutty Sark started carrying wool from Australia. She held the record for the fastest trip to Britain for ten years!

As steam technology kept improving, steamships also took over the longer routes. In 1895, the Cutty Sark was sold to a Portuguese company. They renamed her Ferreira. She continued as a cargo ship until 1922. Then, a retired sea captain named Wilfred Dowman bought her. He used her as a training ship in Falmouth, Cornwall.

After Captain Dowman's death, the Cutty Sark became an auxiliary training ship. She was moved to the Thames Nautical Training College in 1938. By 1954, she was no longer needed for training. She was then moved to a permanent dry dock in Greenwich, London. Here, she became a public museum ship.

The Cutty Sark is a very important ship. She is listed as part of the National Historic Fleet. This is like a special list for important buildings. She is also one of only three original ships built with a wooden hull on an iron frame from the 1800s.

The ship has been damaged by fire twice. The first fire was on May 21, 2007, during a big repair project. She was restored and reopened in 2012. A smaller fire happened on October 19, 2014.

The famous Cutty Sark whisky is named after the ship. An image of the clipper is on its label. The ship also inspired the name of the Saunders Roe Cutty Sark flying boat.

Contents

• Building the Cutty Sark
• How Fast Was She?
• Her Name and Figurehead
• A History of Voyages

• Early Tea Journeys
• Steamships Take Over
• The Great Race with Thermopylae
• Later Tea Seasons and New Cargoes
• The Wool Trade Era
• The Ferreira Years
• Becoming a Training Ship

History
United Kingdom
Name	Cutty Sark (1869–1895)
Namesake	Cutty-sark
Owner	John "Jock" Willis (1869–1895)
Ordered	1 February 1869
Builder	Scott & Linton
Cost	£16,150
Laid down	1869
Launched	22 November 1869
Sponsored by	Mrs. George Moodie
In service	16 February 1870
Homeport	London
Identification	UK Official Number: 63557
Motto	"Where there's a Will[ ]is a[ ]way"
Fate	Sold
Portugal
Name	Ferreira
Namesake	Joaquim Antunes Ferreira
Owner	Joaquim Antunes Ferreira & Co. (1895–1922)
Acquired	22 July 1892
Homeport	Lisbon, Portugal
Nickname(s)	Pequena Camisola ("Little shirt")
Fate	Sold 1922
Portugal
Name	Maria do Amparo
Namesake	Mary, Refuge of Sinners
Owner	Companhia Nacional de Navegação
Acquired	1922
Homeport	Lisbon, Portugal
Fate	Sold 1922
United Kingdom
Name	Cutty Sark
Owner	Wilfred Dowman
Acquired	1922
Homeport	Falmouth, Cornwall
Fate	Sold 1938
United Kingdom
Name	Cutty Sark
Owner	Thames Nautical Training College
Acquired	1938
Homeport	Greenhithe, Kent
Fate	Sold 1953
United Kingdom
Name	Cutty Sark
Owner	Cutty Sark Preservation Society
Acquired	1953
Out of service	Became museum December 1954
Status	Museum ship
General characteristics
Class and type	Clipper
Tonnage	963 GRT 921 NRT
Displacement	2,100 tons (2,133.7 tonnes) at 20 ft (6.1 m) draught
Length	Hull: 212.5 ft (64.77 m) LOA: 280 ft (85.34 m)
Beam	36 ft (10.97 m)
Depth of hold	21 ft (6.40 m)
Propulsion	32,000 sq ft (3,000 m2) sail (3,000 hp)
Sail plan	1870: ship rig 1916: barquentine rig
Speed	17.5 knots (32.4 km/h) maximum achieved
Complement	28–35

• The Museum Ship Today

• Fires and Restoration
  • Damage and Repairs
  • Fire Investigation Results

• Mast Details
• Images for kids
• See also

Building the Cutty Sark

Cutty Sark photographed at sea by Captain Woodget using a camera balanced on two of the ship's boats lashed together

The Cutty Sark was ordered by John Willis. He owned a shipping company that carried tea from China to Britain. Speed was very important for tea ships. Faster ships could charge more money to carry the tea. Tea sellers would even advertise that their tea came on a fast ship!

Cutty Sark was ordered during a time when many tea clippers were being built. This was because taxes on tea had been greatly reduced. In 1868, another new clipper, the Thermopylae, set a record. She sailed from London to Melbourne in just 61 days. Willis wanted to build an even better ship.

It's not fully known how the Cutty Sark's shape was chosen. Willis picked Hercules Linton to design and build the ship. But Willis already had a ship called The Tweed. He thought The Tweed was incredibly fast. The Tweed was a former warship. Willis bought her and changed her into a fast sailing vessel.

Willis believed The Tweeds front shape (bow) made her fast. This shape was likely used for Cutty Sark. However, Linton thought The Tweeds back (stern) was too round. So, he designed Cutty Sark with a squarer stern. This made the back of the ship lift more in big waves. This meant less water would crash over the back, keeping the helmsman safer.

The contract to build Cutty Sark was signed on February 1, 1869. It was with a new company called Scott & Linton. Their shipyard was in Dumbarton on the River Leven. The ship had to be finished in six months. The price was very competitive for such an advanced ship. If the ship was late, there was a fine of £5 for each day.

There were delays during construction. The company ran out of money. Another company, Denny's, took over to finish the ship. Cutty Sark was finally launched on November 22, 1869. Captain Moodie's wife launched her. The ship was then moved to Denny's yard to have her masts put in.

Fine lines of the bow

The Cutty Sark is about 64.7 meters (212.5 feet) long. Her hull is one of the sharpest of all tea clippers. This sharp shape helped her cut through the water faster. When she was empty or had light cargo, she needed extra weight (ballast) to stay stable. For example, when carrying wool, she would also carry 200 tons of ballast.

The parts of the ship above the water were made from East India teak wood. The bottom of the ship used American rock elm. The main frame of the ship was made of wrought-iron. This was a new idea in shipbuilding back then. The iron frame made the ship very strong and stiff. This meant less water would leak into the hull. It also meant the crew spent less time pumping water out. This gave them more time to adjust the sails.

The hull was covered with Muntz metal sheets. This special metal helped keep the hull clean. A clean hull meant the Cutty Sark could sail even faster.

How Fast Was She?

The fastest speed ever recorded for Cutty Sark was 17.5 knots (about 32.4 kilometers per hour). Her best recorded distance in 24 hours was 363 nautical miles. This means she averaged about 15 knots (27.8 km/h). She once sailed 2164 nautical miles in six days!

People thought Cutty Sark was faster in strong winds. Her rival, Thermopylae, was thought to be faster in lighter winds.

Her Name and Figurehead

Motto and Star of India emblem on the stern of the ship

The ship was named after a witch called Cutty-sark. This witch was in Robert Burns's poem Tam o' Shanter. A "cutty sark" is a short shirt.

The ship's figurehead is a white carving of Nannie Dee, the witch. She has long black hair and holds a grey horse's tail.

A History of Voyages

Early Tea Journeys

Cutty Sark was built for the tea trade. This was a seasonal business. It involved carrying valuable tea from China to London. Even though the "tea race" bonus ended in 1866, faster ships still got better prices.

Her first journey started on February 16, 1870. She left London with wine, spirits, and beer for Shanghai. The return trip carried tea from Shanghai. It started on June 25 and arrived in London on October 13. This journey went around the Cape of Good Hope.

Cutty Sark made eight "tea seasons" trips. These were round trips from London to China and back.

Steamships Take Over

The Cutty Sark's launch happened at the same time the Suez Canal opened in 1869. Her first trip faced a lot of competition from steamships. The Suez Canal route was about 3,300 nautical miles shorter. Sailing ships, like clippers, still had to go around Africa. This was because it was hard and expensive for them to use the canal. Also, the winds in the northern Red Sea were not good for clippers.

Steamships could travel at 15 knots constantly. The fastest clipper averaged under 6.5 knots over a longer distance. This meant steamships had much faster and more predictable journey times.

In 1866, steamship design improved a lot. New engines made them much more fuel-efficient. These ships could compete with clippers even before the Suez Canal opened.

When tea clippers arrived in China in 1870, there were many more steamships. Steamers were in high demand. They charged almost twice as much to carry tea to London. Also, insuring tea on a steamer was much cheaper. Because of this, many steamships were built for the Far East trade.

The number of tea clippers sailing to China each year slowly went down. Many ships were sold and started carrying general cargo. Ship owners tried to keep costs low. They often changed the ships to a barque rig. This meant they needed a smaller crew.

The Great Race with Thermopylae

Cutty Sark's most famous race was against Thermopylae in 1872. Both ships left Shanghai together on June 18. They were very similar in size. Two weeks later, Cutty Sark was ahead by about 400 nautical miles.

But then, Cutty Sark lost her rudder in a big storm. This happened after she passed through the Sunda Strait. John Willis's brother was on board. He wanted Captain Moodie to go to Cape Town for repairs. But Moodie refused. Instead, the ship's carpenter, Henry Henderson, built a new rudder. He used spare wood and iron. This took six days, working in storms and big waves.

The ship finally arrived in London on October 18. This was a week after Thermopylae. The whole trip took 122 days. The captain and crew were praised for their effort. Henderson received a £50 bonus for his amazing work. This was the closest Cutty Sark ever came to being the first ship home. After this trip, Captain Moodie left to work on steamships. Captain F. W. Moore took over.

Later Tea Seasons and New Cargoes

Captain Moore only stayed for one round trip to China. The return trip took 117 days. This was longer than Thermopylae and another iron ship, Hallowe'en. Captain W. E. Tiptaft became captain in 1873. His first return trip took 118 days. But the ship had to sail 600 nautical miles up the Yangtze River to find cargo. Steamships were now taking most of the tea.

In November 1877, Cutty Sark was anchored off Deal in the English Channel. A big storm hit. Her anchor failed, and Cutty Sark crashed into two other ships. She then ran aground on a mud bank. Luckily, a tugboat pulled her free before too much damage. She was towed to the Thames for repairs.

By December 1877, the ship sailed to Sydney. She carried coal to Shanghai. But she couldn't find any tea cargo for a trip back to London. The tea race era was over. Captain Tiptaft died in October in Shanghai. The first mate, James Wallace, took command. The ship now had to carry different goods around the world. These included coal, jute, castor oil, and tea to Australia.

The Wool Trade Era

Cutty Sark in Sydney Harbour awaiting a cargo of new season's wool, c. 1890

In December 1883, Cutty Sark left Newcastle, Australia. She carried 4,289 bales of wool. She arrived in London in just 83 days! This was 25 days faster than her closest rival that year. This marked the start of her new career: carrying Australian wool to Britain. The wool needed to arrive in time for the January sales.

From 1885 to 1893, Cutty Sark sailed between England and Australia. In 1885, Richard Woodget became captain. He earned £186 a year. He kept breaking speed records. His first trip to Australia took 77 days. The return trip to Britain took 73 days. He did this by taking a more southerly route. This allowed him to catch the strongest winds in the Roaring Forties. He faced icebergs, gales, and storms. Cutty Sark was the fastest ship in the wool trade for ten years.

The Ferreira Years

Eventually, steamships also took over the wool trade. It was no longer profitable for sailing ships. In 1895, Jock Willis sold Cutty Sark to a Portuguese company for £1,250. She was renamed Ferreira. Her crews called her Pequena Camisola, which means "little shirt" in Portuguese.

Cutty Sark moored in a port, possibly Sydney. Another clipper can be seen in the background.

The ship carried various goods between Portugal, Rio de Janeiro, New Orleans, Mozambique, Angola, and Britain. In May 1916, she lost her masts off the Cape of Good Hope in bad weather. She had to be towed to Table Bay near Cape Town. Because of World War I, it was hard to find materials for new masts. So, she was re-rigged over 18 months to a barquentine sail setup.

In 1922, Ferreira was the last clipper still sailing in the world. She was caught in a storm in the English Channel. She went into Falmouth harbour. There, retired captain Wilfred Dowman saw her. He was running a training ship called Lady of Avenel. The ship returned to Lisbon. She was sold to new owners and renamed Maria do Amparo.

Becoming a Training Ship

Captain Dowman really wanted to buy the ship. He finally did for £3,750. She was brought back to Falmouth harbour. His wife, Catharine Dowman, helped him buy her.

The ship's rigging was restored to look like the original. She was then used as a training ship for young cadets. In 1924, she was used as a committee boat for a regatta week in Fowey. She was also opened to the public. Visitors could row out to see her.

Dowman died in 1936. His widow, Catharine Dowman, gave the ship to the Thames Nautical Training College. She also gave £5,000 for its upkeep. The ship was towed to Greenhithe. Cadets helped crew the ship during the journey.

Cutty Sark and HMS Worcester as training ships, 1938

At Greenhithe, Cutty Sark helped train sailors. She was an auxiliary vessel to HMS Worcester. But by 1950, she was no longer needed. From February to October 1951, she was refitted. Then, she took part in the Festival of Britain at Deptford.

On January 30, 1952, a tanker ship collided with Cutty Sarks bow in the Thames. The two ships got stuck together. Cutty Sarks jibboom (a pole at the front) broke. Her figurehead even lost an arm! The damaged arm was found later, and the figurehead was repaired.

The Museum Ship Today

Ship's stern before renovation in 1994. The original dock arrangement can also be seen.

In 1953, the Cutty Sark was given to the Cutty Sark Preservation Society. In 1954, she was moved to a special dry dock in Greenwich. She was made lighter by removing her upper masts and other parts. Then, she was towed to the dry dock. The entrance to the dry dock was then filled in. The river wall was rebuilt, and the work to re-rig her began. The Duke of Edinburgh laid the foundation stone for the dry dock in June 1953. The restoration and preparation for public display was expected to cost £250,000.

Cutty Sark, 8 October 1987

Cutty Sark in Greenwich, October 2003

Cutty Sark is now a museum ship. She is a popular tourist attraction. She is part of the National Historic Fleet. You can find her near the center of Greenwich, in south-east London. She is close to the National Maritime Museum and Greenwich Park. She is also a famous landmark on the London Marathon route. She usually flies signal flags that spell out "JKWS". This is her code in the International Code of Signals.

Cutty Sark in Greenwich, 1977

The Cutty Sark Trust takes care of the ship. The Duke of Edinburgh helped start the Cutty Sark Society in 1951. The Trust replaced the Society in 2000. The ship is a Grade I listed monument. This means it's a very important historical structure. The museum under the ship has the world's largest collection of ships' figureheads.

The Cutty Sark station is a short walk away. You can also get to the ship by river boat from central London.

Fires and Restoration

The ship one week before the fire. Most of the upper sections had already been dismantled for renovation.

Cutty Sark on fire, in May 2007

By the early 2000s, there were worries about the ship's iron frame rusting. The hull was also getting bent because of how it was supported in dry dock. A big restoration project was planned. This included fixing and painting the frame. They also planned to add new steel ribs for strength. A new way to support the ship was also designed.

On May 21, 2007, the Cutty Sark caught fire. She had been closed and partly taken apart for the restoration. The fire burned for several hours. Firefighters eventually put it out. Initial reports said the damage was huge. Much of the wooden structure in the middle seemed lost.

The chief executive of the Cutty Sark Trust said that at least half of the ship's original wood had been removed for the restoration. So, it was not on site during the fire. He was most worried about the iron framework. The fire was later found to have been caused by an industrial vacuum cleaner. It was likely left running over the weekend. There were also no overnight fire watchers.

On October 19, 2014, another smaller fire broke out on the deck. A small part of deck three and some hull timbers were damaged. Firefighters put it out within an hour. The ship reopened to the public soon after.

Damage and Repairs

The day after the fire, 22 May 2007

Videos showed a lot of damage from the 2007 fire. But the ship was not completely destroyed. The front (bow) and back (stern) seemed mostly okay. The fire was mainly in the middle of the ship. The chairman of Cutty Sark Enterprises said the decks were beyond repair. But he noted that about 50% of the planking had already been removed. He said the damage was not as bad as first thought.

As part of the restoration, it was planned to raise the ship 3 meters (10 feet). This would create a modern museum space underneath. Visitors could then see the hull from below.

Some people criticized the restoration. They felt the focus on corporate events was more important than preserving the ship's history. Building Design magazine even gave the project an award for the worst new building in 2012. They said raising the ship on steel props was a "calamitous choice."

Cutty Sark during repairs after the fire

The design for the renovation involved lifting the ship out of its dry dock. A Kevlar web was planned to support it. This would let visitors walk under the hull. But it was found that the web wouldn't show the hull's shape well. So, a new support design was created. This involved a deep steel belt around the hull. Steel members passed through the ship to a new, reinforced keel.

A new steel lower deck was installed in the main hold. It included an amphitheater. A glass elevator was put inside the ship. It goes up to a new glass structure on the top deck. Another new glass box was added above the front hold for a staircase. Visitors now enter the ship through a new opening cut in the hull.

The project was estimated to cost £25 million in 2006. The Heritage Lottery Fund gave £11.75 million. Film producer Jerry Bruckheimer helped raise money. He displayed photos he took during the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

Cutty Sark in February 2012, repairs nearing completion. The temporary cover which surrounded the ship during repair has been removed although workmen can still be seen on deck and in the rigging where not all yards have been replaced. Work was underway around the dock to lay new paving.

In January 2008, the Heritage Lottery Fund gave another £10 million. This meant the Trust had £30 million of the £35 million needed. In June 2008, a shipping magnate named Sammy Ofer donated the remaining £3.3 million. However, by January 2009, the cost had risen to £40 million. In February 2010, the cost was reported to be £46 million.

Fire Investigation Results

On September 30, 2008, the London Fire Brigade announced their findings. The investigation concluded that the fire was likely caused by an industrial vacuum cleaner. It might have been left on over the weekend. There was no evidence of arson.

Evidence showed the fire likely started at the back of the ship on the lower deck. All electrical equipment was checked. An industrial vacuum cleaner in that area usually ran all the time. It sucked up dust from concrete work. No one was responsible for turning off equipment at the end of the day. No one remembered turning it off that Friday. Tests showed similar cleaners could overheat if their filters were blocked. This could cause a fire.

The ship had a temporary fire alarm system. But it was unclear if it worked. A separate alarm in the visitor pavilion did sound when smoke reached it. But the guards said they heard no alarm before seeing the fire. The investigation found a faulty part in the alarm panel. This part failed to send power to the sirens.

Mast Details

The restored stern, sheathed in Muntz metal, elevated three metres above its dry dock under its glass-roofed visitors' centre in June 2012.

The original plans for the masts still exist. They are called the "tea rig." This setup was used when the ship carried tea. It had a very large sail area. This was important for getting power when there was no wind.

For the Australia route, such a large sail area wasn't needed. The masts and yards were made smaller. The strong trade winds needed very strong masts. But the wind was best caught by smaller, higher sails. A smaller rig also cost less to maintain. Each of the three masts (fore, main, and mizzen) has three overlapping sections.

Images for kids

• 

  Cutty Sark, 8 October 1987

• 

  Cutty Sark in Greenwich, October 2003

• 

  Cutty Sark in Greenwich, 1977

• 

  The ship one week before the fire. Most of the upper sections had already been dismantled for renovation.

• 

  Cutty Sark on fire, in May 2007

• 

  The day after the fire, 22 May 2007

• 

  Cutty Sark during repairs after the fire

• 

  Cutty Sark in February 2012, repairs nearing completion.

See also

In Spanish: Cutty Sark para niños

• William Pile
• Cutty Sark (short story)
• Falls of Clyde (ship)
• List of clipper ships
• List of large sailing vessels
• List of ships built by William Denny and Brothers
• List of tall ships
• Star of India
• The Cowboy Captain of the Cutty Sark
• Gipsy Moth IV