Built on the Clyde in 1869, Cutty Sark was one of the finest and last China Clippers ever to sail the high seas.
For a ten year period in its history, it held the speed record from Sydney Australia to Britain. It wasn’t carrying tea though. It had been demoted to the wool trade.
At the same time as Cutty Sark was built, so was the Suez Canal. A Tea Clipper could beat a steamship ‘round the Horn’, and could even beat a steamship which took the Suez shortcut, but large commercial sailing ships were useless in the Suez Canal.
Cutty Sark was at the top of a sailing ship’s game at 16 knots in a good wind, but steamships were improving and were more reliable.
The last part of her working life was served as a training ship
Since 1954, she has been a London landmark in Greenwich Dock, but on 21st May, 2007, Cutty Sark was a blazing mess. Parts had already been taken away for renovation but, on this day, it looked like there would be no home for the restored parts.
It has cost £25m and five years of painstaking work to put her right, and she still could never sail again. You can read up on why she can never sail again here..
http://web.ncf.ca/bf250/cuttysark.html
It is sad that such a great ship could be treated so badly..
