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Cutty Sark
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On the 22nd of November 1869 a beautiful tea clipper of 963 tons gross was launched from Dumbarton on the Clyde River, Scotland. The name of this clipper was Cutty Sark, a ship destined to fame on the high waves. She won a place in the hearts of the British nation, second only to Nelson's famous HMS Victory.

Owner & Designer

The Cutty Sark was built for John Willis, a seasoned seaman turned fleet owner and based in the port of London. Willis became known as 'White Hat Willis' among the sailors and port workers because he was always seen wearing a white top hat. It was his ambition that the Cutty Sark be the fastest tea clipper and win the annual race to bring home the new season's tea all the way from China.

The famous lines of the Cutty Sark were designed at the hands of Hercules Linton, a partner in Dumbarton based designers Scott & Linton. The new hull shape in the Cutty Sark was a result of an amalgamation of the bowliness from The Tweed, one of his earlier designs, and the midships from Firth of Forth fishing vessels. This new hull could be driven harder, faster and longer than any other. Willis, being a true penny-pinching Scotsman was keen to drive a bargain. Scott & Linton had never dealt with such a large ship and accommodated each and every demand from Willis. Unfortunately their ambition to prove themselves led to them vanishing completely.

The Changing Roles of the Cutty Sark

For the first few years the Cutty Sark put in some strong performances in the tea races under Captain George Moodie. However, when the Suez Canal was opened steamers began to dominate trade with China as they could get the tea back faster via the canal. Eventually the tea trade became unprofitable, the Cutty Sark resigned from the China run with her last cargo of tea in 1877. The Cutty Sark was forced to seek out cargo wherever and whenever she could get them, but in 1885 things took a turn for the better.

Captain Richard Woodget took the Cutty Sark from the depths of depression to the summit in the Australian wool trade. Under his guidance the Cutty Sark repeatedly notched up the fastest passage home from Australia, he knew how to work the ship to get every last drop of performance. However, by 1895 the Cutty Sark was again no longer profitable and was sold off to the Portuguese, and was renamed the Ferreira. For the next three decades she worked steadily between Oporto, Rio de Janeiro, Lisbon and New Orleans. She was dismasted during a furious storm in the Indian Ocean in 1916 and was then re-rigged with less sail as there was a shortage of timber caused by war. She was then sold to another Portuguese company in 1922, renamed Maria do Amparo and taken to London's Surrey Docks for a much needed refit. On sailing home she was driven into Falmouth Harbour by a Channel gale.

The Cutty Sark Comes Home

She was then spotted by Captain Wilfred Dowman who had been captivated by her previous beauty when he saw her at full sail in 1894. After consideration, Captain Dowman approached her owners and purchased the run down ship for £3750. She was now under his care and was soon restored to her prime.

Captain Wilfred Dowman sadly passed away in 1938 when the Incorporated Thames Nautical Training College at Greenhithe took ownership of the vessel after it was donated by his wife. The Cutty Sark stayed there until after the Second World War when the college acquired a larger steel ship to train their cadets. Once again the Cutty Sark had become useless.

In 1951, after lengthy discussions over her future, the Cutty Sark was towed to a mooring in Greenwich for the Festival of Britain. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh formed the Cutty Sark Society and in 1954 she was moved to a specially constructed dry dock at Greenwich. The Queen opened the Cutty Sark to the public in 1957 and has since been visited by over 15 million people from every corner of the world. The Cutty Sark remains the sole surviving tea clipper, a testament to the age of the tea races.

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