Cutty Sark: Difference between revisions

{|{{Infobox ship begin
| display title =ital ital
| infobox caption = ''Cutty Sark''
}}

| Ship image = Northeast View of the Cutty Sark in Greenwich.jpg

| Ship image size = 300px

| Ship caption = ''Cutty Sark'' seen from the northeastnorth-east

| Hide header = =

| Ship country = [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]

| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|UK|civil}}

| Ship name = ''Cutty Sark'' (1869–1895)

| Ship namesake = [[Cutty-sark (witch)|Cutty-sark]]

| Ship owner = John "Jock" Willis (1869–1895)

| Ship registry = =

| Ship route = =

| Ship ordered = 1 February 1869

| Ship builder = {{ubl|[[Scott & Linton]]|[[William Denny and Brothers]]}} <!-- Just the builder. The location goes in the main text. -->

| Ship original cost = £16,150<ref name=MacGregor/>{{rpr|MacGregor 1983|pagep=196}}

| Ship yard number = =

| Ship way number = =

| Ship laid down = 1869

| Ship launched = 22 November 1869

| Ship sponsor = Mrs. George Moodie

| Ship christened = =

| Ship completed = =

| Ship maiden voyage = =

| Ship in service = 16 February 1870

| Ship homeport = =London

| Ship identification = UK Official Number: 63557<ref name=Lloyds>{{cite web|url=http://www.plimsollshipdata.org/pdffile.php?name=30a0082.pdf|title=Lloyd's Register, Navires a Voiles|website=Plimsoll Ship Data|access-date=13 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320072434/http://www.plimsollshipdata.org/pdffile.php?name=30a0082.pdf|archive-date=20 March 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

| Ship motto = "WhereWhen there's a Will[ ]isWillis a[ ]way"

| Ship fate = Sold}}

| Hide header = title

| Ship country = [[Portugal]]

| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|Portugal|civil}} {{shipboxflag|Portugal}}

| Ship name = ''Ferreira''

| Ship namesake = Joaquim Antunes Ferreira

| Ship owner = Joaquim Antunes Ferreira & Co. (1895–1922)

| Ship acquired = 22 July 1892

| Ship fate = Sold 1922

| Ship homeport = [[Lisbon]], [[Portugal]]

| Ship nickname = {{lang|pt|Pequena Camisola}} ("Little shirt")
}}

| Hide header = title

| Ship country = Portugal

| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|Portugal}}

| Ship name = ''Maria do Amparo''

| Ship namesake = [[Refugium Peccatorum|Mary, Refuge of Sinners]]

| Ship owner = Companhia Nacional de Navegação

| Ship acquired = 1922

| Ship fate = Sold 1922

| Ship homeport = [[Lisbon]], [[Portugal]]

| Ship nickname = }}

| Hide header = title

| Ship country = United Kingdom

| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|UK|civil}}

| Ship name = ''Cutty Sark''

| Ship namesake = =

| Ship owner = Wilfred Dowman

| Ship acquired = 1922

| Ship fate = Sold 1938

| Ship homeport = [[Falmouth, Cornwall|Falmouth]], Cornwall

| Ship nickname = }}

| Hide header = title

| Ship country = United Kingdom

| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|UK|civil}}

| Ship name = ''Cutty Sark''

| Ship namesake = =

| Ship owner = Thames Nautical Training College

| Ship acquired = 1938

| Ship fate = Sold 1953

| Ship homeport = [[Greenhithe]], Kent]]

| Ship nickname = }}

| Hide header = title

| Ship country = United Kingdom

| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|UK|civil}}

| Ship name = ''Cutty Sark''

| Ship namesake = =

| Ship owner = Cutty Sark Preservation Society

| Ship acquired = 1953

| Ship out of service = Became museum December 1954

| Ship status = [[Museum ship]]

| Ship homeport = =

| Ship nickname = }}

| Hide header = =

| Header caption = =

| Ship class = [[Clipper]]

| Ship tonnage = *{{GRT|963}}

*{{NRT|921}}{{r|MacGregor 1983|p=195}}

| Ship displacement = 2,100 tons (2,133.7 tonnes) at {{convertcvt|20|ft|m|abbr=on}} draught<ref name="Scott 1941">{{cite journal |last1last=Scott |first1first=J. L. |title=A Survey of Thecutty Sarkin 1937 |journal=The Mariner's Mirror |date=January 1941 |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=180–205 |doi=10.1080/00253359.1941.10658765}}</ref>

| Ship tons burthen = =

| Ship length = *Hull: {{convertcvt|212.5|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}<ref name="LloydsRegister">{{Cite book|title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping, 1870|year=1870|url=https://archive.org/details/lloydsregisters80unkngoog|access-date=3 December 2014|publisher=Wyman & Sons}}</ref>

*[[Length overall|LOA]]: {{convertcvt|280|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}{{r|Scott 1941|p=194}}

| Ship beam = {{convertcvt|36|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}<ref name=LloydsRegister/>

| Ship draught = =

| Ship draft = =

| Ship hold depth = ={{convertcvt|21|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}<ref name=LloydsRegister/>

| ship depth =

| Ship propulsion = {{cvt|32000|ft2}} sail = 32(3,000 sq ft sail (3000&nbsp;hp)

| Ship sail plan = *1870: [[Full-rigged ship|ship rig]]

| Ship complement = 28–35

| Ship armament = =

| Ship speed = {{convert|17.5|kn|km/h|abbr=onkph}} maximum achieved<ref name=MacGregor/>{{rpr|pageMacGregor 1983|p=196}}}}

'''''Cutty Sark''''' is a British [[clipper]] ship. Built on the [[River Leven, Dunbartonshire|River Leven]], Dumbarton, Scotland in 1869 for the [[Jock Willis Shipping Line]], she was one of the last [[Clipper|tea clippersclipper]]s to be built and one of the fastest, coming at the end of a long period of design development for this type of vessel, which haltedended as steamships took over their routes. She was named after the short shirt of the fictional witch in [[Robert Burns]]' poem [[Tam o' Shanter (poem)|''Tam o' Shanter'']], first published in 1791.

After the [[SS Agamemnon (1865)|big improvement]] in the [[fuel efficiency]] of steamships in 1866, the opening of the [[Suez Canal]] in 1869 gave them a shorter route to [[China]], so ''Cutty Sark'' spent only a few years on the tea trade before turning to the trade in [[wool]] from [[Australia]], where she held the record time to Britain for ten years.<ref>{{cite web|title=1883–95 The Australian Wool Years|url=http://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/explore/1883-95-australian-wool-years|date=9 October 2015}}</ref> [[SS Aberdeen (1881)|Continuing improvements]] in steam technology early in the 1880s meant that gradually steamships also came to dominate the longer sailing route to Australia, and the ship was sold to the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] company Ferreira and Co. in 1895 and renamed ''Ferreira''. She continued as a cargo ship until purchased in 1922 by retired sea captain Wilfred Dowman, who used her as a training ship operating from [[Falmouth, Cornwall|Falmouth]], [[Cornwall]]. After his death, ''Cutty Sark'' was transferred to the [[Thames Nautical Training College]], Greenhithe, in 1938 where she became an auxiliary cadet training ship alongside [[HMS Frederick William (1860)|HMS ''Worcester'']]. By 1954, she had ceased to be useful as a cadet ship and was transferred to permanent dry dock at [[Greenwich]], [[London]], for public display.

''Cutty Sark'' is listed by [[National Historic Ships]] as part of the [[National Historic Fleet]] (the nautical equivalent of a [[Grade 1 Listed Building]]). She is one of only three remaining originalintact [[Composite ship|composite construction]] (wooden hull on an iron frame) clipper ships from the nineteenth century in part or whole, the others being the clipper {{ship||City of Adelaide|1864|2}}, which arrivednow in [[Port Adelaide]], [[South Australia]] onand 3the Februarywarship 2014{{ship|HMS|Gannet|1878|6}} forin preservation[[Chatham, andKent|Chatham]]. theThe beached skeleton of ''[[Ambassador (clipper)|Ambassador]]'', of 1869 lying near [[Punta Arenas]], Chile is the only other significant remnant of this construction method.

The ship has been damaged by fire twice in recent years, first on 21 May 2007 while undergoing conservation. She was restored and was reopened to the public on 25 April 2012.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cutty Sark: Queen reopens Greenwich tea clipper|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17835225|work=[[BBC News]]|date=25 April 2012}}</ref> Funders for the Cutty Sark conservation project include: the [[National Lottery Heritage Fund|Heritage Lottery Fund]], the House of Commons [[Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee]], [[Sammy Ofer]] Foundation, Greenwich Council, [[Greater London Authority]], [[Stavros Niarchos Foundation|The Stavros Niarchos Foundation]], [[Berry Bros. & Rudd|Berry Brothers & Rudd]], Michael Edwards, and [[Alisher Usmanov]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-05-11|title=Her Majesty The Queen reopens Cutty Sark {{!}} The National Lottery Heritage Fund|url=https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/news/her-majesty-queen-reopens-cutty-sark|access-date=2021-12-18|website=www.heritagefund.org.uk|language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Cutty Sark (ship, 1869) - SLV H91.250-164.jpg|thumb|left|''Cutty Sark'' photographed at sea by Captain Woodget using a camera balanced on two of the ship's boats lashed together.]]

''Cutty Sark'' was ordered by ship-owner John Willis, who operated a shipping company founded by his father. The company had several ships in the tea trade from China to Britain. Speed was an advantage to vessels carrying a high -value, seasonal product, such as tea. Faster ships could obtain higher rates of freight (the price paid to transport the cargo), and tea merchants would use the names of fast-sailing ships that had carried their products in their advertising.{{r|MacGregor 1983|p=13}} ''Cutty Sark'' was ordered during a boom in building tea clippers in the period 1865–69—something1865–1869—something that was attributed to a substantial reduction in the import duties for tea.<ref name="Shewan">{{cite book |last=Shewan|first=Andrew |date= 1996|title=The Great Days of Sail, Reminiscences of a Tea-clipper Captain |location=London |publisher=Conway Maritime Press Limited |orig-year= reprint of 1927 edned.|isbn=085177699X}}</ref>{{rp|introduction}} In 1868 the brand -new [[Aberdeen]] -built clipper, ''[[Thermopylae (clipper)|Thermopylae]]'', set a record time of 61 days port to port on her maiden voyage from London to [[Melbourne]] and it was this design that Willis set out to better.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Dear |editor-first=I. C. B |editor-last2=Kemp |editor-first2=Peter |editor-link=I. C. B. Dear |title=Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2005 |edition=2nd |isbn=978-0198606161}}</ref>

Willis considered that ''The Tweed''{{'}}s [[bow (ship)|bow]] shape was responsible for its notable performance, and this form seems to have been adopted for ''Cutty Sark''. Linton, however, felt that the [[stern]] was too [[barrel]] shaped and so gave ''Cutty Sark'' a squarer stern with less [[tumblehome]]. The broader stern increased the buoyancy of the ship's stern, making it lift more in heavy seas so it was less likely that waves would break over the stern, and over the helmsman at the wheel.<ref name="Lubbock 1945">{{cite book |last1last=Lubbock |first1first=Basil |title=The Log of the Cutty Sark |date=1945 |publisher=Brown, Son and Ferguson, Ltd|edition=second |location=Glasgow |editionauthor-link=SecondBasil Lubbock}}</ref>{{rp|20–24}}<ref>Villiers pp. 17–19</ref> ''Cutty Sark'' was given masts that followed the design of ''The Tweed'', with similar good rake and the foremast on both placed further aft than usual.<ref name="Lubbock">{{cite book |last=Lubbock |first=Basil |orig-year=1914 |year=1981 |title=The China Clippers |location=Glasgow |publisher=Brown, Son and Ferguson Ltd |isbn=0851741096 }}</ref>{{rp|page=291}}

A contract for ''Cutty Sark's'{{'}}s construction was signed on 1 February 1869 with the firm of [[Scott & Linton]], which had only been formed in May 1868. Their shipyard was at [[Dumbarton]] on the [[River Leven, Dunbartonshire|River Leven]] on a site previously occupied by shipbuilders [[William Denny & Brothers]]. The contract required the ship to be completed within six months at a contracted price of £17 per ton and maximum size of 950 tons. This was a highly competitive price for an experimental, state-of-the-art vessel, and for a customer requiring the highest standards. Payment would be made in seven instalments as the ship progressed, but with a penalty of £5 for every day the ship was late. The ship was to be built to [[Lloyd's Register|Lloyd's]] A1 standard and her construction was supervised on behalf of Willis by Captain George Moodie, who would command her when completed. Construction delays occurred when the Lloyd's inspectors required additional strengthening in the ship.<ref>Brettle</ref>

Work on the ship was suspended when Scott and Linton ran out of money to continue. Rather than simply liquidate the company, an arrangement was made for Denny's to take over the contract and complete the ship, which was finally launched on 22 November 1869 by Captain Moodie's wife. The ship was moved to Denny's yard to have her masts fitted, and then on 20 December towed downriver to [[Greenock]] to have her running rigging installed. In the event, completing the ship meant the company's creditors were owed even more money than when work had first been halted.<ref name=Ships>{{cite book |last1=Mitchell |first1=W. H. |last2=Sawyer |first2=L. A. |date=1995 |title=The Empire Ships |page=49 |publisher=Lloyd's of London Press Ltd |location=London |isbn=1850442754}}</ref>

[[File:Cutty sark detail.jpg|right|upright|thumb|[[Clipper#Fineness|Fine lines]] of the [[Bow (ship)|bow]]]]

''Cutty Sark'' has a registered length of {{convert|212.5|ft|m|2}}, with a depth of hold of {{convert|21|ft|m|2}} and a net tonnage of 921. The hull is one of the sharpest of all the tea clippers: she has a coefficient of under deck tonnage{{efn|The coefficient of under deck tonnage is a method of estimating the "sharpness" of a hull design when all the necessary dimensions of the ships being compared are not available. Sharpness is the amount by which a hull differs from a rectangular block of the same length, breadth and depth: the more material that has to be cut away from that notional block, the sharper the hull. For the coefficient of under deck tonnage, the [[block coefficient]] and the [[prismatic coefficient]], the lower the number, the sharper the hull.}} of 0.55, compared to ''Thermopylae'' at 0.58.{{r|MacGregor 1983|pp=195–99195–199, 247}} ''Cutty Sark''{{'}}s [[prismatic coefficient]], another measure of hull sharpness, is 0.628; this allows comparison with US built clippers studied by [[Howard I. Chapelle]].{{efn|The prismatic coefficient for clippers studied by Chapelle can be seen in his book ''The Search for Speed Under Sail''. The prismatic coefficient for some of the more famous US -built ships are:<br/>
*''Challenge'' (1851): 0.60, the most extreme clipper by builder [[William H. Webb]]<br/>
*''[[Witch of the Wave]]'' (1851): 0.66, an ordinary clipper but with speed records from China to London<br/>
*[[Lightning (clipper)|''Lightning'' (1854)]]: 0.61, Anan extreme clipper built by [[Donald McKay]] - an—an example of the larger -sized US-built clippers.<ref name="Chapelle 1967">{{cite book |last1last=Chapelle |first1first=Howard I. |author1author-link=Howard I. Chapelle |title=The Search for Speed Under Sail, 1700–1855 |date=1967 |publisher=Bonanza Books}}</ref><br/>
It is probable that few, if any, merchant sailing vessels had a prismatic coefficient of less than 0.57.{{r|Chapelle 1967|p=45}}}}{{efn|An alternative prismatic coefficient calculation for ''Cutty Sark'' is given as 0.627 based on a survey of the ship afloat in 1937.{{r|Scott 1941|p=185}}}} After water-line length, the prismatic coefficient is the next most important determinant of potential hull speed.<ref name="Cannon 2021">{{cite journalbook |last1=Cannon |first1=Sophie |last2=Boyd |first2=Stephen |last3=Whitewright |first3=Julian |titlechapter=Development of a Quantitative Method for the Assessment of Historic Ship Performance |journaltitle=Practical Design of Ships and Other Floating Structures |series=Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering |date=2021 |volume=63 |pages=269–89 |doi=10.1007/978-981-15-4624-2_16|isbn=978-981-15-4623-5 |s2cid=225128699 }}</ref> Unladen, or with a cargo of low density, ballast was required for stability. For example, when she was loaded with wool, 200 tons of ballast was carried. The largest wool cargo she ever carried was 900 tons' weight (the total of ballast and cargo of 1,100 tons is consistent with the estimated deadweight cargo capacity of 1,135 tons at 20&nbsp;ft-foot draught). The largest tea cargo carried was 615 tons' weight. Conversely, a dense cargo allowed full use of the deadweight capacity: if loaded with coal, she would usually carry 1,100 tons.{{r|Scott 1941|p=187}}

Broadly, the parts of the ship visible above the waterline were constructed from East India [[teak]], while American [[Ulmus thomasii|rock elm]] was used for the ship's bottom. The [[stem (ship)|stem]], {{convertcvt|15|x|15|in|cm|abbr=on}}, and [[sternpost]], {{convertcvt|16.5|x|15|in|cm|abbr=on}}, were of teak while the rudder was of English oak. The keel was replaced in the 1920s with one constructed from {{convert|15|in|cm|abbradj=on}} [[pitch pine]].<ref name="Mirror">{{cite journal|last1=Platt |first1=Alan |last2=Waite |first2=Simon T. |last3=Sexton |first3=Robert T. |title=The ''Cutty Sark'' Second Keel and History as the ''Ferreira'' |journal=The Mariner's Mirror |volume=95 |issue=1 |pages=8–10 |publisher=The Society for Nautical Research |location =United Kingdom |date=February 2009 |doi=10.1080/00253359.2009.10657081|s2cid=163769315 }}</ref> The deck was made of {{convert|3.5|in|cm|abbradj=on}} thick teak while the [[Tweendecker|'tween deck]] was {{convert|3|in|cm|abbradj=on}} yellow pine. The [[keel]], {{convertcvt|16.5|x|15|in|cm|abbr=on}}, had on either side a garboard strake, {{convertcvt|11|x|12|in|cm|abbr=on}}, and then {{convertConvert|6|in|cm|abbradj=on}} planking decreasing to {{convertcvt|4.75|in|cm|abbr=on}} at 1/5one-fifth the depth of the hold. Teak planking began at approximately the level of the bilge stringer. The hull was covered by [[Muntz metal]] sheeting up to the {{convert|18|ft|abbradj=on}} depth mark, and all the external timbers were secured by Muntz metal bolts to the internal iron frame.<ref name="Mirror"/> The [[wrought-iron]]<ref name=guide>{{cite web |title=Cutty Sark |url=https://www.rmg.co.uk/sites/default/files/import/20121029_large_print_guide.pdf |publisher=Royal Museums Greenwich |access-date=21 January 2020 |archive-date=16 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116090413/https://www.rmg.co.uk/sites/default/files/import/20121029_large_print_guide.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> frame was an innovation first experimented with in shipbuilding in the 1840s, and was the standard building method for tea clippers by the middle of the 1860s.{{r|MacGregor 1983|p=132}} It consisted of frames (vertical), beams (horizontal) and [[cross bracing]] (diagonal members).<ref name=hull/>

The diagonally-braced iron frame made for a strong, rigid ship;<ref name=hull/> diagonal members prevent racking ([[Shear stress|shearing]], where frame rectangles become [[parallelograms]]).<ref>{{cite report |last1=Tuomi |first1=Roger L. |last2=Gromala |first2=David S. |title=Racking Strength of Walls: Let-in Corner Bracing, Sheet Materials, and Effect of Loading Rate |series=USDA Forest Service Research Paper |date=1977 |number=FPL 301 |url=https://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplrp/fplrp301.pdf }}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Less [[:Wiktionary:work#Verb|working]] and leaking of the hull meant less crew time spent pumping, allowing more time to be spent on changes of sail.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} The wrought-iron-framed hull also took up less cargo space than an all-wood hull would have done.<ref name=hull>{{cite web |title=Touch Cutty Sark's copper hull |url=https://www.rmg.co.uk/cutty-sark/must-see/touch-cutty-sarks-copper-hull |website=Royal Museums Greenwich: UNESCO World Heritage Site In London |language=en |date=21 September 2015}}</ref> The Muntz metal sheeting reduced [[fouling]] of ''Cutty Sark''{{'}}s hull;<ref name=guide /> with a cleaner hull, she could sail faster.<ref>[https://darchive.mblwhoilibrary.org/handle/1912/191 "Marine fouling and its prevention"; prepared for]. Bureau of Ships, Navy DeptDepartment, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, United States, Navy Dept. Bureau of Ship, 1952. [https://darchive.mblwhoilibrary.org/handle/1912/191 (pdf)]</ref>

The maximum logged speed for ''Cutty Sark'' was {{convert|17.5|kn|lk=in}}. Her greatest recorded distance in noon to noon sights was {{convert|363|nmi|lk=in}} averaging {{convert|15|kn}}, although she recorded {{convert|2164|nmi}}<ref>{{citation|last=Carr|first=Frank G G, CBE, MA|author-link=Frank George Griffith Carr|title=Cutty Sark, last of the clippers|date=December 1964|orig-year=December 1954|publisher=The "Cutty Sark" Society|via=reprinted from Yachting World|page=4}}</ref> in six days, which given the weather over the whole period implied she had achieved over {{convertcvt|370|nmi|abbr=on}} some days.<ref>[[Basil Lubbock|Lubbock, Basil]], ''Cutty Sark'', p. 9</ref> By comparison, ''Thermopylae''{{'}}s best recorded 24-hour distance was {{convertcvt|358|nmi|abbr=on}}. On another occasion she recorded {{convertcvt|3457|nmi}} in 11 days.{{sfn|Carr|1964|p=4}} ''Cutty Sark'' was considered to have the edge in a heavier wind, and ''Thermopylae'' in a lighter wind.{{r|Lubbock|pages=155–157}}

[[File:Cutty Sark Figurehead.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left|The ship's figurehead shows [[Cutty-sark (witch)|Cutty-sark]], the nickname of the witch Nannie Dee who chases a drunk farmer, [[Tam o' Shanter (poem)|Tam o' Shanter]], snatching his horse's tail before he escapes by crossing water.]]

The ship was named after [[Cutty-sark (witch)|Cutty-sark]], the nickname of the witch Nannie Dee in [[Robert Burns]]'s 1791 poem ''[[Tam o' Shanter (Burns poem)|Tam o' Shanter]]''. The ship's [[figurehead (object)|figurehead]], the original of which has been attributed to carver Fredrick Hellyer of Blackwall, is a stark white carving of a bare-breasted Nannie Dee with long black hair holding a grey horse's tail in her hand.<ref>[http://www.seawitchartist.com/cuttysark-figurehead.htm The Cutty Sark's figurehead] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160120115627/http://seawitchartist.com/cuttysark-figurehead.htm |date=20 January 2016 }} at Seawitchartist.com</ref> In the poem she wore a [[linen]] {{lang|sco|sark}} ([[Scots language|Scots]]: a short [[chemise]] or [[undergarment]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dsl.ac.uk/dsl/getent4.php?query=cutty |title=Cutty, Cuttie |at=at 4 |quote=(8) ''cutty(-ie) sark'', a short chemise or undergarment |website=[[Dictionary of the Scots Language]] |access-date=21 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926234446/http://www.dsl.ac.uk/dsl/getent4.php?query=cutty |archive-date=26 September 2007 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>), that she had been given as a child, which explains why it was ''cutty'', or in other words far too short. The [[erotic]] sight of her dancing in such a short undergarment caused Tam to cry out "[[:wikt:weel#Scots|Weel]] done, Cutty-sark", which subsequently became a well -known [[catchphrase]]. Originally, carvings by Hellyer of the other scantily clad witches followed behind the figurehead along the bow, but these were removed by Willis in deference to 'good taste'. Tam o' Shanter riding ''Meg'' was to be seen along the ship's [[Quarter gallery|quarter]]. The motto "''Where theres a will is a way''" was inscribed along the [[taffrail]],<ref>Lubbock, pp. 32–34{{clarify |reason=Title?|date=August 2014}}</ref> with variable spaces enabling also the reading ''Where there(')s a Willis away''. ''The Tweed'', which acted as a model for much of the ship which followed her, had a figurehead depicting Tam o' Shanter.<ref>[[Basil Lubbock|Lubbock, Basil]], ''Blackwall Frigates'', p. 229</ref>

''Cutty Sark'' was destined for the [[tea]] trade, a seasonal trade of a high value cargo from [[China]] to [[London]]. Though the "premium" or bonus paid to the ship that arrived with the first tea of the year was abandoned after the [[Great Tea Race of 1866]], faster ships could usually obtain a higher price for transporting their cargoes than others.<ref name="MacGregor 1983">{{cite book |last=MacGregor |first=David R. |date=1983 |title=The Tea Clippers, Their History and Development 1833–1875 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |isbn=978-0870218842}}</ref> Her first roundtrip voyage under captain George Moodie began 16 February 1870 from London with a cargo of wine, spirits and beer bound for [[Shanghai]]. The return journey, carrying 1,305,812&nbsp;lbs (592&nbsp;306&nbsp;kg){{Convert|1305812|lb}} of tea from Shanghai, began 25 June, arriving 13 October in London via the [[Cape of Good Hope]].

''Cutty Sark'' sailed in eight "tea seasons", from London to China and back.<ref{{r|MacGregor name1983|p="MacGregor"/>237–242}}

|+ ''Cutty Sark''{{'}}s tea runs{{sfn|Carr|1964|p=5}}

| 1870 || Shanghai || Beachy Head || 109

| 1872 || Shanghai || Portland || 120

| 1873 || Shanghai || Deal || 116

| 1874 || Woosung || Deal || 118

| 1875 || Woosung || Deal || 122

| 1876 || Woosung || Start || 108

| 1877 || Woosung || Scilly || 122

''Cutty Sark''{{'}}s launch coincided with the opening of the [[Suez Canal]] to shipping in 1869. Her first trip encountered significant competition with steamships. The route from the Far East to London (and many other European ports) through the Suez Canal was shorter by about {{convert|3300|nmi|abbr=on}}, compared to sailing round the Cape of Good Hope.<ref name="suezcanal.gov.eg">{{cite web|url=http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/English/About/Pages/WhySuezCanal.aspx |title=Why Suez Canal? |website=Suez Canal Authority}}</ref> The route round Africa is in excess of {{convertcvt|14000|nmi|abbr=on}}. Typically a clipper might log significantly more than that by planning her route for favourable winds. Whilst it was possible for a sailing vessel to take a tug through the canal, this was difficult and expensive. Furthermore, sailing conditions in the northern [[Red Sea]] were unsuited to the design of a tea clipper,<ref name=Jarvis/> so they still had to sail around Africa. The ability of a steamer to make, for example, {{convert|15|knotkn}} continuously, versus the fastest clipper voyage averaging under {{convert|6.5|knotkn}} over a longer distance, gave steamships not only a more predictable voyage time, but a substantially quicker one.{{efn|For this arithmetic, the speed of a steamer is that of [[SS Agamemnon (1865)|SS ''Agamemnon'']]. The "fastest clipper voyage" is that of [[Ariel (clipper)|''Ariel'']] in 1865. Ariel's log for that voyage shows about {{convertcvt|15,80015800|nmi}} for the voyage, which took 99 days.{{r|Lubbock|pp=269-285}}}}

When the tea clippers arrived in China in 1870, they found a big increase in the number of steamers, which were in high demand. The rate of freight to London that was given to steamers was nearly twice that paid to the sailing ships. Additionally, the insurance premium for a cargo of tea in a steamer was substantially less than for a sailing vessel. So successful were the steamers using the Suez Canal that, in 1871, 45 were built in Clyde shipyards alone for Far Eastern trade.<ref{{r|MacGregor name1983|p="MacGregor"/>209}}

''Cutty Sark''{{'}}s well[[Race Cutty Sark and Thermopylae|well-known race against]] ''[[Thermopylae (clipper)|Thermopylae]]'' took place in 1872, the two ships leaving [[Shanghai]] together on 18 June. Both ships were of similar size: length, beam and depths were within {{convert|1|ft|spell=in|1}} of each other. The ''Thermopylae'' had a slightly larger capacity: 991 compared to 963 (GRT) or 948 compared to 921 (net).{{sfn|Carr|1964|p=5}} Two weeks later ''Cutty Sark'' had built up a lead of some {{convert|400|nmi|mi km}}, but then lost her rudder<ref>{{cite web|url=http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/15131.html|title=The tea clipper Thermopylae|publisher=[[National Maritime Museum]]}}</ref> in a heavy gale after passing through the [[Sunda Strait]]. John Willis's brother was on board the ship and ordered Moodie to put into [[Cape Town]] for repairs. Moodie refused, and instead the ship's carpenter Henry Henderson constructed a new rudder from spare timbers and iron. This took six days, working in gales and heavy seas which meant the men were tossed about as they worked and the brazier used to heat the metal for working was spilled out, burning the captain's son. The ship finally arrived in London on 18 October a week after ''Thermopylae'', a total passage of 122 days. The captain and crew were commended for their performance and Henderson received a £50 bonus for his work. This was the closest ''Cutty Sark'' came to being first ship home but it was Moodie's last trip as her captain before he transferred to steamships. He was replaced by Captain F. W. Moore.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

In 1880 yards were shortened and the [[stunsail|stun'sails]] removed.{{sfn|Carr|1964|p=5}} Also in 1880 an incident occurred on board during which the First Mate Sidney Smith killed seaman John Francis. Smith was allowed to leave the ship at [[Anjer]] by Captain Wallace, causing the crew to cease work in protest. Wallace continued the voyage with six apprentices and four tradesmen but became becalmed in the [[Java Sea]] for three days. In desperation as matters moved from bad to worse, he committed suicide by jumping overboard and disappeared. He was replaced as Master by William Bruce, who proved to be a drunken incompetent who claimed pay for non-existent crewmen and managed to set sail with inadequate provisions, resulting in the crew starving. An inquiry in New York in April 1882 resulted in the captain and mate being suspended and replaced by Captain Moore, previously of [[Blackadder (clipper)|''Blackadder'']].

[[File:Cutty Sark - waiting in Sydney Harbour for the new season's wool.jpg|thumb|right|upright|''Cutty Sark'' in Sydney Harbour awaiting a cargo of new season's wool, {{c.}} 1890]]

From 1885 to 1893, ''Cutty Sark'' was run between England and New South Wales under the agency of the Sydney -based Dangar, Gedye & Co.<ref>{{cite book |last1last=Fraser |first1first=A.D. |title= THIS CENTURY OF OURS - Being an Account of the Origin and History during One Hundred Years of the House of Dangar, Gedye and Malloch Ltd, of Sydney |date=1938 |pages=100–110 | publisher=Hallstead Press Pty Limited |location=Sydney}}</ref> In 1885 [[Richard Woodget]] was appointed captain on a salary of £186 per year (£23,729.80 in 2019 when adjusted for inflation) and continued to improve on the fastest trip record, achieving 77 days on his first outward trip and 73 days returning to Britain from Australia. He achieved this by taking a more southerly route than previously, to catch the strongest winds in the [[Roaring Forties]] despite having to face icebergs, gales and storms whipped up by the winds he sought. ''Cutty Sark'' was the fastest ship on the wool trade for ten years. In July 1889 the log of the modern passenger steamship {{SS|Britannia|1887|6}} recorded that when steaming at 15–1615 to 16 knots she was overtaken in the night by a sailing ship doing 17 knots, which proved to be ''Cutty Sark''.

|+ ''Cutty Sark''{{'}}s wool runs{{sfn|Carr|1964|p=5}}

| 1883–84 || Newcastle, NSW || Deal || 82

| 1884–85 || Newcastle, NSW || Dock || 80

| 1885 || Sydney || Downs || 73 (67 to Ushant)

| 1887 || Sydney || Lizard || 70

| 1887–88 || Newcastle, NSW || Lizard || 69

| 1888–89 || Sydney || London || 86

| 1889–90 || Sydney || London || 75

| 1890–91 || Sydney || London || 93

| 1891–92 || Sydney || Lizard || 83

| 1893 || Sydney || Antwerp || 98 (90 to Bishop's Rock)

| 1893–94 || Sydney || Hull || 93 (87 to Scilly)

| 1894–95 || Brisbane || London || 84

Eventually steamships began to dominate the wool trade too and it ceased to be profitable for a sailing ship. In 1895 Jock Willis sold ''Cutty Sark'' to the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] firm Joaquim Antunes Ferreira for £1,250.<ref name="Platt13">{{cite journal|last1=Platt|first1=Alan|last2=Waite|first2=Simon T.|last3=Sexton|first3=Robert T.|title=The Cutty Sark's Second Keel and History as the Ferreira|journal=The Mariner's Mirror|volume=95|issue=1|page=13|publisher=The Society for Nautical Research|location=Portsmouth, UK|date=February 2009|doi=10.1080/00253359.2009.10657081|s2cid=163769315}}</ref> She was renamed ''Ferreira'' after the firm.<ref name="Platt13"/> Her crews referred to her as ''Pequena Camisola'' (''little shirt'', a straight translation of the Scots ''cutty sark'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bymnews.com/new/content/view/8591/80|website=BYM News & Magazine|title=Cutty Sark|date=24 January 2005|access-date=21 May 2007}}</ref>

[[File:Cutty Sark (ship, 1869) - SLV H91.250-165.jpg|thumb|right|''Cutty Sark'' moored in a port, possibly Sydney. Another clipper can be seen in the background.]]

The rigging was restored to an approximation of the original arrangement and the ship was used as a cadet training ship. In 1924 she was used as committee boat for the regatta week in Fowey during that years regatta week as recalled to me by Mr. Arthur (Toby) West. As a historic survivor, the ship was opened to the public and visitors would be rowed out to inspect her. Dowman died in 1936 and the ship was given by Catharine Dowman, his widow, along with £50005,000 for maintenance, to the Incorporated Thames Nautical Training College, [[HMS Worcester (1860)|HMS ''Worcester'']] at [[Greenhithe, Kent|Greenhithe]].{{sfn|Carr|1964|p=5}} She was towed to Greenhithe by tug.{{sfn|Carr|1964|p=6}} The ship was crewed by cadets, 15-year-old Robert Wyld steering the ship during the voyage.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hands-on-illustrations.co.uk/big/mn/27/28.pdf |last=Wyld |first=Robert |title=Cutty Sark must Sail Again |newspaper=[[The Daily Mirror]]|date=28 May 2007 |via=Hands on Illustrations}}</ref>

At Greenhithe ''Cutty Sark'' acted as an auxiliary vessel to {{HMS|Worcester|1860|6}} for sail training drill, but by 1950 she had become surplus to requirements. From February to October 1951 she was temporarily moved first for a refit and then to take part in the [[Festival of Britain]] at [[Deptford]]. On 30 January 1952, the 800-ton tanker {{MV|Aqueity|1946|6}} collided with ''Cutty Sark''{{'}}s bow in the Thames. The two ships were locked together after the collision which forced ''Cutty Sark''{{'}}s [[jibboom]] into ''Worcester''{{'}}s [[forecastle]] rails, snapping the boom before scraping along ''Worcester''{{'}}s starboard side. ''Cutty Sark''{{'}}s figurehead lost an arm in the process. Worcester was a condemned hulk, sunk at her moorings at the time, photographs showing her lying on her starboard side with her starboard side near the shore. ''Cutty Sark'' was anchored and towed to the [[Shadwell Basin]] where repairs were carried out by Green & Silley Weir Ltd. The damaged arm was recovered at [[Grays Thurrock]] and the figurehead was repaired.<ref name=Collision>{{cite web |url=http://www.hms-worcester.me.uk/page19.html |title=The Cutty Sark |website=HMS Worcester & Merchant Navy |first=Colin |last=Thurlow |access-date=27 April 2011}}</ref>

''Cutty Sark'' was preserved as a [[museum ship]], and has since become a popular [[tourist]] attraction, and part of the [[National Historic Fleet]]. She is located near the centre of [[Greenwich]], in south-east [[London]], close aboardto the [[National Maritime Museum]], the former [[Greenwich Hospital (London)|Greenwich Hospital]], and [[Greenwich Park]]. She is also a prominent landmark on the route of the [[London Marathon]] and marks the finish of [[The Big Half]]. She usually flies [[signal flag]]s from her [[Ensign (flag)|ensign]] [[halyard]] reading "JKWS", which is the code representing ''Cutty Sark'' in the [[International Code of Signals]], introduced in 1857.

The ship is in the care of the Cutty Sark Trust, whose president, the then [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Duke of Edinburgh]], was instrumental in ensuring her preservation, when he set up the Cutty Sark Society in 1951. The Trust replaced the Society in 2000.<ref name="Radio4-2007-05-22"/> She is a [[Grade I listed building|Grade I listed monument]] and was on the [[Heritage at Risk Register|Buildings At Risk Register]] following the 2007 fire. The gallery beneath the ship holds the world's largest collection of ships' figureheads, donated to the Society by [[Sydney Cumbers]] in 1953.<ref name=figure>{{cite web |title=Figureheads |url=http://www.rmg.co.uk/cuttysark/history-and-collections/collections/figureheads |website=[[Royal Museums Greenwich]] |access-date=20 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704082353/http://www.rmg.co.uk/cuttysark/history-and-collections/collections/figureheads |archive-date=4 July 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref>

[[File:Cutty Sark fire.jpg|thumb|right|''Cutty Sark'' on fire, in May 2007.]]

In initial investigations, the possibility was covered that the fire might have been started deliberately.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6675381.stm |title=Blaze ravages historic Cutty Sark - A fire which swept through the famous 19th Century ship Cutty Sark may have been started deliberately, police say. |work=[[BBC News]] |date=21 May 2007 |access-date=17 April 2019}}</ref> The fire was later found to have most likely been caused by an industrial vacuum cleaner which had been left running over the weekend,<ref>{{cite news |title=Cutty Sark deck damaged in blaze |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-29680243 |work=BBC News |date=19 October 2014}}</ref> compounded by the absence of the overnight fire watchers.<ref name="vacuum">{{cite news |last=Davenport |first=Justin |date=30 September 2008 |title=Vacuum cleaner caused £10m Cutty Sark fire as guard slept |language=en |work=Evening Standard |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/vacuum-cleaner-caused-10m-cutty-sark-fire-as-guard-slept-6872360.html}}</ref>

On 30 September 2008, the [[London Fire Brigade]] announced the conclusion of the investigation into the fire at a press conference at [[New Scotland Yard]]. The painstaking investigation was conducted by the Fire Brigade, along with London's [[Metropolitan Police Service]], Forensic Science Services, and electrical examination experts Dr. Burgoyne's & Partners. They said that the most likely cause was the failure of an industrial vacuum cleaner that may have been left switched on over the weekend before the fire started. The report revealed no evidence that the ship was subjected to arson attack and concluded that the fire started accidentally.<ref name="vacuum"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.london-fire.gov.uk//CuttySarkFireReport-29Sep08.pdf|title=Report on the investigation into the fire on board the clipper ship Cutty Sark, King William Walk, Greenwich, London SE10 on Monday 21st May 2007|author1=London Fire Brigade|author2-link=Metropolitan Police Service|author2=Metropolitan Police Service|date=29 September 2008|access-date=16 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128063551/http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/CuttySarkFireReport-29Sep08.pdf|archive-date=28 November 2011|url-status=dead|author1-link=London Fire Brigade}}</ref><ref name="vacuum">{{cite news |last1=Justin |first1=Davenport |title=Vacuum cleaner caused £10m Cutty Sark fire as guard slept |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/vacuum-cleaner-caused-10m-cutty-sark-fire-as-guard-slept-6872360.html |work=Evening Standard |date=30 September 2008 |language=en}}</ref>

| Royal || || 36.3

* {{cite book|last1last=Villiers|first1first=Alan|title=The Cutty Sark – Last of a Glorious Era.|url=https://archive.org/details/cuttysarklastofg00vill|url-access=registration|date=1953|publisher=Hodder & Stoughton|page=[https://archive.org/details/cuttysarklastofg00vill/page/96 96]}}

* [httphttps://www.rmg.co.uk/cutty-sark Official site]

* [https://www.snf.org/texts/uploads/files/Cutty%20Sark%20Trust_1.pdf Views of the restoration, including frame] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412004642/https://www.snf.org/texts/uploads/files/Cutty%20Sark%20Trust_1.pdf |date=12 April 2022 }}