It was the end of an era of sails and the beginning of the era of steam. The clipper ship ‘Cutty Sark’ was one of the fastest of her kind, swiftly moving cargo from one side of the world to the other. But her days as the fastest ship on the seas was already numbered.
After 85 years of service, she was finally retired and moved to a dry dock in Greenwich, just down the Thames from the city of London. After several extensive restorations, she now hangs suspended above her berth, letting visitors tour her several decks, and even walk along beneath her keel.
An artifact of another time, the Cutty Sark is an immaculate example of the Age of Sail. She looks as if she was just built and is ready to take on cargo. Instead, she takes on visitors, who traverse her decks and experience a taste of what life was like on the high seas in the mid 1800’s and beyond.
Built in 1869, the Cutty Sark was designed from the start to be a fast tea clipper, moving Britain’s favorite beverage from China to London as quickly as possible. Long and narrow, with 32,000 square feet of sail, she was capable of an upward speed of 20 mph (32 kph/17 knots).
Though, her days in the tea trade were numbered, the building of a new Suez Canal meant steam ships could make the journey to China and back even faster. So the Cutty Sark took on other cargo routes, like moving wool from Australia to England. Her speed records in that trip was unbeaten for 10 years, even against newer, more modern vessels.
As steam overtook wind as the preferred means of propulsion, the Cutty Sark moved from owner to owner, taking on various roles and slower, less lucrative routes. Most vessels faced with such fate often end up in a ship scrap yard, but she was saved by a wealthy patron for use as a training ship.
She continued her journey as a training vessel until the 1950s, when she’d make her last voyage to her current and likely final resting place: a purpose-built drydock in Greenwich, down the river from central London.
Today the Cutty Sark is suspended over its drydock, floating in air like she once did in the sea. The visitors are able to tour nearly every inch of the ship, each deck, berth, and cabin that have been beautifully restored.
Did you subscribe for our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: CNET
