Posted on 05/20/2007 10:04:21 PM PDT by FreedomCalls
The preserved 19th-century ship the Cutty Sark is on fire, London Fire Brigade has confirmed. It is said to be 100% alight and eight fire engines are at the scene in Greenwich, south-east London.
Greenwich town centre is closed to traffic and the Docklands Light Railway will also close because of a police cordon, Scotland Yard said.
Local residents were also expected to be evacuated shortly.
The ship, one of the capital's best-loved tourist attractions, is currently closed to the public for extensive renovation work. It was due to reopen in 2009.
There are fears that gas cylinders that may be on board the ship because of the renovation work may explode.
London Fire Brigade said the Metropolitan Police received a call at 04:55am reporting an extensive fire on the 19th-century clipper.
The Clyde-built Cutty Sark was, in 1869, one of the last sailing clippers to be built.
She was destined for the tea trade, then an intensely competitive race across the globe from China to London, with immense profits to the ship to arrive with the first tea of the year.
Muslims against skimpy skirts? (cutty sarks)
I MUST down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking.
I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
I must down to the seas again to the vagrant gypsy life.
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.
- John Masefield
Can anyone who knows about the history of these vessels answer a question?
I read the clipper’s domination of the China trade came to an end because the Suez canal was built, giving the slower steam ships access to China via a shortcut because the clippers weren’t able to navigate the canal.
Was this because the clippers were too big? I’m just sort of curious why they didn’t use the steam vessels to tow the clippers through the Suez and let them do what they did best for the rest of the route.
Distance sailed was/is less of an issue for sailing ships. It was much more important to stay in the tradewinds and use them to keep the ship moving along at a high speed. Lots of extra distance was always sailed, because there are no staight lines when you depend upon the winds.
The Steamships although slower in speed could maintain a straight course to their destinations which got them there in a shorter amount of time, on a regular schedule and with a smaller crew.
No doubt. It's the timber preparation (seasoning) even before milling and the processes by which they were bent, shaped, and planked that are no more in a size that big, particularly for the reverse curves. I just love locust treenails, deadeyes and lanyards, Matthew Walker knots, and the smell of pitch. What can I say?
If the Cutty Sark is gone, perhaps now they'll restore the Vicar of Bray. Hopefully they got to the Cutty in time.
Horrible news! Words fail me...
Cutty Sark had been closed to visitors since last year for a 25 million pound (euro37 million; US$50 million) renovation
Was this because the clippers were too big?
I saw it last year myself. Doesn’t hold a candle to the HMS Victory but still a beautiful ship. Sort of sad to see this happen.
“If it were a significant military ship I would be sad, but carrying tea to stain British teeth doesn’t do it for me.”
I think its actually worse because we have a lot of important military ships. This is one of the ships left of its kind and symbolizes an important bit of maritime history.
Like the Superbowl, but actually important
I wonder who owner her, what is her value, and was she insured?
Captain Woodgate....former captain of the Cutty Sark....his hobby in retirement was breaking in wild horses.
The tea races were a diversion for British snobs. The money and technology would have been better applied to oral hygiene.
TYhe winds through the n.Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Med. were not suitable, so the Clippers would lose time using those routes. Light winds would, of course, be ideal for steam ships.
“Was this because the clippers were too big? I’m just sort of curious why they didn’t use the steam vessels to tow the clippers through the Suez and let them do what they did best for the rest of the route.”
The problem was not the Suez Canal. The problem was that winds in the Mediterranean and Red Seas are highly variable. Clippers were ships optimized to have strong steady winds coming at them from behind.
For both the Med and the Red you need a fore-and-aft rig because you are going to be spending a lot of time beating into the wind.
It is like trying to take an Indy racer through Galveston’s back alleys. You can do it, but it won’t be traveling much faster than a panel van.
Since the whole reason for the extreme clippers was speed (even cargo space was sacrificed) when slow steamers could get there faster (using the Suez short-cut) than tea clippers, it was game over for the tea clippers.
I nearly had tears in my eyes this morning.
My wife looked at me like I was kind of brain damaged.
This is irreplaceable history. Good Gosh...what a heartbreak.
I’ll bet the members of “The Cutty Sark Society” are drinking from the bottle today. (I just assume there is a society...could be wrong)
I read Eric Newby's "The Last Grain Race" 2 winters ago. Though that ship is not a clipper, I couldn't help but marvel at what men they were, to crew those tall ships! Imagine my surprise when on a school field trip to Philadelphia, our bus passed nearly (it seemed) under the spar of Moshulu on our way to Independence Hall. She is docked at the Penn Martime(?) Museum.
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