Cutty Sark Tall Ship model
The most famous and only surviving tea clipper, Cutty Sark, was launched on
November 22, 1870. Built in Dumbarton, Scotland, she was the love of many seamen,
second only to Nelson’s own HMS Victory.
Named from Robert Burns’ poem, Tam O’Shanter, this extraordinary
ship bears a figurehead representing the character Nannie. As the poem goes,
Tam meets a group of modeles most of whom are ugly, fair but one, young and
beautiful Nannie; described as wearing only a “cutty sark”, i.e.,
a short chemise or shirt.
The Cutty Sark sporting her sleek lines and enormous sails was the fastest
ship sailing Cape of Good Hope during the China Tea Trade until 1873. She then
embarked upon twenty years of sailing between England and Australia. Her next
assignment after 1895 was to serve under the Portuguese flag for twenty-five
years. After World War II, in 1954, she was towed to Greenwich and placed in
a specially constructed dry dock.
Following extensive reconstruction work, she was reopened to the public in
1957, and now belongs to the Tames Nautical Training College and stands in Greenwich,
London where over thirteen million visitors have graced her deck.
Click
on image above to view!
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