London's historic Cutty Sark gutted by blaze
PETER GRIFFITHS - Reuters May 21, 2007 at 9:10 AM EDT - 2007-06-04

The ship, launched in 1869 on Scotland's River Clyde to make the run to China for the lucrative tea trade, was undergoing a 325-million pounds ($53.7-million) refurbishment.

The Cutty Sark Trust, the body overseeing the renovation work, said it was still assessing the extent of the damage, but promised to rebuild the ship.

"The old girl needs more help than ever," the trust's Chris Livett told a news conference.

"She is a national treasure. With people's help, I am confident that we will get back on track and get her reopened."

Half of the ship's timbers had been removed for renovation before the fire. The masts and ship's wheel were among the items safely in storage.

No one was injured in the blaze and police said there was no evidence the fire was started deliberately. Security camera footage is being checked and officers appealed for witnesses.

In 1954 the ship, which had been renamed a number of times after becoming a general cargo vessel, finally swapped the high seas for a concrete dry dock in Greenwich.

Tea clippers were narrow-beamed sailing ship that could make fortunes for their owners if they were first back to London because the first tea cargo of the season could be sold at a premium.

People used to bet on which vessel would win the race and the first sighting of a clipper's tall masts off the English coast would be major news in the capital.

Originally designed to last just 30 years, the Cutty Sark is a rare construction with a wrought iron frame clad in timber.

Built for the tea trade, it switched to fetching wool from Australia to feed England's mills when the advent of reliable steamships spelt the end of the age of the sailing clippers.

On the Australia to Britain route the ship regularly recorded the fastest time for the voyage.

Here are some key facts on the ship

• The Cutty Sark is the most famous tea clipper built and the only one to survive.
  
• Vital statistics: Overall length, 85.3 metres (280 feet); hull length, 65 metres (212.5 feet); beam, 11 metres across (36 feet); weight, 1,079 tons. The tip of the main mast was 46.3 metres (152 feet) above the main deck.
  
• Fastest recorded speed, 17.15 knots; best day's run, 363 nautical miles at average of 15 knots.
  
• Most of its hull fabric had survived from the original construction.
  
• The ship was launched at Dumbarton on the River Clyde, Scotland, in 1869. The name comes from Robert Burns's poem, Tam O'Shanter; Tam meets a group of witches, most of whom are ugly, but for Nannie, who is young and beautiful and is described as wearing only a "cutty sark" a short chemise or shirt.
  
• The ship's figurehead is a representation of this witch.
  
• Its maiden voyage was in February, 1870, when it left London bound for Shanghai via the Cape of Good Hope. Commanded by Captain George Moodie, it carried "large amounts of wine, spirits and beer. Its last cargo of tea was carried in 1877.
  
• From 1885 to 1895, the Cutty Sark was used in the wool trade with Australia, bringing the new season's clip from Sydney to London, setting new speed records year after year.
  
• By 1895, the ship was losing money and was sold to the Portuguese as the Ferreira, although the crews called it Pequina Camisola ('little shirt'). It was worked by her new owners between Oporto, Rio and Lisbon until 1920, when it was sold again, this time becoming the Maria do Amparo.
  
• In 1922, the ship underwent a refit in the Surrey Docks, London, and was driven to shelter from a storm in Falmouth harbour on her way home. Captain Wilfred Dowman, a Briton, saw it there, and bought it from the Portuguese owners.
  
• After the Second World War, it again became surplus and was eventually towed to Greenwich and placed in a specially constructed dry dock in 1954.
  
• After much restoration work, it was opened to the public in 1957. Since then more than 13 million people have visited.
  

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