THE CUTTY SARK CLIPPER SHIP
The appointment of Captain Moore and his First Mate to the Cutty Sark Clipper Ship, saw the dawn of what was to become the most successful period of any of the Clipper Ships. The appointment of Captain Moore and his First Mate to the Cutty Sark Clipper Ship, saw the dawn of what was to become the most successful period of any of the Clipper Ships. The Cutty Sark would not only hold it's own among the best Clipper Ships in the world, but it would totally destroy all of the opposition thrown against it. The ship set sail for Australia in the month of July 1883 arriving there three months later in October. Taking on a cargo of wool and tallow, she embarked on the return journey to England in December arriving in London eighty three days later during March 1884. It had beaten all of the opposition which had sailed round about the same time by about twenty seven days to well over a month. A truly remarkable achievement considering her age. Captain Moore, himself a great captain, was replaced by the most successful skipper the Cutty Sark Clipper Ship ever had, when he left the ship in 1885.
THE CUTTY SARK AT FULL SAIL Captain Richard Woodget was a fearless man, who commanded his men with great skill, earning the respect of all his crew. He was one of those commanders who could get the best out of both men and ship. Woodget was prepared to travel further South than any other commander, in order to catch the Roaring Forties trade winds, which brought him into contact with some of the most violent gales and storm tossed seas on Earth. If this was not perilous enough, it also brought the ship into close proximity with icebergs. This route enabled the Cutty Sark to produce some tremendous passage times. On his first voyage commanding the Cutty Sark, the ship sailed from England to Australia in an amazing seventy seven days, with the return voyage to England taking four days less. The next ten years saw the domination of the wool trade by the Cutty Sark Clipper Ship, when she won the wool race ten years out of ten. She beat the Thermopylae each time they met. This outstanding record established her as the fastest of the Clipper Ships to make the English January wool sales, even posting times of as little as sixty seven days. On one occassion, she even outran RMS Britannia, the fastest steamship there was. This occured on the night of the 25 July 1889 when Britannia, doing about sixteen knots was overhauled by the Cutty Sark sailing at a good seventeen knots. This incident was recorded in Britannia's log as "Sailing Ship overhauled and passed us!" Captain Hector of the Britannia, had been called by the Britannia's Second Officer, Robert Olivey to witness with the utmost amazement, the passing lights of the Clipper Ship as it overhauled their own vessel. However, the days of the Clipper Ships were numbered as steamships took over more and more of the wool trade in the early 1890s. The Clippers were making less and less money for their owners and the enevitable happened. On the Cutty Sark's return to England in 1895, she was sold to the Portuguese firm, J. Ferreira & Co. by Willis for just £2,100 and left British ownership. She was renamed Ferreira after the firm. In 1922 she was bought by Captain Wilfred Dowman, who restored her to her original appearance using her as a stationary training ship in Greenhithe, Kent. In 1954 she was moved to a custom built dry-dock in Greenwich south east London where she remains to this day. FOR SIGHTSEEING TOURS OF LONDON AND THINGS TO DO IN LONDON CLICK HERE How to Link to This PageIt will appear on your page as: FOR MORE INFO. ON THE CUTTY SARK CLIPPER SHIP FOLLOW THIS LINKReturn From Cutty Sark Clipper Ship To London Tourist Attractions Return To A London Tourist guide Home Page
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