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Cutty Sark
Visit the world famous Cutty Sark clipper ship
The Flora London Marathon 2009 Run for Cutty Sark Run for The Cutty Sark Trust If you are a runner, why not support the most memorable part of the Marathon course and ask for sponsorship in aid of The Cutty Sark Trust. The Trust has Golden Bond spaces for Marathon Runners. Call 00208 858 2698 to find out more. To visit the official Flora London Marathon website click here SAMMY OFER HELPS ANOTHER GREENWICH LANDMARK Sammy Ofer helps another Greenwich landmark The Cutty Sark Trust is delighted to announce that Mr Sammy Ofer, the shipping magnate and philanthropist, has stepped forward with a gift of £3.3 million to secure the future of the world’s most famous sailing ship. The Cutty Sark, an international icon of the sea, famed for its speed, quality of build, reliability of performance and unparalleled design was already undergoing a major conservation programme before the terrible fire one year ago. Mr Ofer recently gave £20 million to the National Maritime Museum for the creation of a major new wing. His splendid donation closes the Trust’s funding gap, following the Heritage Lottery Fund’s exceptional £10 million grant increase awarded in January, taking their contribution to a total of £23 million and will now allow the programme to proceed. The Trust’s CEO Richard Doughty said: “We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Sammy Ofer for his extraordinary donation. His commitment and personal generosity aptly reflect the reputation he has earned for leadership and commercial enterprise within the international maritime trading community and now in preserving our maritime heritage.” Lord Sterling, Chairman of the National Maritime Museum, a great personal friend of Mr Ofer, was the catalyst in securing this most generous gift. He said: “Mr Sammy Ofer’s further splendid commitment to Greenwich is most timely. Cutty Sark is a piece of history that quite simply cannot be remade. I am delighted that his commitment will ensure the ship is given the future she deserves, here at the very heart of Maritime Greenwich, the UNESCO World Heritage Site.” Carole Souter, Chief Executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: "This is exactly the news we've all been waiting for! The Heritage Lottery Fund has been a long-term supporter of the Cutty Sark Trust and we had been hoping that another funder would also step forward to help them. Private philanthropy is incredibly important when it comes to protecting the UK's heritage - in partnership with Lottery funding and government support - and we applaud Mr Ofer's generosity which now means that the Trust can go ahead and realise their vision for one of the UK's best-loved historic ships." Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, commented: "Mr Ofer's donation of £3.3 million towards the conservation of the Cutty Sark is both extremely generous and enormously appreciated. The Heritage Lottery Fund has given more than £23 million towards the repair bill, and £8 million in donations have already been received, Mr Ofer's philanthropic contribution will help ensure the complete conservation of this iconic vessel and beacon of our maritime heritage for generations to come." Cllr Chris Roberts, leader of Greenwich Council, commented: “This is great news for the Trust and for Greenwich. All of the borough and our millions of visitors are keenly awaiting the re-opening of Cutty Sark, and the Council is working hard at this very moment to secure funds for the regeneration of Cutty Sark Gardens, to give the ship the setting she deserves.” Richard Hamilton, Chairman of the Cutty Sark Trust said: “This is truly an inspirational gift. By helping to complete the project, the benefit of Mr Ofer’s generosity will be realised by millions of visitors and the local community over the decades to come.” When the project is completed in March 2010, Cutty Sark will ‘float’ once more, suspended three metres above the bottom of her dry berth. This space will become a magnificent gallery and will also give visitors a unique opportunity to see the wonderful shape of the ship’s hull. During the day the space will be a focus for learning and at night it will take on a truly enchanted atmosphere, making it a unique venue for all manner of community events and functions. In addition the gallery will be rededicated as a memorial to the men of the Merchant Service, both those lost during the great days of sail and during the two world wars. The Trust intends to recognise Sammy Ofer’s significant gift by naming the gallery created underneath the ship in his honour. It is intended that this space will be called ‘The Sammy Ofer Gallery’. Editor’s Notes About the Cutty Sark Trust The Cutty Sark Trust is an independent charity which owns and runs the sole surviving tea clipper, Cutty Sark. The ship is the iconic gateway to Maritime Greenwich, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. For over 50 years Cutty Sark has been the flagship of the area which now attracts over six million visitors each year. The Trust’s mission is to ensure that Cutty Sark is preserved for this and future generations to enjoy and that she continues to be a rich cultural resource for all. The Cutty Sark Trust’s six priorities for the conservation programme are: 1. To ensure that no major conservation work will be required for the next 50 years 2. To ensure that the ship continues to be sustainable, building reserves for future maintenance 3. To broaden access to the ship 4. To maximise learning opportunities 5. To reinterpret the ship for the 21st century 6. To develop a skilled workforce Visitors to the Trust’s web site, www.cuttysark.org.uk, can follow the project’s progress on the online diary. *The Cutty Sark* Conservation Project At its simplest, the Cutty Sark Conservation Project is about giving the ship the future she deserves and with almost all her original fabric. Despite the fire damage she will be over 90% original. First and foremost, we are relieving the ship of the stresses and strains of her own body. Her iron framework is too fragile to support both itself and the weight of her planks, so we have to insert a new support system. With this, we can retain her beautiful shape – the very thing that made her so successful. And rather than digging down into the structure of the dry berth to insert supports, we are going to raise the ship three metres and hang her from supports springing off the top of the dry berth. This is a dramatic, imaginative and creative solution, a radical, unique solution but one that the most famous ship in world deserves. It will provide even support around the hull, and create a completely new and unique experience – the ability to walk under a three masted sailing ship and see this incredible shape. To protect what would have been the underwater hull during her working life, the hull supports will double as supports for a glazed canopy. Those of you who know the ship will remember the dank, dark, uninviting space that the dry berth was. Now, thanks to the glazing, it will truly be a dry berth – a space where we will actively encourage everyone to come down. Not only to see the ship from a completely new perspective but the bottom of the dry berth is where we will begin to tell the stories of the ship and her time. Cutty Sark Fact Sheet** Cutty Sark's name derives from the famous poem, "Tam O' Shanter" by Robert Burns about Tam being chased by a scantily-clad witch called Nannie, dressed only in a cutty sark, an archaic Scottish name for a short nightdress. The ship was launched on 22 November 1869 from Scott and Linton's shipyard at Dumbarton, on the Clyde. She was built at a cost of £16,150 for John "White Hat" (so named after his favourite headwear) Willis. John (or Jock) Willis wanted a ship that could challenge the best clippers on the China tea run. She weighs 963 tons and her main mast is 47 m high. Her length overall is 85.4 m (280ft). She has 11 miles of rigging and carried 34 sails, with a total area of 32,000 sq. ft. (2,976 sq. m) giving her a top speed of over 17 knots. Scott & Linton, founded in 1868, had never built a ship of this size before and were keen to accommodate their client's every demand. However, they went bankrupt before the job was complete, citing poor cash flow and pressure from their landlords, Dennys of Dumbarton, who finished the job. She was built for the China tea trade, but the opening of the Suez Canal and the introduction of quick and economic steam travel, meant that she carried her last cargo of tea in 1877. Her fastest voyage to London carrying tea was 107 days in 1871. The ship's heyday was in the Australian wool trade, from 1883 to 1895. Under the command of Captain Richard Woodget she was the fastest ship on the run, her best time being 72 days from Sydney to London in 1885 via Cape Horn. In 1895, as Cutty Sark was no longer making as much money as she once did, John Willis sold the ship to the Ferreira shipping company of Portugal. Renamed the Ferreira, she spent the next 27 years (including surviving the First World War) taking different cargoes to destinations in Africa, the Americas and Europe, visiting every major port in the world. However, she was dismasted in a storm in 1916, and was re-rigged as a barquentine. In 1922 she was bought and restored by Captain and Mrs Dowman and became the first historic vessel since Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hind to be open to the public. She was moored in Falmouth, Cornwall and maintained at the personal expense of the Dowmans, who also used her as a cadet training establishment. In 1938, after Captain Dowman's death, Cutty Sark was transferred to the Thames Nautical Training College at Greenhithe and was used as an auxiliary training ship to HMS Worcester. Cutty Sark was brought to Greenwich by the Cutty Sark Preservation Society in December 1954. A special dry-dock was constructed for her, and the ship was floated in. Over two and a half years were spent on the ship's restoration, and in 1957 the ship was opened to the public (in a live BBC broadcast) by HM The Queen. Since that time, over 16 million people from all over the world have been on board Cutty Sark, although she has been seen by countless millions as tourists to Greenwich and viewers of the London Marathon. NOW AVAILABLE FROM OUR ONLINE SHOP - AUTHENTIC MATERIAL ITEMS All material in the Cutty Sark Authentic Material range has come from the Cutty Sark Conservation Project. It has been turned into a range of unique gifts to generate much needed income to support this vital work. All material is stamped with a branding iron to confirm it has come from the project. It is not all from the construction of the ship. From their launch, ships of this type were subject to repair and modification throughout their lives. AS A RESULT WE CANNOT ALWAYS BE SURE OF THE AGE OF A PARTICULAR PIECE OF WOOD. However, we can be certain that none of the material is new and that will have played a part in the story of the ship. By purchasing this product you can help us save the most famous ship in the world. ALL proceeds go directly to the Conservation Fund. HLF AWARD CUTTY SARK GRANT UPLIFT OF £10 MILLION The Cutty Sark Trust press statement: 25 January 2008 HLF award grant uplift of £10 million The Cutty Sark Trust is thrilled with the decision by Heritage Lottery Fund to increase their grant to Cutty Sark by £10 million. Richard Hamilton, Chairman of the Cutty Sark Trust, said: "The Heritage Lottery Fund has been an incredible partner of the Cutty Sark Trust and we are deeply grateful for this extra support. The support from the public and our other partners has also been enormously encouraging. "The Trust has secured £30 million against the projected cost of £35 million to realise this exciting and innovative project at the heart of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site." Visitors to the Trust’s web site, www.cuttysark.org.uk, can follow the project’s progress on the online diary. Editors’ Notes Progress update on the conservation project At the time of the fire, the ship’s masts, gear, deckhouses and saloon, along with about half of the original main deck and 200 of her hull planks had been removed for conservation or storage. Of the planks that remained on the ship during the fire, only a relatively small number were badly fire damaged. But none was so badly damaged that it has not been possible to remove the charring so that it can be rehung on the ship. We also know now as the result of surveys that the ship’s frames have not been distorted significantly. There has been some distortion of the diagonal ties under the decks, but we are confident that these can be left if not too visually intrusive or straightened if necessary to lay the new decks. Overall, less than 2% of the fabric from her working life as a sailing ship has been lost. We have been remarkably lucky – Cutty Sark is still here. Now, for the first time since she was built, the ship’s iron frame is currently fully exposed. Of the 500 planks on the hull, 400 have been removed for conservation, leaving less than eight feet of planking runs at the bottom of the hull. The fire has not affected the strength of the metalwork and therefore it has not compromised the overall plans for the re-presentation of the ship. A third of the ship has now been cleaned with a wet abrasive process and this has exposed details such as foundry marks which have not been seen since 1869. The whole of the bowsprit has been disassembled and removed for conservation. The rudder has been removed and the poop has been raised to expose the metal work underneath. We still do not know what caused the fire. We are waiting for the police report to be issued. The ship is still technically a crime scene. About the Cutty Sark Trust The Cutty Sark Trust is an independent charity which owns and runs the sole surviving tea clipper, Cutty Sark. The ship is the iconic gateway to Maritime Greenwich, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. For over 50 years Cutty Sark has been the flagship of the area which now attracts over six million visitors each year. The Trust’s mission is to ensure that Cutty Sark is preserved for this and future generations to enjoy and that she continues to be a rich cultural resource for all. The Cutty Sark Trust’s six priorities for the conservation programme are: 1. To ensure that no major conservation work will be required for the next 50 years 2. To ensure that the ship continues to be sustainable, building reserves for future maintenance 3. To broaden access to the ship 4. To maximise learning opportunities 5. To reinterpret the ship for the 21st century 6. To develop a skilled workforce Prior to the grant uplift, HLF had awarded five grants totalling £13.45million to the Cutty Sark Trust including a £11.75million grant in September 2006 towards the current conservation project. Further information: For the Cutty Sark Trust, please contact the Kathryn Hughes on 07801 823 839/0203 249 1072 or email: Kathryn@kayakpr.co.uk office on: 020 8858 2698 Cutty Sark Factsheet Cutty Sark’s name derives from the famous poem, "Tam O’ Shanter" by Robert Burns about a man’s admiration for a scantily-clad witch called Nannie. Nannie was dressed in a short night dress known as a 'cutty sark', an archaic Scottish name for this garment. The ship was launched on 22 November 1869 from Scott and Linton's shipyard at Dumbarton, on the Clyde. She was built at a cost of £16,150 for John "White Hat" (so named after his favourite headwear) Willis. John (or Jock) Willis wanted a ship that could challenge the best clippers on the China tea run. She weighs 963 tons and her main mast is 47 m high. Her length overall is 85.4 m (280ft). She has 11 miles of rigging and carried 34 sails, with a total area of 32,000 sq. ft. (2,976 sq. m) giving her a top speed of over 17 knots. Scott & Linton, founded in 1868, had never built a ship of this size before and were keen to accommodate their client's every demand. However, they went bankrupt before the job was complete, citing poor cash flow and pressure from their landlords, Dennys of Dumbarton, who finished the job. She was built for the China tea trade, but the opening of the Suez Canal and the introduction of quick and economic steam travel, meant that she carried her last cargo of tea in 1877. Her fastest voyage to London carrying tea was 107 days in 1871. The ship's heyday was in the Australian wool trade, from 1883 to 1895. Under the command of Captain Richard Woodget she was the fastest ship on the run, her best time being 72 days from Sydney to London in 1885 via Cape Horn. In 1895, as Cutty Sark was no longer making as much money as she once did, John Willis sold the ship to the Ferreira shipping company of Portugal. Renamed the Ferreira, she spent the next 27 years (including surviving the First World War) taking different cargoes to destinations in Africa, the Americas and Europe, visiting every major port in the world. However, she was dismasted in a storm in 1916, and had to be re-rigged as a barquentine. In 1922 she was bought and restored by Captain and Mrs Dowman and became the first historic vessel since Sir Francis Drake’s Golden Hinde to be open to the public. She was moored in Falmouth, Cornwall and maintained at the personal expense of the Dowmans, who also used her as a cadet training establishment. In 1938, after Captain Dowman’s death, Cutty Sark was transferred to the Thames Nautical Training College at Greenhithe and was used as an auxiliary training ship to HMS Worcester. After being displayed for the 1951 Festival of Britain, Cutty Sark was brought to Greenwich by the Cutty Sark Preservation Society. A special dry-dock was constructed for her, and the ship was floated in, in December 1954. Over two and a half years were spent on the ship’s restoration, and in 1957 the ship was opened to the public (in a live BBC broadcast) by HM The Queen. Since that time, Cutty Sark has been visited by over 16 million people from all over the world. CONSERVATION PHOTO DIARY NOW ONLINE Beginning with photographs taken in November 2007, we will over time back date the diary to the start of the project in November 2006. Each month we will add a further months images to these pages. The photographs show the progress of the conservation works and will document the story of our efforts to save Cutty Sark for future generations.