Cutty Sark is one of those ships that you hear about periodically, even out here in Canada. You hear these ship names here and there, but I admit, I usually have no idea what they are. (I know the Bluenose, the schooner on the Canadian dime and that’s about it.) Greenwich is quite a maritime focused area, though, and evidence of sailing is everywhere. I have to say, it is still pretty impressive to round the corner and see this looming up- Cutty Sark makes a statement. After we quickly stopped by to have a look, I actually looked into the ship, and it turns out that it has a fairly interesting past….
Construction on the ship started in February of 1869 and was completed in November of 1869. It set sail for its first voyage on 11 February 1870, and reached Shanghai on 31 May. (A fairly quick speed for a ship of that size.) And you are probably now thinking, why did it need to make this voyage so quickly?
Cutty Sark: Tea Clipper
Cutty Sark was a tea clipper, meaning that it’s entire function was to bring tea from China to London as quickly as possible. Yes, they made a ship entirely for tea and I am here for it. When they sailed from London to China, they would bring clothing, food, wine, and other goods to the British and Americans living in China. I think that we all know that the English love their tea, and they found a way to get it faster.
Cutty Sark: The Name
A fair question to ask is why is it named Cutty Sark? If you know anything about ships, you will know that its name is important. Interestingly, it is named after the witch in a Robert Burns poem, Tam-o-Shanter (1791). I’m sure that there has already been some work done, but I would love to read more on the connections between ships and literature.
Have you been to Cutty Sark yourself?
Cheers,
The Historian
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