Cutty Sark

[John Arton]

Watched the program last night and found it interesting. From tea clipper to wool clipper to naval training vessel anchored in Falmouth along with a stint under Portuguese flag and tramping the world. The stories of a number of its masters and mates regarding their actions towards the crew were interesting as was how they fashioned and fitted a new rudder whilst at sea, showed just how skilled those seafarers were in the days of sail.
Rgds
J.A.

[Bill Morrison]

Thanks for that post Keith. I have a few dozen books on sailing ships. I tend to be a bit parochial in my collecting. More than thirty years ago while accompanying my wife in our local library, while she was chosing her books I was browsing in the reference section and came across Basil Lubbock's The Colonial Clippers. To say I was ignorant about Aberdeen shipping in the Nineteenth Century would be an under statement. From that point I bought four of Basil Lubbock's books and still collect any I find interesting.
The latest I have was published last year a very interesting read.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Bill.
My brother Roy sailed on the Pamir on the last grain race against the Passat from Port Victoria. I have a book written by a crew mate called The Last Time Around Cape Horn. Great read.
Cheers Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Remember as a young lad of maybe ten or so going to se her in Greenwhich.

Did not see her again until about 2015 and she is surrounded by glass, but looks very good after all the work done after the fire.
Did read somewhere that she at one time went to Oz to collect the wool clip of the year.

[John Arton]

Remember as a young lad of maybe ten or so going to se her in Greenwhich.

Did not see her again until about 2015 and she is surrounded by glass, but looks very good after all the work done after the fire.
Did read somewhere that she at one time went to Oz to collect the wool clip of the year.

John
As the program showed, when the bottom of the clipper tea trade dropped out with the advent of steam ships and the opening of the Suez canal, the cutty sarks fortunes were revived by her entry into the Merino wool trade from Oz to London.
Rgds
J.A.

[Captain Kong]

I am sure I can remember seeing the `CUTTY SARK` and the `Worcester`, anchored off Gravesend in 1952???anyone else see that???

[Keith Tindell]

Ref 11, making and fitting that rudder while at sea was an incredible feat, but how the hell did they fit it?, obviously men would have had to go over the side, i wish that had been done in more detail. To see the underwater profile of that ship was a thing of beauty in any shamans eyes, kt

[John Arton]

Ref 11, making and fitting that rudder while at sea was an incredible feat, but how the hell did they fit it?, obviously men would have had to go over the side, i wish that had been done in more detail. To see the underwater profile of that ship was a thing of beauty in any shamans eyes, kt

Keith
Unfortunately they did not go into any great detail as to how they fitted the new rudder. Lots about the young stowaway? Who just happened to be a blacksmith and who built a forge on deck to fashion the new straps and pintles for the rudder. It did say that the making and fitting of the rudder became the Admiralty standard advice in what to do should you happen to loose your rudder. At the time she was 400 miles ahead in the race yet still arrived in London only 7 days behind the winner.
Rgds
J.A.

[Bill Morrison]

I am sure I can remember seeing the `CUTTY SARK` and the `Worcester`, anchored off Gravesend in 1952???anyone else see that???

Your memory is still good Brian. Just for you from Talbot Booth His Majesty's Merchant Navy.

[Captain Kong]

Many thanks for that Bill.
I have copied the photo. I used to pass them quite often when I was in Everards.

Not often you could see two magnificent sailing ships floating on the Thames. Only 67 years ago.

Cheers ,
Brian