The Cutty Sark
entered the world when tea was a vital commodity in
British trade; England imported 63,000,000 pounds that
year. With her sharp bow, streamlined hull, and 32,000
square feet of sails, she was built for speed in the
middle of the Victorian Era. She has outlived both other
extreme clippers and many steamships that plied the seas
when she did. When tea ceased to be profitable, she
transported other cargo until she earned her place in
history as the fastest ship in the Australian wool
trade. Later, navy sailors and merchant seamen trained
aboard her, and today she teaches visitors about wooden
ships and their role in maritime history in spite of the
destructive fire that swept through her in 2007.
Although this book discusses her entire history, the
authors focus on her first twenty-six years when
steamships were gaining importance in maritime trade.
And who better to share her story than her general
manager and her curator?
They set the stage with
their introduction to the tea trade and the emergence of
clipper ships, as well as world events – the Opium Wars
and Suez Canal, for example – that impacted maritime
trade and shipping. Their goal in writing this pocket
manual is to explain why Cutty Sark
survives when her contemporaries have long since been
relegated to history books or forgotten entirely.
Subsequent chapters discuss
her construction, her voyages, how ships work, her
captains and crew, life on board, her cargoes, and her
history once she ceased to be a British merchant ship.
Launched on 22 November 1869, Cutty Sark had
a wooden hull affixed to an iron frame. She was built by
Scott & Linton, who went bankrupt as a result of her
construction, and owned by John Willis, Jr., who was
wily, ruthless, and known as “White Hat Willis” because
of his white top hat. She set sail on her maiden voyage
to China in February the following year, and when she
returned to London, she held the fourth fastest record
for the year. But her travels were not without problems.
Like all ships, she encountered Mother Nature and
endured her wrath. On Cutty Sark’s maiden journey one of the
crew died of dysentery. On the “Hell-Ship Voyage” (1880)
a seaman was murdered, another became a fugitive, and
the master committed suicide. Richard Woodget served as
her seventh and last master as a British vessel. During
his decade-long tenure, he provided a photographic
record of life aboard the clipper. He resurrected her
reputation and even overhauled a steamer to reach Sydney
before Britannia
did in 1889.
In addition to an index, the
authors include black-and-white illustrations (including
some of Woodget’s photographs), tables, maps, diagrams,
and entries from logbooks to enrich the reading
experience. In spite of its size, this small, thin book
is brimming with the fascinating history about this
famous ship. Most readers will know of Cutty Sark, but
few know what she and her crews endured. The authors
correct this oversight and enlighten us so even those
who are unable to actually visit her come to understand
why she has left such an indelible mark on our memories.
Review Copyrighted ©2019 Cindy
Vallar
Pirates
and Privateers
