The famous 19th Century ship the Cutty Sark is "100%" ablaze, the London Fire Brigade has said.
An area around the 138-year-old tea clipper is being evacuated over fear gas cylinders onboard could explode.
Lhrstu From United Kingdom, joined Sep 2004, 111 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (6 years 14 hours ago) and read 1219 times:
Sad news
The Cutty Sark is a superb ship and (was) well worth a visit. I remember going on a school trip there back in the 80s. Hopefully the damage isn't too bad but looking at the pics BBC news are showing I don't hold out much hope.
Banco From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2001, 14752 posts, RR: 55 Reply 4, posted (6 years 11 hours ago) and read 1146 times:
It's desperate news, this. The old girl is the only tea clipper left in existence, the fastest ship of her day, and also a memorial to all merchant seamen around the world over the centuries.
She has been looking tired over the last few years and there was a £25 million renovation project under way. This fire means that all those plans are wrecked, and she's going to need huge amounts of money to try to put her back the way she was.
In importance, the only comparable losses would be if the same were to happen to HMS Victory or USS Constitution, she's that important as a maritime museum. And aesthetically, she's utterly beautiful, so it's heartbreaking to see the mess that remains.
She's as nervous as a very small nun at a penguin shoot.
Fortunately, as part of the renovation, they'd removed over 50% of the original construction, including knees, futtocks, decking and part of the hull itself, let alone the interior artifacts. That means that the renovation can include all of that, and their initial assessment is that much of what remains is salvageable. The fire will also mean an upsurge in donations to help restore her, and it is noticeable that the Trust are emphasising preservation not restoration. It won't be a fake copy, it will be the original as much as possible. It's going to take years, but she will be back.
She's as nervous as a very small nun at a penguin shoot.
L-188 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 29350 posts, RR: 62 Reply 8, posted (6 years 6 hours ago) and read 1028 times:
Quoting Banco (Reply 7): Fortunately, as part of the renovation, they'd removed over 50% of the original construction, including knees, futtocks, decking and part of the hull itself, let alone the interior artifacts. That means that the renovation can include all of that, and their initial assessment is that much of what remains is salvageable
Thank god for small favors eh?
Still it is a shame...
OBAMA-WORST PRESIDENT EVER....Even SKOORB would be better.
TeamAmerica From United States of America, joined Sep 2006, 1761 posts, RR: 23 Reply 9, posted (6 years 5 hours ago) and read 991 times:
I fondly recall visiting Cutty Sark some 35 years ago. I'm heartsick over the damage to this beautiful and irreplaceable artifact...and a bit angry as well. How could such a thing happen?
Carelessness or malicious intent...one or the other is at the root of this.
Banco From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2001, 14752 posts, RR: 55 Reply 11, posted (6 years 4 hours ago) and read 963 times:
Quoting MCOflyer (Reply 10): This is why we have Lloyds and insurance. I wonder what her value is.
She is insured. But insurance is little use when dealing with the irreplaceable. Money is only of value in terms of using it to restore her, because you cannot replace her, any more than you can replace a rare work of art. Her value is inherent in her existence, not her insurance level.
She's as nervous as a very small nun at a penguin shoot.
GDB From United Kingdom, joined May 2001, 12706 posts, RR: 80 Reply 12, posted (6 years ago) and read 880 times:
Terrible, but as the day has worn on, more positive news on this. What with so much of the ship safely in store, and that a lot of the apparent damage was to temporary structures for it's renovation.
(Not long ago, it was feared no restoration would mean it would not last another decade.).
How to fund the now greatly increased costs? Lottery money is already being dipped into for the 2012 games.
Perhaps a gesture from Gordon when he enters No.10 Downing Street?
On a related note, I visited the SS Great Britain in Bristol a few weeks ago, what a tremendous job has been done there, no wonder it won a bunch of awards last year.
And this vessel, was a rotting hulk semi submerged in the Falklands for many years until 1970, (even being cannibalised to repair HMS Achilles after it's damage in the Battle Of The River Plate in December 1939).
Even having a controlled environment now, below what was the waterline, as dry as the desert in Arizona, to prevent further deterioration.
If that hulk could become the truly world class museum ship it is now.........
Feroze From India, joined Dec 2004, 794 posts, RR: 3 Reply 15, posted (5 years 12 months 4 days 23 hours ago) and read 838 times:
Quoting PPVRA (Reply 14): A major piece of history lost
I hoped to see it one day, this is simply awful
Don't give up hope just yet. As GDB said above, the damage hasn't been as bad as first feared. More money will be needed above the £25m budgeted for the current restoration. I have a feeling that donations will come pouring in and that one day (many years from now) we'll be able to see the clipper back in Greenwich.
Silverfox From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2001, 1058 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (5 years 12 months 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 818 times:
Lataest on the news tonight is very hopeful ( from the Trustees) I must admit that first pictures looked horrendous. However when you found out most of the upper deck damage visible was the remains of the temporary covering, it doesnt look too bad.
Be a bit longer than planned but i think it will be back.
And just to put this into perspective on how much now will be original. just check out HMS Victory!!!
Have a very soft spot for the old girl, she was the visit of our very first school trip, back in 1957!!!
L-188 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 29350 posts, RR: 62 Reply 17, posted (5 years 12 months 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 775 times:
Quoting Silverfox (Reply 16): Lataest on the news tonight is very hopeful ( from the Trustees) I must admit that first pictures looked horrendous. However when you found out most of the upper deck damage visible was the remains of the temporary covering, it doesnt look too bad.
Thats good news.
You have to admit that dry wood and pitch burns really really well.
OBAMA-WORST PRESIDENT EVER....Even SKOORB would be better.
Banco From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2001, 14752 posts, RR: 55 Reply 18, posted (5 years 12 months 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 767 times:
Quoting WestWing (Reply 13):
Was the Cutty Sark on display at Portsmouth (instead of Greenwich) some years back ?
No, she's been in dry dock at Greenwich for the last fifty years. It's possible you might be thinking of HMS Warrior, which was the world's first true (I can argue with French navy buffs about La Gloire if they like) all-iron, rather than iron-clad, line of battle ship, which is from more or less the same era as the Cutty Sark (1860 as opposed to 1879), and is on display at the historic dockyard in Portsmouth. She's stunning, incidentally, and well worth a visit if you're there for the Victory and Mary Rose, not least because of the staggering level of technological development in the half century between Victory leaving service and Warrior entering.
The Cutty Sark's design importance is that she is a very rare example of a hybrid design, an iron frame with wooden planking. Much of the planking was removed, but there is concern that there might be buckling on the frame, and that would be a difficult area to restore.
She's as nervous as a very small nun at a penguin shoot.
WestWing From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 2112 posts, RR: 8 Reply 19, posted (5 years 12 months 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 755 times:
Banco:
Thank you! The HMS Warrior (now that I have looked her up) was indeed the one lurking in the foggy backwaters of the memory of my visit to Portsmouth about twelve years back.
The best time to plant a tree is 40 years ago. The second best time is today.
Falstaff From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 5671 posts, RR: 29 Reply 20, posted (5 years 12 months 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 708 times:
Quoting TedTAce (Reply 2): I know some Scotch drinkers that are crying their eyes out over this one.
That is the first thing I thought of when I read the title to this post.
Quoting Banco (Reply 7): they'd removed over 50% of the original construction, including knees, futtocks, decking and part of the hull itself, let alone the interior artifacts. That means that the renovation can include all of that, and their initial assessment is that much of what remains is salvageable.
That is the good news. With that much off the ship there was that much less to get damaged.
Quoting Banco (Reply 4): In importance, the only comparable losses would be if the same were to happen to HMS Victory or USS Constitution,
Never seen the Victory, but the Constitution is fantastic.
Banco From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2001, 14752 posts, RR: 55 Reply 21, posted (5 years 12 months 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 699 times:
Quoting Falstaff (Reply 20): Never seen the Victory, but the Constitution is fantastic.
You should see both. They are both wonderful examples of different types of warship. The Constitution is a heavy frigate, ideal for the small, emergent navy that the USN was at the time, and thus of massive historical importance; the Victory is a First Rate (in the naval sense, not the colloquial one) line-of-battle ship, carrying over a hundred guns, built to go into battle and win against anything and anyone, and the epitome of late eighteenth and early nineteenth century naval power.
She's as nervous as a very small nun at a penguin shoot.
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