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[ Graphical: Channel4 Homepage ]
Until the advent of the clipper, the majority of trade ships were relatively slow and heavy vessels. A typical large galley of the Tudor Age would have been lucky to exceed seven or eight knots (9mph). The clippers of the 19th century changed all that. Ships built in this magnificent style reached speeds of up to 20 knots (23mph), and the Cutty Sark and the Thermopylae were masters of their class.
Cutty Sark |
Thermopylae |
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Weight |
978 tonnes |
963 tonnes |
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Length |
65 metres |
64.6 metres |
The name 'clipper' is a generic term used to describe a fast sailing ship. The early clippers were popular with slave traders and pirates as they offered a quick voyage and getaway across the most lucrative seas. It wasn't long before the big commodity traders saw the advantage of the clippers. It meant they could be first into port with a cargo and get the best price. By the mid 19th century, the cargo dictated the class of the clipper – hence opium clipper or tea clipper.
Thermopylae was commissioned in 1867 by George Thompson and Cutty Sark was commissioned in 1868 by Captain John 'Jock' Willis. Both ships were tea clippers of about the same size and both had an iron framework supporting a wooden hull.
Cutty Sark was designed by Hercules Hinton, a partner in the Dumbarton shipbuilding firm Scott and Linton in Scotland. He knew that the key to a good clipper was in the hull. For years designers had concentrated on deep V-section hulls. But Hinton knew that an extended long-bowled hull would be faster, stronger and able to carry more sail. Hinton pushed his firm hard to build the composite iron and timber ship. But John Willis, drove such a hard bargain that Hinton's company collapsed on completion of the project.
The engine used to push these fantastic ships over the seas was wind power, harnessed in the thousands of square metres of their sails. As well as the hull shape, the key to achieving a good speed was the correct use of the sails. A fully blown sail holds a camber shape and the clever manipulation of that shape (by adjustment of the rigging) can get the best out of a prevailing wind. Well-worked sails rigged close to each other can produce a better performance than the sum of their area if worked separately. This is because they interact with each other. The intuition and skill of the clipper captains and crew in co-ordinating the complicated mass of sails, together with the great design of the ships, have earned the tea clippers a deserved reputation that endures to this day.
Cutty Sark and the Great Clippers
Graphics version (includes layout and images)