The Cutty Sark is a historic British clipper ship constructed in 1869 in Dumbarton, Scotland, for the Jock Willis Shipping Line. She features a composite construction with a wooden hull on an iron frame, making her one of only three remaining ships of this type from the 19th century. Her hull measures approximately 212.5 feet (64.77 meters) in length, with a depth of hold of 21 feet (6.40 meters), and a net tonnage of 921. The hull's design is notably sharp, optimized for speed, with a prismatic coefficient of 0.628, indicative of her sleek shape. The ship's bow was inspired by the design of The Tweed, with a square stern to improve buoyancy and seaworthiness in heavy seas. Constructed with East India teak above the waterline and American rock elm for the bottom, the vessel's hull was covered with Muntz metal sheeting to reduce fouling. Her iron frame, a pioneering feature in shipbuilding, provided strength and rigidity, allowing for a strong, racking-resistant structure that minimized hull leaks and crew maintenance. Her rigging was extensive, with three masts (fore, main, mizzen), built to the original "tea rig" specifications, designed for maximum sail area to harness strong trade winds, especially on the route to Australia. Cutty Sark was renowned for her speed, with a maximum recorded speed of 17.5 knots. She was primarily used in the tea trade, making eight voyages between London and China, and later in the wool trade from Australia, where she held the record for fastest passage for ten years. Her figurehead depicts Nannie Dee, a character from Robert Burns's poem, symbolizing her namesake's short chemise. Throughout her long service life, she was sold to various owners, including the Portuguese Ferreira company, and later served as a cargo and training ship. She was preserved as a museum ship in Greenwich, London, and is a Grade I listed monument. She has endured fires in 2007 and 2014 but remains a symbol of maritime heritage, celebrated for her speed, design, and historical significance.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.