Constructed on the Clyde in 1869 for the Jock Willis Shipping Line, Cutty Sark was one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest. Cutty Sark spent just a few years on the tea routes before the opening of the Suez Canal and the increasing use of steamships made clippers unprofitable on shorter routes. It was turned to the trade in wool from Australia, where for ten years she held the record time for a journey to Britain. After finishing her time in service as cargo ship, and then a training and cadet ship, it was transferred to permanent dry dock at Greenwich, London, for public display. This handy and illuminating pocket manual collates original documents to tell the fascinating story of how the legendary Cutty Sark was commissioned, her design and building, life on board and her notable journeys.
