Cutty Sark Model Ship Kit – Mantua (MA789)
The Cutty Sark Model Ship Kit is manufactured by Mantua Model Ships & Mantua Model Boats. Mantua have built its reputation on large, elaborately detailed ship model kits. Their ship model kits use photo-etched brass, cast metal fittings, cast metal and machined turned brass fittings. The detail in their range of large ship models is exceptional.
History of the Cutty Sark
Built in 1869 at Dumbarton in Scotland, by the firm of Scott & Linton, for Captain John ‘Jock’ ‘White Hat’ Willis, and launched November 23 of that year. The Cutty Sark was destined for the China tea trade, at that time an intensely competitive race across the globe from China to London, with immense profits to the ship to arrive with the first tea of the year.
In the most famous race, against Thermopylae in 1872, both ships left Shanghai together on June 18, but two weeks later Cutty Sark lost her rudder after passing through the Sunda Strait, and arrived in London on October 18, a week after Thermopylae, for a total passage of 122 days.
Her legendary reputation is supported by the fact that her captain chose to continue this race with an improvised rudder instead of putting into port for a replacement, yet was only beaten by one week.
There was a great rivalry between clippers and steamships as the steamships were faster and cheaper to carry cargo from the East. In 1878 the Clippers, as a result of this, were out of the tea trade. The Cutty Sark was used to cargo coal, jute, hemp, wool or whatever cargoes were available. Unfortunately, her cargo capacity was much smaller than the full-bodied sailing ships of the period and she was barely profitable.
The Cutty Sark was then used in the Australian wool trade. Under the command of the respected Captain Richard Woodget, she did very well, posting Australia-to-England times of as little as 67 days. She was said to have been the fastest of any ship of her size. She is now in dry-dock at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.
The Cutty Sark has been damaged by fire twice in recent years. Firstly on 21 May 2007 while undergoing conservation. She was restored and reopened to the public on 25 April 2012. On 19 October 2014, she suffered minor damage in a smaller fire. She has reopened to the public shortly after.
For more information on the history of the Cutty Sark visit Royal Museums Greenwich