1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey I'm Eves and you're listening to This 3 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:10,119 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, a podcast that proves history is 4 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: always happening. Today is November. The day was November eighteen 5 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: sixty nine. The clipper Cutty Sark, one of the last 6 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:34,319 Speaker 1: tea clippers ever built, was launched in Dumbarton, Scotland. It's 7 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: one of a few nineteenth century composite construction clipper ships 8 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:41,560 Speaker 1: that survived today. A clipper is a fast sailing ship 9 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 1: with three masts and a square rig. They were merchant 10 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: ships that were built for speed, and they were popular 11 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:50,880 Speaker 1: in the mid eighteen hundreds. They had long, narrow holes, 12 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 1: usually made of a composite of wood and iron. They 13 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: also had sharp vowels and a large sale area. Tea 14 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 1: clippers were specifically designed to transport tea from China. Trade 15 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:05,679 Speaker 1: was competitive and fast paced, and clippers allowed merchants to 16 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: cut down delivery time. Being successful in the tea race 17 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:13,960 Speaker 1: also afforded owners a sense of prestige. Cutty Stark was 18 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,520 Speaker 1: built to join the tea trade between Britain and China. 19 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:19,679 Speaker 1: John Willis, who headed up a firm of ship owners 20 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:23,320 Speaker 1: called Willis and Sons ordered the construction of Cutty Stark. 21 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 1: He wanted the ship to be the fastest ship in 22 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 1: the tea race. Hercules Linton, a partner in the Dunbarton 23 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: firm of Scott and Linton, designed the ship. The ship 24 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:35,640 Speaker 1: was designed to be large and state of the art, 25 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:38,959 Speaker 1: but construction on Cutty Stark came to a halt when 26 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: Scott and Linton ran out of money. After they went bankrupt, 27 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 1: shipbuilders William Denny and Brothers, who were Scott and Linton's 28 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: landlords and the guaranteers for the completion of the work 29 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 1: on the original contract, took over the project. Captain George 30 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: Moody was Cutty Stark's first master. Boody's wife Janet, christened 31 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: Cutty Stark at its launch on November twenty second, eighteen 32 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 1: sixty nine. The ship left London for Shanghai on February 33 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:09,400 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy, beginning it's made in voyage. The voyage took 34 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: a hundred and four days. Cutty Stark was built just 35 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 1: before the advent of the steamship. When the Suez Canal 36 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: opened in eighteen sixty nine. Steamships had shorter routes that 37 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 1: they could take to China. Tea clippers, on the other hand, 38 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 1: still had to sail around Africa, so clippers had to 39 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 1: turn away from the tea trade, which steamers were dominating. 40 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 1: Cutty Stark began traveling between ports around the world, carrying 41 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 1: different cargoes. Eventually it was used in the wool trade, 42 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: bringing Australia's main export to Britain. For ten years, Cutty 43 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:44,520 Speaker 1: Stark held the record for fastest journey from England to Australia. 44 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:47,799 Speaker 1: Its fastest journey was its trip between Sydney and London 45 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:51,400 Speaker 1: in seventy three days, reaching a best recorded speed of 46 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 1: seventeen point five knots. By the ship was no longer 47 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 1: making money, a Portuguese company bought it and renamed it 48 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:04,799 Speaker 1: fer Era. It was renamed again into Maria Do when 49 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:07,840 Speaker 1: another Portuguese company bought it, but when the ship was 50 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 1: brought back to Britain that same year, its name was 51 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:13,680 Speaker 1: changed back to Cutty Sark. In Britain, it became a 52 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: training ship for cadets in the merchant service and a 53 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:20,639 Speaker 1: visitor attraction. The Cutty Stark Preservation Society was established in 54 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty three and the ship was installed permanently in 55 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 1: a specially constructed dry dock and Greenwich, London National Historic Ships. 56 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 1: The UK body that advises on ship preservation lists Petty 57 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 1: Stark as a part of the National Historic Fleet. The 58 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: ship is still a visitor attraction in Grinnage. I'm JACKO 59 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: and hopefully you know a little more about history today 60 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. If you're hungry for more history, 61 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 1: you can find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at 62 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: t d i h C podcast. We also accept electronic 63 00:03:56,440 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 1: letters at this day at I heart media dot com. 64 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:03,960 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening. We'll see you here again tomorrow with 65 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: another episode. Needed. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, 66 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 67 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:18,039 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.