h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've just got in from work and turned on my browser only to discover that the Cutty Sark has, in all probability, just burned to the water line. Aside from it being 138 years old and irreplaceable and one the last - if the not the very last - of the tea clippers, it's also one of those iconic things from your childhood that you thought would always be around, like Nelson's Column or Broadcasting House or Stonehenge. When I was at school every kid in the land knew the name 'Cutty Sark'. Not only that, I used to drive past it often in my work, and it's always been a feature of the London Marathon.

It's a great pity that it might be no more.

Very Sad
What is even sadder is that the UK's only other surviving clipper (SV Carrick (was the City of Adelaide)) was ship was deconstructed earlier this year - so no more clippers

I posted earlier on the fire at F52240?thread=4175043

It even managed the iconic status of being a gag in Porridge. Fletch to Godber: "You'd have needed a Ten stretch to finish the Cutty Sark in matchsticks - you should have used chairlegs like I told you!"

A damn shame... on a selfish basis, I'm pleased I went around it when I was younger. I wonder if they're going to rename the DLR station by the Thames now?

Ah, listening to the radio just now, apparently it's not as bad as it could have been. 50% of the planking was off the boat for renovations, and the damage to what's there isn't as bad as it could have been.

It looks pretty terrible on the TV picture though.

must admit I was gutted when I watched the breakfast news and saw it this morning...I used to live very near greenwich and I've been on board very often. Hopefully this will raise it's profile and it'll get a proper restoration.

Chris moyles was very funny about it on radio 1 though...cruel as usual but very funny!

Since it was built of teak on an iron frame there could be some difficulty finding teak timbers to replace the burnt ones.

One of my proudest posessions is a sketch of the Cutty Sark my father willed to me. It is not the flying version or a full sailed one but at dock being loaded (or unloaded)- a real working clipper.

Dang. I'm glad I got to see it. Even if they restore it, it won't be the same. But I hope they do restore it. It's so sad to lose history.

It just made the headline news on NPR's Morning Edition. It's the kind of story they might cover later today on All Things Considered, or maybe on tomorrow's ME.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk//article1817806.ece?Submitted=true

It seems a lot of the heavy old timbers had only surface damage. They were more worried about the ironwork distorting in the heat. One of the comments on the Times article says that the top deck would have been frequently replaced during the working life of the ship anyway. And the figurehead wasn't damaged.

TRiG.

Sorry, but when you say 'figurehead' I can't help reciting "Twas on the good ship Venus' to myself

This may possibly be an admission of unpardonable ignorance, but I don't have a clue what you're on about.

TRiG.

Just put it in quotes and Google it

Okaaaay....

A fine sailing song, right up there with *The North Atlantic Squadron*!!

Oh my goodness! I've never heard that one. That's ruder than some of the rugby songs I used to know

"Barnacle Bill The Sailor" would be like those lyrics.