18th Cent Schooner Cutty-Sark Ablaze

May 21, 2007 The Boating Channel) The Clyde-built Cutty Sark was built in 1869 on the River Clyde in Glasgow. The ship is one of the last sailing clippers to be built. She was preserved in dry dock at Greenwich in London, but was damaged in a fire on 21 May 2007 whilst undergoing extensive restoration. Like many ships of her era, she had a wrought iron frame structure covered by wooden planking. At the time of the fire, 50% of the planking from the ship was in storage for restoration. Of the 50% that remained on site, not a lot was damaged; "where I stand there is not a huge amount of damage to the planking that was left on", said Chris Livett, Chairman of Cutty Sark Enterprises.

On 21 May 2007 the Cutty Sark caught fire and was reported by the BBC to be completely ablaze. The extent of any damage is not known but there is concern that it may have affected the framework of the ship. The fire was reported to the fire service at 4:46 a.m. British Summer Time (GMT+1) by members of the public. A representative of the fire brigade said at 7:09 a.m. that the fire was well under control and that damage was extensive but until the experts can make a full damage assessment survey, it is unknown just how much has been lost. The fire was declared by a journalist on site to have been out at 07:21 a.m., with most of the wooden structure in the centre having been lost.

In an interview with the chief executive of the Cutty Sark Trust it was revealed that at least half of the "fabric" (timbers, etc) of the ship is not on the site as it is being dismantled for the preservation work, and that they are most worried about the iron framework around which the fabric is attached.

Aerial video footage at 7:22 a.m. shows extensive damage but seems to indicate that the ship has not been destroyed in its entirety. A fire officer present at the scene said in a BBC interview that when they arrived, there was 'A well developed fire throughout the ship'. The bow section looks to be "relatively unscathed" and the stern also appears to have survived without major damage. The fire seems to have been concentrated on the centre of the ship. One journalist commented that "you can see right through from one side to the other". However, no one currently on site knows just how much had already been removed for the preservation work.

The latest reports confirm that 50% of the ship was not on the site. Of the remaining material on site around 80% (now thought to be less) of that has at least been damaged.

The Chairman of Cutty Sark Enterprises who has inspected the site said at around 8:35 a.m., "The decks are unsalvageable but all the planking had already been removed; however the damage is not as bad as originally expected."

It has already been stated that the ship can be restored, the damage being less than originally thought. Up to 50% of the original material is currently being stored offsite during restoration.

It has also been officially stated that once restored the ship will still be the original Cutty Sark and not in anyway a re-creation. It has been shown in courts throughout the world with other types of vehicle (mainly automobiles) that if a greater part of the original frame is used then the vehicle is not in any way shape or form a re-creation) In this instance due to the fact that 50% of the ship was not involved in the fire, and of the remaining half that was on site, the bow was predominatly undamaged, the stern appears fairly intact, and the rest whilst damaged should at least in part be repairable. As such the ship will still have a majority of the original parts and will still be the "Cutty Sark" and not in part or whole a re-creation whatsoever.

The cause of the fire is currently unknown but is being treated as "suspicious" by the authorities. Wikinews has news related to: Cutty Sark ablaze, fire treated as 'suspicious'

Certain eye witnesses reported seeing a silver car near the scene, at early hours in the morning. CCTV footage is currently being examined by the police