The Cutty Sark was launched at Dumbarton in 1869, one of the last great tea clippers built just as steam was rendering the type obsolete. She never dominated the tea trade as intended — by the time she entered service, the Suez Canal had opened and steamships held the advantage. Her reputation was built instead on the wool run from Australia, where she logged consistent passage times that rivaled anything afloat.
Pobjoy struck this for the British Indian Ocean Territory, whose connection to the ship is purely ceremonial — a licensing arrangement rather than any historical link.
The Cutty Sark was launched at Dumbarton in 1869, one of the last great tea clippers built just as steam was rendering the type obsolete. She never dominated the tea trade as intended — by the time she entered service, the Suez Canal had opened and steamships held the advantage. Her reputation was built instead on the wool run from Australia, where she logged consistent passage times that rivaled anything afloat.
Pobjoy struck this for the British Indian Ocean Territory, whose connection to the ship is purely ceremonial — a licensing arrangement rather than any historical link.