Cutty Sark on fire !
From BBC News:
Fire rips through the Cutty Sark
A fire on board the famous 19th Century ship the Cutty Sark is now under
control, the London Fire Brigade said.
An area around the 138-year-old tea clipper was evacuated amid fears that gas cylinders were on board but it has been confirmed that none were present.
Greenwich town centre in south-east London has been closed to traffic and the Docklands Light Railway shut.
The ship was currently undergoing a £25m renovation and was closed to
visitors.
Eight fire engines were sent to tackle the fire which started shortly before
0500 BST.
Speaking to BBC News the Chief Executive of the Cutty Sark Trust, Richard Doughty, said the fire brigade told him they were treating the fire as suspicious.
He said he feared what would be lost in the blaze.
"When you lose original fabric, you lose the touch of the craftsman, you
lose history itself," he said.
"And what is special about Cutty Sark is the timbers, the iron frames, that
went to the South China Seas, and to think that that is threatened in any
way is unbelievable, it's an unimaginable shock."
He said the ship would be "irreplaceable".
He added said the Cutty Sark was not just an important part of maritime
heritage but an important part of British identity.
Mr Doughty described the ship as the epitomy of speed under sail.
An eyewitness, who saw the fire as she was driving across the Thames, said: "I can see all this smoke billowing out from round by where the Cutty Sark is.
"It was black, thick black smoke... as I've come over the bridge there's all police cars blocking the road and everyone's being diverted."
Residents living near the ship were evacuated from their homes and taken to a Greenwich hotel, Scotland Yard confirmed.
The conservation work was being carried out as sea salt had accelerated the corrosion of her iron framework.
Oh NO :!: :!: :!: :cry: :cry: :cry:
This does not look good :cry: :cry:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,70131-1266631,00.html
WOW, what a terrible shame. :cry: It looks like not much is left.
If is is rebuilt , is it not then just a replica ?
The artifacts were not on board so that is a blessing.
But I would wonder about the value of a re-build ship ?
This is the only picture I have of our visit to Cutty Sark in 1986. It was
a wonderful experience to stand on the deck and imagine here under
full sail racing back to Britain with a full cargo.
It was very fortunate that the rigging had been removed and many of
the valuable items removed during the renovation.
No, she will not be the same ship when rebuilt but the history will remain.
It just makes me sad that our society is showing less and less respect
for each other and those things that we value. What ever happened to
responsibility and consequence? If it is proven that this was arson
and if the perpetrators are caught, it will probably only
result in a slap on the wrist and an admonition of 'don't be naughty again'.
Very upsetting incident.
On the BBC news just now they are saying that the Cutty Sark is not lost and can be saved. A lot of the "interior" and fittings are off the ship in storage whilst the renovations were under way.
Very very sad news, I have seen her a few years ago and she looked great. Thank goodness about 50% of the ship was off site including the figurehead.
Yes, THANK GOD, that she was not "all lost" :D :!:
Some more pictures here + plenty of links to the story.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6675593.stmPhoto taken from riverboat in 2003:
(It's the same image twice...Wasn't sure everyone could see it from my Kodak Gallery, and Photobucket was being stubborn...) CJ