The world famous Cutty Sark was ordered by J. Willis & Son of London from Scott & Linton of Dumbarton but when that yard went bankrupt before she was completed, this celebrated vessel was actually finished by Denny Bros. who launched her on 23rd November 1869. Registered at 963 tons gross (921 net), she measured 212½ feet in length with a 36 foot beam and was constructed from only the finest materials. At her best in strong beam and quartering winds, when none of the other clippers could catch her, she frequently made 15 or 16 knots and even managed 17½ on one occasion. Although she broke no records for her passage times, she nevertheless performed consistently well on the China run until, ousted by steam, she was put into the Australian wool trade in 1883. It was on this route that she really made her reputation for speed and turned in many remarkable runs prior to 1895 when she was sold to Portuguese owners who re-rigged her as a barquentine. Surviving the Great War, she was brought home for restoration in 1922 and eventually floated into her permanent dry-dock at Greenwich in 1954. Badly damaged by fire on 21st May 2007, whilst undergoing further restoration, she is currently being conserved and is due to re-open in April this year.