BRITAIN | ENGLAND
Fire damages London landmark, Cutty Sark ship
London's famous maritime landmark, the Cutty Sark, suffered substantial damage today after an early morning fire engulfed the national treasure and destroyed much of its deck and planking.
Firefighters arrived just before 5 a.m. as 30-foot flames and thick black smoke engulfed the storied 19th Century clipper ship. They were able to contain the blaze within 90 minutes, but the ship's deck had already been irreversibly damaged.
"She's a national treasure," said Chris Levitt of the Cutty Sark Trust, which is leading a $50-million project to restore one of the world's most famous ships. "Why would someone want to hurt her?"
The Metropolitan Police said they were treating the fire as "suspicious," and a police official told the BBC that video surveillance footage showed people in the area at the time of the fire.
Half of the Cutty Sark had recently been dismantled as part of the restoration project, which saved at least half of the ship from damage in today's fire.
"A lot of the original fabric has been removed," Levitt said. "Half of the timbers had already gone into storage and fortunately therefore survived this tragedy."
Fire department spokesman Ian Allehin said the ship was constructed with a metal frame and timber decks, walls and masts. "This was a severe fire, so a lot of the timber has been damaged," he said.
Though approximately 80% of the portion of the ship standing on the dry dock was damaged by the blaze, the ship's majestic masts and impressive figurehead were safe from the flames.
Touted as the world's last surviving tea clipper, the 138-year-old ship was originally built to transport tea between China and England in the 1870s.
Designed to sail quickly and efficiently, the Cutty Sark became a taxi for the wool trade between the United Kingdom and Australia.
It later was employed as a training ship for naval cadets during World War II, before finding a permanent home in London.
When the vessel arrived on the River Thames in the 1950s, tourists and historians alike flocked to the historic ship to experience England's nautical legacy.
According to conservationists, the Cutty Sark traded in her sea legs for the dry docks of Greenwich as a memorial to the merchantmen who lost their lives during World War II.
The Cutty Sark Trust began conservation of the historic vessel in November 2006 after historians and scientists noticed that sea salt had accelerated corrosion of the ship's iron framework.
Though specialists estimate that the ship's structural integrity is intact, the price tag for this already-expensive restoration will soar following today's blaze.
Richard Doughty, project director of the Cutty Sark Conservation Program, estimates that the fire will add millions to the final restoration cost.
"This is a huge delay for the conservation project," Doughty said. "Tragically it's going to cost us a lot more now because we're starting at square one."
Officials say that the biggest tragedy is not the elevated price tag, but instead the damage inflicted on one of England's favorite landmarks.
"The Cutty Sark is loved by those in Greenwich," Levitt said. "It's unbelievable that someone would want to maliciously damage her. She is the heartbeat of Greenwich."
Home to Greenwich Mean Time, this southern port in London has been revitalizing the area through cultural projects such as the addition of a $30-million observatory.
"She is part of British national heritage, but she actually belongs to the world," Doughty said. "She has been to every national port in the world. Both the East and West recognize her sails."
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