Cutty Sark (yacht)
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with the famous tea clipper, the private steam yacht Cutty Sark was built, from plates originally destined for an S class destroyer
, by Yarrow and Co Ltd
of Scotstoun
for Major Henry Keswick
(1870–1928) of Jardine’s. She was launched on 18 March 1920.
She had a length of 263 ft (80.2 m); beam of 25 ft (7.6 m) and draught of 16 ft (4.9 m), and a gross registered tonnage of 883. Originally she had 4 Yarrow turbines of 5000 BHP giving her a speed of 24 knots (47 km/h). Though fast, she was uncomfortable in anything like a sea.
on 20 January 1921, and finally leaving Yokohama for home via Panama on 25 May 1921. Whilst in the Far East she visited Korea, Hankow, Wei-Hai-Wei, Tsingtao, Tientsin, Kurhashi-shima, Awashima and Shodoshima. The longest non-stop run was 3391 nautical miles (6,280.1 km) from Yokohama to Honolulu.
In Noël Coward
’s play, Private Lives
, set on the Riviera, in the first-act balcony scene Amanda asks: ‘Whose yacht is that?’ ‘The Duke of Westminster’s I expect,’ Elyot replies. ‘It always is.’
During this period she hosted many famous people including the Churchills, Coco Chanel
, and, in September 1935, the Prince of Wales and Mrs Simpson. They took a short cruise to Corsica with, among others, Katherine Rogers, John Aird, Gladys Buist, Helen Fitzgerald and Lord Sefton.
In February 1930 the Duke married Miss Loelia Ponsonby in London. After the ceremony, the happy couple made their way to Westminster Pier, from where the Duke piloted his bride by high speed launch to the Cutty Sark, moored at Deptford. Unfortunately the bride was extremely seasick during the Channel crossing.
, still captained by Cdr Mack, and sent to Thorneycroft’s at Southampton to be fitted out and armed as an Anti-Submarine vessel. Armament included a 4 in gun, a 2 pdr AA, two 0.5 in AAs, two 0.5 in MGs, and some depth charge racks. Most of her peacetime equipment was put into store at Thorneycroft’s.
In 1940 she was converted into a submarine tender
and attached to the 3rd Submarine Flotilla. She was manned by the Royal Naval Patrol Service
. She was paid off on 23 August 1944.
Interestingly, the Duke of Westminster sold the Cutty Sark to Cdr Mack in 1941, so at that stage he owned the warship he commanded! The ship was eventually acquired by the Ministry of War Transport in 1942.
Her war service was mainly routine escort work, and she is mentioned several times in this capacity in Edward Young’s famous book, One of Our Submarines
.
However in May 1940 she was ordered to Dunkirk, but then diverted to Saint Malo to destroy some radio masts, which was successfully achieved. While she was alongside the quay she was dive bombed blowing in the side of the ship and flooding the engine room. The engines being out of action, a “V&W” destroyer, towed her back to Devonport in two days for repairs.
In late October 1942 a Whitley
on anti-submarine patrol came down in the Bay of Biscay. The crew took to their life raft and were located by a Hudson
. However, there were no nearby ships to rescue them so the Cutty Sark was scrambled from Holy Loch. The crew were picked up after 84 hours in the water on 2 November 1942 and taken to Plymouth. After 3 weeks in naval hospital they were found by the RAF and transferred to Weston-super-Mare. From there they were posted to No 9 Bomber Squadron at Waddington and then Bardney in Lincoln. They named their new Lancaster
Cutty Sark. It flew 30 missions before being shot down.
Cutty Sark also appears, by name, in the 1943 film, Close Quarters.
By 1944 the need for requisitioned vessels had diminished, and HMS Cutty Sark was laid up at King’s Lynn and used by the Sea Cadets.
In July 1946 some forty boys arrived at King’s Lynn to join the ship. These boys had come from the continent and were all displaced persons: some of them had been in German concentration and labour Camps. Captain A Stratton RN was appointed Captain Superintendent. While at King’s Lynn, it was decided to remove the engines and boilers in order to provide recreation space. When this work was completed, the ship was towed to Grays, taking up the moorings previously used by the Marine Society’s Training Ship Warspite. The work of training the boys for sea service continued for some twelve months by which time most of them were over seventeen years of age and ready for sea. However, there was great difficulty in placing boys with shipping companies and it was decided not to continue with the venture and the ship closed at the end of June 1947.
She was sold to Thos Ward, the shipbreakers, and in September she made her last short journey to their yard at Grays. The Cutty Sark was broken up by April 1948.
S class destroyer (1916)
The S class were a class of 67 destroyers built from 1917 for the Royal Navy. The design was based on the Admiralty modified R class and all ships had names beginning with S or T....
, by Yarrow and Co Ltd
Yarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...
of Scotstoun
Scotstoun
Scotstoun is a historic district of Glasgow, Scotland, west of Glasgow City Centre. It is bounded by Yoker and Knightswood to the west, Victoria Park, Broomhill and Whiteinch to the east, Jordanhill to the north and the River Clyde to the south...
for Major Henry Keswick
Keswick family
The Keswick family are a business dynasty of Scottish origin associated with the Far East since 1855 and in particular the conglomerate Jardine Matheson....
(1870–1928) of Jardine’s. She was launched on 18 March 1920.
She had a length of 263 ft (80.2 m); beam of 25 ft (7.6 m) and draught of 16 ft (4.9 m), and a gross registered tonnage of 883. Originally she had 4 Yarrow turbines of 5000 BHP giving her a speed of 24 knots (47 km/h). Though fast, she was uncomfortable in anything like a sea.
Circumnavigation
Major Keswick took her on a round the world voyage to visit Jardine’s interests in the Far East. She left Stranraer on 4 November, 1920 and arrived back at that port on 26 July, 1921. The route followed was through the Mediterranean to the Far East, arriving in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
on 20 January 1921, and finally leaving Yokohama for home via Panama on 25 May 1921. Whilst in the Far East she visited Korea, Hankow, Wei-Hai-Wei, Tsingtao, Tientsin, Kurhashi-shima, Awashima and Shodoshima. The longest non-stop run was 3391 nautical miles (6,280.1 km) from Yokohama to Honolulu.
Duke of Westminster's yacht
In 1926 the Duke of Westminster acquired the Cutty Sark, cruising her from North Norway to the Red Sea. Up to the Second World War, she became a familiar sight at Cowes, Biarritz, the Mediterranean and the west coast of Scotland. She was captained by Lt Cdr R H Mack RN (Retd) who had been mentioned in despatches during the Great War.In Noël Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
’s play, Private Lives
Private Lives
Private Lives is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It focuses on a divorced couple who discover that they are honeymooning with their new spouses in neighbouring rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetually stormy relationship, they realise that they still have feelings for...
, set on the Riviera, in the first-act balcony scene Amanda asks: ‘Whose yacht is that?’ ‘The Duke of Westminster’s I expect,’ Elyot replies. ‘It always is.’
During this period she hosted many famous people including the Churchills, Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel
Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel was a pioneering French fashion designer whose modernist thought, menswear-inspired fashions, and pursuit of expensive simplicity made her an important figure in 20th-century fashion. She was the founder of one of the most famous fashion brands, Chanel...
, and, in September 1935, the Prince of Wales and Mrs Simpson. They took a short cruise to Corsica with, among others, Katherine Rogers, John Aird, Gladys Buist, Helen Fitzgerald and Lord Sefton.
In February 1930 the Duke married Miss Loelia Ponsonby in London. After the ceremony, the happy couple made their way to Westminster Pier, from where the Duke piloted his bride by high speed launch to the Cutty Sark, moored at Deptford. Unfortunately the bride was extremely seasick during the Channel crossing.
Wartime service
On the outbreak of war in September 1939 the Cutty Sark was requisitioned by the AdmiraltyAdmiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
, still captained by Cdr Mack, and sent to Thorneycroft’s at Southampton to be fitted out and armed as an Anti-Submarine vessel. Armament included a 4 in gun, a 2 pdr AA, two 0.5 in AAs, two 0.5 in MGs, and some depth charge racks. Most of her peacetime equipment was put into store at Thorneycroft’s.
In 1940 she was converted into a submarine tender
Submarine tender
A submarine tender is a type of ship that supplies and supports submarines.Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally do not have the ability to carry large amounts of food, fuel, torpedoes, and other supplies, nor to carry a full array of maintenance equipment and...
and attached to the 3rd Submarine Flotilla. She was manned by the Royal Naval Patrol Service
Royal Naval Patrol Service
The Royal Naval Patrol Service was a branch of the Royal Navy active during the Second World War. The RNPS operated many small auxiliary vessels such as naval trawlers for anti-submarine and minesweeping operations to protect coastal Britain and convoys during WWII.-History:The Royal Naval Patrol...
. She was paid off on 23 August 1944.
Interestingly, the Duke of Westminster sold the Cutty Sark to Cdr Mack in 1941, so at that stage he owned the warship he commanded! The ship was eventually acquired by the Ministry of War Transport in 1942.
Her war service was mainly routine escort work, and she is mentioned several times in this capacity in Edward Young’s famous book, One of Our Submarines
HMS Storm (P233)
HMS Storm was an S-class submarine of the Royal Navy, and part of the third group built of that class. She was built by Cammell Laird and launched on 18 May 1943. So far, she is the only RN ship to bear the name Storm....
.
However in May 1940 she was ordered to Dunkirk, but then diverted to Saint Malo to destroy some radio masts, which was successfully achieved. While she was alongside the quay she was dive bombed blowing in the side of the ship and flooding the engine room. The engines being out of action, a “V&W” destroyer, towed her back to Devonport in two days for repairs.
In late October 1942 a Whitley
Armstrong Whitworth Whitley
The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.38 Whitley was one of three British twin-engine, front line medium bomber types in service with the Royal Air Force at the outbreak of the Second World War...
on anti-submarine patrol came down in the Bay of Biscay. The crew took to their life raft and were located by a Hudson
Lockheed Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
. However, there were no nearby ships to rescue them so the Cutty Sark was scrambled from Holy Loch. The crew were picked up after 84 hours in the water on 2 November 1942 and taken to Plymouth. After 3 weeks in naval hospital they were found by the RAF and transferred to Weston-super-Mare. From there they were posted to No 9 Bomber Squadron at Waddington and then Bardney in Lincoln. They named their new Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
Cutty Sark. It flew 30 missions before being shot down.
Cutty Sark also appears, by name, in the 1943 film, Close Quarters.
By 1944 the need for requisitioned vessels had diminished, and HMS Cutty Sark was laid up at King’s Lynn and used by the Sea Cadets.
Post World War II
In 1946 she was acquired, in an unseaworthy condition, as a training ship by the Jewish Marine League. The League had been founded in 1934 with the aim of training boys for a future Israeli merchant marine. The original intention was to call her Tarshish, but a decision was taken to name her after the late Joseph Hertz 1872–1946, Chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth 1913–1946. To raise funds for the enterprise, the League held a concert of Jewish Music at the Royal Albert Hall on 5 February 1946 with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Anatole Fistoulari.In July 1946 some forty boys arrived at King’s Lynn to join the ship. These boys had come from the continent and were all displaced persons: some of them had been in German concentration and labour Camps. Captain A Stratton RN was appointed Captain Superintendent. While at King’s Lynn, it was decided to remove the engines and boilers in order to provide recreation space. When this work was completed, the ship was towed to Grays, taking up the moorings previously used by the Marine Society’s Training Ship Warspite. The work of training the boys for sea service continued for some twelve months by which time most of them were over seventeen years of age and ready for sea. However, there was great difficulty in placing boys with shipping companies and it was decided not to continue with the venture and the ship closed at the end of June 1947.
She was sold to Thos Ward, the shipbreakers, and in September she made her last short journey to their yard at Grays. The Cutty Sark was broken up by April 1948.