SEARCH FINESCALE.COM

Enter keywords or a search phrase below:

PRINZ WILLEM ,CUTTY SARK ETC.

666 views
4 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    August 2008
PRINZ WILLEM ,CUTTY SARK ETC.
Posted by tankerbuilder on Saturday, August 1, 2009 5:52 PM
 I was saddened to see the notice about the PRINZ WILLEM . I had a chance to see her before this in my last (honeymoon) travels .The CUTTY SARK as we all know also burned . I have yet to hear what the CUTTY SARK MUSEUM has decided . As you know she was wood over iron unlike the PRINZ WILLEM that was all wood . We seem to be loosing these great maritime treasures at a planned but slow pace ( so they can,t be linked ?). I know this sounds like a conspiracy theory ,but, what amount of insurance was at stake in each case ???? I have always felt that todays generation if not passionate about these ships ,see them as a drain . Most young people today would rather go to a theme park than "some old ship " . Sad but true !! That,s my view and ,it,s likely not shared ..TANKERBUILDER
  • Member since
    January 2006
Posted by EPinniger on Sunday, August 2, 2009 3:47 AM
The Prins Willem fire is certainly a tragic loss. However (as mentioned in several posts in this forum) the restoration of the Cutty Sark is making good progress (the ship will hopefully reopened to the public in a few years) and whilst the fire damaged the structure of the ship, all of the spars, fittings, deckhouses and much of the planking were stored elsewhere and untouched.
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Sunday, August 2, 2009 7:57 AM

Tankerbuilder, the Cutty Sark is rising from the ashes, so to speak, quite impressively.  (We've discussed her in several recent Forum threads, most extensively in this one:  /forums/1158233/ShowPost.aspx ).  It seems the fire didn't actually do much structural damage, because (a) as Epinniger pointed out, most of the non-metal components of the ship had already been removed for restoration, and (b) the London Fire Brigade was on the job, and put out the fire relatively quickly.  In fact the tragedy may have worked in the ship's favor, in that it attracted a good deal of public attention - and funding.  A good insurance policy also helped.  As I understand it, the grand old ship is tentatively scheduled to reopen to the public in the summer of 2010.

What I haven't read anything about recently is the effort to find out just why the fire started.  I have the impression that the authorities concluded it was set deliberately, but I haven't seen any recent news about the efforts to catch the miscreant(s) in question.  I have some interesting ideas about appropriate punishments.

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: Groton, CT
Posted by warshipguy on Sunday, August 2, 2009 9:43 AM

I seem to recall that, a few years ago, the British Government was planning to get rid of HMS Victory.  There was a huge public outcry; the result was that she was retained.  Similarly, the U.S. Government has spent millions maintaining the USS Constitution.  The USS Constellation has also been restored to her original configuration and many repairs have been made to her. In other words, there are many devotees to these ships, especially in Europe and the United States. 

Bill Morrison

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Derry, New Hampshire, USA
Posted by rcboater on Monday, August 3, 2009 9:16 PM
 jtilley wrote:

What I haven't read anything about recently is the effort to find out just why the fire started.  I have the impression that the authorities concluded it was set deliberately, but I haven't seen any recent news about the efforts to catch the miscreant(s) in question.  I have some interesting ideas about appropriate punishments.

 

A quick google search turned up a number of articles about the cause-- a vacuum cleaner left running overnight.  Here's a link to one:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26957074/

Webmaster, Marine Modelers Club of New England

www.marinemodelers.org

 

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

SEARCH FORUMS
FREE NEWSLETTER
By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. View our Privacy Policy.