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Mayflower 30" Description
Total Dimensions: 30" L x 10" W x 25" HSOLD FULLY ASSEMBLED
Ready for Immediate Display - Not a Model Ship kit
Built with the finest craftsmanship and attention to detail, these Limited Edition scale replica tall ship models of the Mayflower are bedecked with historically accurate museum-quality features. Famous as the ship which brought the first Pilgrim settlers to the New World, dropping anchor at Plymouth Rock in modern Cape Cod, New England, this adventurous tall ship occupies a distinguished place in American history. Now their Limited Edition tall ships model may similarly occupy a proud position in your office, home or meeting room from which to display their exquisite beauty and adventurous spirit.
30" Long x 12" Wide x 24" High (1:31 scale)
•Built from scratch over hundreds of hours by master artisans
•Accurate scale replica tall ship models of the actual Mayflower
•Individual wooden planks used in plank-on-frame hull construction
•High quality woods include walnut, cherry, birch, teak and rosewood
•Gun ports actually cut into the hull
•Amazing Details, including:
◦Detailed scrollwork, beakhead and hand-painting
◦Historically correct sails and extensive rigging
◦Solid brass cannon fire through actual gun ports
◦Realistic lifeboat with oars, lattice deck grates and numerous other deck features
◦Wooden ladders and planked steps
◦Masterfully stitched, heavy canvas sails hold shape and do not wrinkle
◦Taut rigging with varied thread gauge and color
◦Cloth flags fly from masts and rigging
•Limited production run only 25 of this tall ships model
•Certificate of Authenticity individually numbered and signed by HMS Founder and Master Builder Richard Norris
•Wooden display base features four arched dolphins
◦Marble base optional (available for purchase)
•Extensive research of original plans, historical drawings and paintings as well as actual photographs ensures the highest possible accuracy
Mayflower 30" HistoryConstruction
On the afternoon of Monday, 22nd November 1869, a beautiful little clipper ship of 963 tons gross was launched at Dumbarton on the River Leven. On that day, she was given a name that was to become renowned throughout the seafaring world.
Cutty Sark was built for John 'Jock' Willis, a seasoned sailing ship master who had taken over his father’s firm of ship owners in the port of London. Here he became better known as "White Hat Willis" because he always wore a white top hat. His ambition was for Cutty Sark to be the fastest ship in the annual race to bring home the first of the new season's tea from China.
The site of Scott & Linton's yard today
The ship was designed by Hercules Linton, a partner in the Dumbarton firm of Scott & Linton. It is believed that he moulded the bowlines of Willis's earlier vessel, The Tweed into the midship attributes of Firth of Forth fishing boats, creating a beautiful new hull shape that was stronger, could take more sail, and be driven harder than any other.
The company had never built a ship of this size before and ran into financial difficulties, eventually going bankrupt before the ship was completed. The final details of the fitting out had to be completed by William Denny & Brothers, Scott & Linton’s landlords and the guarantors for the completion of the work on the original contract.
The ship was towed to Greenock for final work on her masts and rigging. She was then brought to London to load her first cargo for China.
The Cutty Sark is 280ft (85.4m) long overall and her beam measures 35ft (11m). Her moulded depth is 22.5ft (6.7m) and she weighs 963 tons (978.5 tonnes) gross. The height of the main mast from the main deck to the top is 152ft.
1870-1878: The China Tea Years
On 16th February 1870, the Cutty Sark left London bound for Shanghai, via the Cape of Good Hope, on her first voyage. Commanded by Captain George Moodie, she carried "large amounts of wine, spirits and beer” (Captain’s abstract log). The arrival of the ship at Shanghai, with “manufactured goods”, is listed in The North China Herald of 2nd June 1870. Departing with around 1,450 tons of tea on 25th June, she arrived back in London on 13th October 1870.
This is the first of 8 voyages the ship successfully made to China in pursuit of tea. However, the Cutty Sark never became the fastest ship on the tea trade. Dogged by bad winds and misfortune, she never lived up to the high expectations of her owner during these years. The closest the ship came to winning the tea race was in 1872, when she had the opportunity to race the Thermopylae head-to-head for the first time.
After arriving at Shanghai in late May 1872, she met the Thermopylae when loading her tea cargo. With both sailing from Woosung on 17th June 1872, the two ships closely matched each other through the China Sea and into the Indian Ocean. By 7th August, and with a good tail wind, the Cutty Sark found herself a good 400 miles ahead of the Thermopylae. On 15th August, disaster struck when the Cutty Sark’s rudder gives way. After reconstructing the rudder twice in heavy seas, the ship arrived back at London on 19th October, around 7 days after her rival. The courage and determination of Captain Moodie and his crew won the Cutty Sark great credit, but Moodie retired from his command of the ship due to stress and the ship was never to get this close to winning the tea race again.
1878-1883: Tramping for cargoes
Cutty Sark successfully collected her last Chinese tea cargo in 1877. In December of that year, the ship departed London bound for Sydney for a coal cargo, and then went onto Shanghai. Arriving at China in April 1878, the ship’s master, Captain Tiptaft, could not consign a tea cargo. By this time, steam ships had taken over this trade.
Steam ships had arrived onto this market with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. The Canal gave the steam ships a quick and direct route from the Mediterranean into the Red Sea, whilst the sailing ships were unable to access the Canal because of their reliance on the trade winds that gusted around the coast of Africa.
Unable to find a tea cargo, Captain Tiptaft died at Shanghai in October 1878. His First Mate, James Wallace, was promoted to the command of the Cutty Sark.
With tea no longer available, the ship started to take different cargoes of various qualities around the world. For example, she took coal from Nagasaki in Japan to Shanghai; jute from Manila to New York; and jute, castor oil, tea and the Australian mail from Calcutta to Melbourne in March 1881.
In 1880, the ship’s First Mate, Sidney Smith, by all accounts a bully and disliked by the crew, killed (with considerable provocation) seaman John Francis. Smith was confined to quarters, but at Anjer Captain Wallace connived at his escape. The crew, incensed, downed tools and refused to work resulting in most of the sailing being done by the six apprentices and four tradesmen. On 5th September the ship was becalmed in the Java Sea for three days. With the guilt, calm, steaming heat and realisation that his career was finished, Wallace jumped overboard. Although a rescue attempt was mounted, the only sign of Wallace was the number of sharks swimming furiously about…
To make matters worse, on arrival at Anjer, William Bruce was transferred from the Halloween and appointed Master of the Cutty Sark. By all accounts, Bruce was an incompetent, drunken master who connived with the Mate to remove the expensive Australian crew members, pocketing their wages. He was also negligent, failing to pick up enough provisions, resulting in the crew becoming half starved. On arrival at New York in April 1882, it appears that an inquiry was held into the conduct of the Master and the F
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