One of Britain’s best-preserved maritime treasures has been hoisted more than 10 feet into the air.
The Cutty Sark, the world’s only surviving tea clipper, was lifted about 11ft 6in above the bottom of its dry berth in Greenwich, south east London.
The space under the three-masted ship will be home to an interactive museum where visitors can learn about its history.
It was a triumphant moment in the history of the 19th-century sailing ship, which has been undergoing extensive renovation work since being ravaged by fire in 2007.
Richard Doughty, chief executive officer of the Cutty Sark Trust, said the process of lifting the clipper – which was completed over three days – was essentially like jacking a car to fit a new tyre.
“What made the Cutty Sark famous was her speed and that was achieved by her refined hull shape – that is what made her an icon of speed under sail – and now visitors will be able to see the hull for the first time,” said Mr Doughty.
“It is an extraordinary sight to see this huge elegant ship suspended above your head.
“It really is a beauty to see the ship suspended in this way. It is like it is hung from sky hooks when you’re down there.”
He said the hull is suspended from 12 cantilevered arms on a concrete beam running along the sides of the dry berth.
Mr Doughty said: “This is a real iconic moment in this project.
“It really is an engineering triumph and I think it will set a new benchmark of how historic ships are preserved from now on.”
The ship was devastated by a huge blaze in May 2007.
The fire, which caused £10 million-worth of damage, was sparked by an industrial vacuum cleaner accidentally left switched on for two days.
The tea clipper was severely damaged in the fire, which burned through each of the ship’s three decks, but fortunately almost 50 per cent of the ship had been removed during the conservation work.
The ship, one of the capital’s best-loved tourist attractions, will be reopened to the public next spring.
Tea clipper with an amazing history
The Cutty Sark, one of London’s best-loved maritime landmarks, is 142 years old, and the world’s sole surviving tea clipper.
The name Cutty Sark comes from Tam O’Shanter, a poem by Robbie Burns when Tam, a young lad, sees witches dancing in the wood. One is wearing a revealing short tunic named a cutty sark.
The clipper, which was built in 1869, sailed in the China tea trade from 1870-1877.
The Suez Canal was opened just before work on the Cutty Sark was completed and quickly made tea clippers redundant.
The ship used 11 miles of rigging.
She carried 32,000sq ft of canvas sails, equivalent to the area of 11 tennis courts.
She weighs 963 tons and her main mast is 47 metres high.
When the weather was good, everyone on board worked at least a 12-hour day, seven days a week. In bad weather, the workers would be on deck many more hours under cold, wet and dangerous conditions.
On the bow of the ship is the motto: Where there’s a Willis a way, a play on the name of the first owner, Jock ‘White Hat’ Willis.
She sailed to Australia as part of the wool trade between 1883-1895.
In 1885, she achieved a record-breaking wind-powered voyage from Australia to England taking 72 days via Cape Horn.
Cutty Sark was under Portuguese ownership from l895-1922 and renamed first as Ferreira and then as Maria do Amparo.
Captain Dowman of Falmouth decided she should be preserved and in 1922 bought the ship and made her part of a floating nautical school he was operating.
In 1938, his widow presented the ship to the Thames Nautical Training School at Greenhithe. They maintained the ship until 1951 when the Cutty Sark Preservation Society was formed under Frank Carr, director of the National Maritime Museum, and the Duke of Edinburgh.
The ship was permanently installed in a stone dry dock at Greenwich on the Thames, and fully restored to her appearance as an active sailing vessel.
More than 15 million visitors have boarded the Cutty Sark since she has been docked at Greenwich.
The ship will be reopened to the public in spring 2012.