Thermopylae (ship, 1868)
The clipper Thermopylae - later Pedro Nuñes - was a British sailing ship , which in 1868 Aberdeen for Aberdeen Line (George Thompson & Co) from running batch . It was built in composite construction. The internal load-bearing components were made of iron , the planking was made of wood. The Thermopylae had an overall length of 88.4 m, a width of 11.7 m and a draft of 6.8 m. The height of the main mast was 52 m. Their displacement was 1,300 tons.
Together with the Cutty Sark , also a clipper, she was considered the fastest ship of her time on long-haul routes. The Thermopylae was mainly used as a tea clipper on the route from China to London ; speed was crucial here, as high prices could be achieved for the first tea of the season.
In 1872 she beat the Cutty Sark in a "race" that was widely regarded at the time, in which the ships started in Shanghai on the same day . The Thermopylae reached London a week before the Cutty Sark (which, however, had lost its oar on the way ). This event is z. B. in the article Fast as the wind (see web links). The Cutty Sark did not manage to sail faster than the Thermopylae until 1885.
With the construction of the Suez Canal and the advent of steam ships , the tea clipper lost its economic importance; In 1890 the Thermopylae was sold to Canadian owners and from here in 1896 to the Portuguese Navy . She was then to Bark umgeriggt and, under the name "Pedro Nuñes" as a training ship used and, having been dismantled since 1897 as Hulk had lain in 1907 before Cascais sunk (Portugal).
