Description
Ready made historical ship model of the Thermopylae
The Thermopylae was a clipper ship developed and built in 1868 for the purposes of commercial trade and shipping. A composite clipper, named so for her design, she was a modern clipper ship built with both wooden planking and an iron frame. These design features allowed her to be both fast and large. The wooden planking increased her speed and the iron frame, compared with wooden frames, increased space inside the ship; allowing for a higher quantity of materials to be transported. For these reasons, she was the perfect ship for the purpose that she served. This model ship is an accurate reconstruction of the original ship and focuses on replicating these design features.
She was designed and built by Walter Hood & Co for the shipping company Aberdeen Line, which they also owned. Built in Aberdeen, she went on to become one of the fastest clipper ships in the world. She sailed to Melbourne, Australia, in 63 days which is still today the fastest record for a voyage to Melbourne under a ship with sails. Constructed for the purposes of the China tea trade, she was extremely successful in transporting both passengers and goods and was certainly a worthwhile investment for Aberdeen Line.
During her career she is also remembered for her notorious race against the Cutty Sark in 1872. This race took place from Shanghai to London and the Thermopylae won by seven days. Later on she was sold to Portugal for the purposes of naval training and was renamed Pedro Nunes. Eventually she was towed down the Tagus River and, in front of Queen Amelia de Orleans; she was given full naval honours and torpedoed.
The Thermopylae is a historical ship famous for being an extremely fast clipper and for its race against the Cutty Sark. This ship model is an accurate replica of the original vessel, built with the highest quality of craftsmanship and with the greatest attention to detail; Premier Ship Models offers this beautiful model at a competitive price. If you have any questions regarding this product please do not hesitate to contact us.