Famous clipper ship severely damaged in fire

The Cutty Sark, perhaps the best-known of all the clipper ships, has been seriously damaged in a drydock fire:

A fire which swept through the famous 19th Century ship Cutty Sark may have been started deliberately, police say.

The vessel, which was undergoing a £25m restoration, is kept in a dry dock at Greenwich in south-east London.

An area around the 138-year-old tea clipper had to be evacuated when the fire started in the early hours.

A Cutty Sark Trust spokesman said much of the ship had been removed for restoration and the damage could have been worse.

Half the planking and the masts had been taken away as part of the project.

The fire-damaged areas are shown in this BBC illustration:

More information is in this article at The Guardian.