Hercules Linton

Inverbervie, Scotland, 1837 - 1900

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About MeHercules Linton
1 January 1837 – 15 May 1900
Designer of the Cutty Sark

Hercules Linton was born in Inverbervie and at the age of 19 was apprenticed to Alexander Hall and Sons, Aberdeen’s leading shipbuilders. Hercules founded his own company which, in 1869, won the contract to design theCutty Sark. This ship was one of the last and fastest tea clippers to be built on the River Clyde in Glasgow.

In 1868 Hercules formed a partnership with William Scott and together the two men founded the shipbuilding company Scott & Linton, based in Dumbarton. The contract to design the Cutty Sarkwas significant but neither Hercules nor William were particularly experienced in business, and they agreed to build the ship in six months with heavy penalties for delay. Difficulties during the build combined with poor cash flow ultimately led to the company becoming bankrupt and Hercules was forced to sell his house to pay his debts. The Cutty Sark was eventually launched on 22 November 1869, nearly five months late. Despite the setbacks, Hercules’s legacy lived on in the remarkable Cutty Sark which travelled the globe, visiting every major port in the world and breaking several records for its speed.
Additional InfoImage Attribution: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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