Save The
In a ceremony on
We would like to thank
everyone who supported us in our efforts to save the
The easy part is done! She still needs lots of work, so please visit
the Friends of the Falls of
Clyde to find out how you can help!
THANK YOU!
The Falls of Clyde will be sunk unless rescue arrives soon!
The Falls of Clyde is the last four-masted tall ship in
existence built in 1878, Glasgow, Scotland.
She is on the list as a National Historic landmark. She is owned by Bishop Museum of Honolulu
Hawaii and is moored at one of their satellite museums the
New! Please read this
article in the Honolulu Advertiser
Please read this article in the Honolulu Advertiser
The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) Hawaii can only monitor the situation. It is ironic that Tim Johns CEO of Bishop Museum is on the board of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) which overseas SHPO. He is also on the board of a historic preservation society called The Historic Hawaii Foundation. Clearly if he intended to save the ship he has access to resources.
A congressional appropriation of $300,000 (with matching funds) was earmarked for work on the Falls of Clyde in 2005. What exactly was this money used for? Are tax dollars being wasted for sinking a ship that received funding just three years ago? The ship has been neglected, she has no curator and a single maintenance worker is responsible for her care. All 266 feet of her. What can be done at this late date? Help!
WHEN A HOUSE NEEDS A LOT OF
SAVE OUR SHIP!
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Owned By: |
Bishop Museum of Honolulu Hawaii |
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Listed: |
National Historic Landmark, National Register of Historic Places |
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Built |
1878 Glasgow, Scotland |
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Her Significance |
Only ship in the world foreign born and flies Hawaii & U.S. flag 4 masted square rigger, iron hulled oil tanker |
Facts
- Circumnavigated the globe under sail 6 times
- Rounded the Cape Horn 12 times
- Crossed the Pacific 11 times
- Sailed on the tradewinds with cargo to trade with Islanders
- Made 324 blue water voyages
- Sailed to India 11 times
- 1899 became member of Matson
- Supplied fuel for plantations
- Serviced
and serviced and serviced
- Responsible
for trade to the
- Love
of her encouraged donors to pay off the mortgage for the
The Falls of Clyde gained American registry by a special act of Congress in 1900. Henceforth she was involved in the nationally important Hawaiian trans-Pacific sugar trade and later in transporting petroleum as a bulk cargo carrier.
Falls of Clyde is the only surviving iron-hulled, four-masted full rigged ship, and the only surviving sail-driven oil tanker in the world. She is presently a museum ship in Honolulu, Hawaii. In 1973 she was entered into the National Register of Historic Places. In 1989 the Secretary of the Interior designated the Falls of Clyde a National Historic Landmark—one of only thirty-three in the state of Hawaii. In 2005 the ship's Priority Level was listed as Threatened (Priority 1). Threatened (Priority 1) indicates NHLs that have suffered, or are in imminent danger of, a severe loss of integrity. The current owner has plans to sink her by the end of 2008 unless private funds are raised for an endowment for her perpetual care.
She was built to the highest standard - Lloyd's Register A-1 - for general worldwide trade. Her maiden voyage took her to Karachi, now in Pakistan, and her first six years were spent engaged in the India trade. She then became a tramp pursuing general cargo such as lumber, jute, cement, and wheat from ports in Australia, California, India, New Zealand, and the British Isles.
After twenty-one years under the Red Ensign, Falls of Clyde was purchased for US$25,000 by Captain William Matson of the Matson Navigation Company, taken to Honolulu, Hawaii in 1899, and registered under the Hawaiian flag.
To economize on crew, Matson rigged Falls of Clyde down as a barque, replacing the five yards on her aftermost (jigger) mast with two more easily-managed fore-and-aft sails. At the same time, he added a deckhouse, charthouse, and rearranged the after quarters to accommodate paying passengers. From 1899 to 1907, she made over sixty voyages between Hilo, Hawaii, and San Francisco, California. She carried general merchandise from San Francisco and sugar from Hawaii, and passengers both ways. She developed a reputation as a handy, fast, and commodious vessel; her voyages averaged 17 days each way.
In 1907, the Associated Oil Company (which later became Tidewater Oil) bought Falls of Clyde and converted her to a bulk tanker with a capacity of 19,000 barrels (three million liters, 800,000 gallons). In this configuration she sailed from Gaviota, California, with kerosene, which she discharged in Honolulu at the Oahu Railway and Land Company's Pier 16. On her return voyages, she carried bulk molasses to California, where it was used for cattle feed.
Source: Wikipedia
History
The Falls of Clyde was built in 1878 by Russell and Company in Port Glasgow, Inverlyde, Scotland. The ship was launched as the first of eight iron-hulled, four-masted ships built for Wright and Breakenridge’s Falls line. It was named after the Falls of Clyde, a waterfall on the river Clyde.
In 1899, Capt. William Matson purchased the ship and brought it to Honolulu, where it was registered under the Hawaiian flag. From 1898 to 1907, the Falls of Clyde was used as a transpacific passenger and freight-carrying vessel. The ship was later sold and converted to a bolt tanker and then to a fuel-oil barge and floating gasoline depot before being decommissioned in 1959. The Falls of Clyde changed hands twice before it was given to the Bishop Museum in 1968, after which it was transferred to Hawaii Maritime Center in 1988.
Historic Timeline
1878: The Falls of Clyde is built by Russell and Company in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, Scotland. It launches as the first of eight iron-hulled, four-masted ships built for Wright and Breakenridge's Falls line. The ship is named after the Falls of Clyde, a waterfall up the River Clyde, and is designed to carry trade.
1899: Capt. William Matson of the Matson Navigation Co. purchases the Falls of Clyde for $25,000, takes it to Honolulu in 1899 and registers it under the Hawaiian flag. When the Republic of Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1900, it took a special act of the United States Congress to secure the foreign-built ship the right to fly the Stars and Stripes.
1898 — 1901: The Falls of Clyde is downrigged by Matson to economize on crew and modifications are made to increase its maneuverability, an asset when sailing along a coastline. The Falls of Clyde enters into service as a Hawaiian transpacific passenger and freight-carrying vessel.
1899 to 1907: The Falls of Clyde makes over 60 voyages between Hilo and San Francisco, carrying general merchandise from San Francisco and sugar from Hawai'i, and passengers both ways. Voyages average 17 days each way.
1907: The Associated Oil Company (which later became Tidewater Oil) buys the Falls of Clyde and converts it to a bulk tanker. Ten riveted steel ballast tanks — five on the port side, five on the starboard side — are built into the ship.
1927: The Falls of Clyde is sold to the General Petroleum Company and converted to a fuel-oil barge and floating gasoline depot in Alaska.
1959: The ship is sold to William Mitchell, who tows it to Seattle intending to sell it to a preservation group. Mitchell's plan falls through.
1963: The bank holding the mortgage on the Falls of Clyde decides to sell the ship to be sunk as part of a breakwater at Vancouver, British Columbia. Karl Kortum and Fred Klebingat instead buy the ship.
Nov. 18, 1963. The Falls of Clyde arrives in Honolulu. It is given to the Bishop Museum and opened to the public in 1968. The grandson of the original 19th-century designer William Lithgow assisted in her restoration as a full-rigged ship.
1973: The Falls of Clyde is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark.
2002: The Falls of Clyde is awarded a $300,000 grant under the Save America's Treasures program with matching funds given by private citizen Robert J. Pfeiffer. A cadre of volunteers, from the Caledonian Society to the Boy Scouts to Elderhostel participants, work throughout the year on a variety of projects from chipping and painting, to sanding and rigging work. Some volunteers lead tours, while others work on fundraising efforts such as the annual Fish Fry and Harbor Festival.
Source:
Condition
The Falls of Clyde is in poor condition! There is only one person assigned to maintain the vessel, and the Maritime Center has virtually no budget.
The iron hull of the Falls of Clyde requires a cathode electrolysis system to prevent rust. Two years ago such a system was bought and is now under the stairs in the museum in its original shipping box. Why was it not installed? Why spend so much money on a system and then not use it?
Bishop Museum Mission
“To study, preserve,
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Bishop Museum Board
of Directors* |
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David C. Hulihe’e |
Robert A. Alm |
Marlene M. Lum |
Winona E. Rubin |
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Chairman J. Akina, M.D.
Vice Chairman |
Jeanne A. Anderson |
Kapio’lani K. Marignoli |
Donna Tanoue |
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S. Haunani Apolina, Vice
Chairman |
H. Mitchell D’Olier |
Robin S. Midkiff |
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Watters O. Martin, Jr.
Secretary |
Lloyd M. Fujie |
Edison H. Miyawaki M.D. |
Gulab Watumull |
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Isabella A. Abbott PHD |
Allison Holt Gendreau |
Wilmer C. Morris |
Gaylord Wilcox |
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EiRayna Kaloi Adams |
Neil J. Hannahs |
Russell K.Okata |
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Daniel K. Akaka Jr. |
Richard Humphreys |
Richard Pagilnawan |
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*as of June 30, 2007 |
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Bishop Museum
Association Council* |
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Wayne H. Sterling,
President |
Rowena Blaisdell |
Emily Hawkins |
Richard Pagilngwan |
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Mark Fox, 1st
Vice President |
Michael Buck |
H.K. Bruss Keppeler |
Ku’uhaku Park |
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Maura Jordan, 2nd
Vice President |
Susan Char |
Mele Look |
Phil Sevier |
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G. Umi Kai, Treasurer |
Marylou H. Poley |
Colleen Maeda-Bird |
David Shores |
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Maria Orr, Secretary |
Charles W. Fortner |
Bruce Nakamura |
Carol L. Silva |
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David Asanuma |
Matthews M. Hamabata |
Nanette Napoleon |
Caroline Yacoe |
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Clint Basler |
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*as of June 30, 2007 |
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Choices
- Repair, sail and have her pay her way
- Put her in concrete where she is and have her pay her way
Needs
- Some money for drydocking
- A new group who cares for her
Her associated sisters: “Elissa” one year older and being sailed from the Texas Seaport Museum with a 2 year wait list.
Associated Notes
- A cathode electrolysis system to prevent rust was purchased 2 years ago and stayed under the steps in its original carton supposedly finally put on but backwards so the device actually exacerbated the rusting problem
- No curator
- Competent employees were fired
- One caretaker with no expertise
- Money for the Falls of Clyde didn’t seem to get to her and daily observers at the Maritime Center did not see apparent work being done in her behalf to account for monies given.
- People
seem reluctant to question actions and expenditures for the
- Clandestine efforts to sink her rather than concerted effort to save her
Comments
“Most of the major expenses really relate to keeping it as a
sailing ship, in the water. Simply move
it into a shore side berth in the park.
There the cost of stabilizing it and maintaining it would be much
less.” - Jim Riley,
“Best museum practices include taking responsibility for collections. The Falls of Clyde is an artifact just the same as a surfboard or a kahili. The Bishop Museum has really let the public down. If they could not properly maintain this object they needed to deaccesion her in an ethical, legal, and moral way, and find a new home for her. What they have done so far is allow her to rot in the water.
The Falls of Clyde isn’t just a novelty. She tells of an important chapter in Hawaiian
history. There are no other tall ships
in the islands. This ship had a
connection to the isles, having sailed routes there and even under the flag of
Hawaii. She was nominated to the
National Register in 1973. In 1989 the
Secretary of the Interior designated the
I hope the people of Hawaii and the staff of the Bishop Museum look to the success stories like that of the Galveston Historical Foundation in saving the Elissa. After all, how can anyone tell the story of post-contact Hawaii without a tall ship? That’s like trying to describe the nineteenth and twentieth century history of the American West without trains, mines, or water projects. Plus, let’s face it...the ship is cool!” – Jacqui Conley, Denver CO
“What a pity. We’ve
got the Glenlee. She is looking
good. I found Basil Lubbock’s books to
be the best on this subject.” – Jim,
Falls of Clyde has
corrosion on her hull plates below the waterline because she has not been
dry-docked for twenty five years. ( dumb! )
The answer to her
problems is to float her onto a barge or pontoon in a dry-dock and lift her
clear of the water, this is done by floating a barge into the dry-dock then
pumping the water out until the barge settles on the floor of the dock, open
the hatches in the barge so that the barge fills with water when the dock is
refilled, float the FoC into the dock and lower the water level until the
ship settles onto the barge, divers go down and adjust the hull side support
blocks then the water is completely pumped out of the dock and barge, close the
hatches on the barge and refill the dock , the barge floats up to sea level
with the FoC sitting on its deck , tow the barge and FoC back to the maritime
museum pier, pressure wash her hull and give it a coat of paint. (
job done! )
A barge could be
purchased for between $200,000 and $1,000,000 or donated by a shipping or construction
company or US navy.
The drydocking
should only take two days.
The restoration of
this ship may well cost $30 million or more but once sitting on a
barge it won't matter if the job takes 30 or 40 years.
The important thing
is our great grand children will still be able to walk her decks and sail
her around the world if they want to.
Richard Wood
With his permission, we have included an eloquent letter from Mr. Tom Keohan of Parker, Colorado, which was submitted to the Honolulu Advertiser. Please click here to read his letter.
Ship’s Logs Kept in Verse!
As we sail across the Sea
The Falls of Clyde keeps us company
Moctobi's engines grit and grind
To keep old Clyde close behind.
Today, hauling cargo to Hawaii was seen a proud white ship.
We couldn't help remembering Clyde and all her similar trips.
Yes this one is quite different than those of earlier times,
When she carried black oil and molasses to many different climes
Today the cargo is memories and sea stories yet untold
Which when moored tomorrow may be brought up from the hold.
Tomorrow at Honolulu her final trip will end,
And we will bid aloha to our gallant seagoing friend.
Your towing debut is finally Pau
The Clyde's at home forever now.
Your sitreps were noted with interest each day
As Moctobi pulled the long, rough way.
This grand old lady is destined to be
A memorable relic for all Hawaii
By your fine effort the task is won.
Welcome home, and to all a well done.
A Plea For Help
This gracious Lady needs someone new who will love and care for her. Restoration of the Falls of Clyde is well beyond the reach of state taxpayers; clearly, only private funding can save the ship.
She serviced and supplied Hawaii for 100 years and helped retire the Maritime Museum mortgage debt. She was used and now they want to throw her away.
For those in the private sector with proposals, now is the time to step up. A National Historic Landmark is at risk.
If you donate to the Bishop Museum and they still sink her, you will probably NOT get your money back! So if you want your money back in case they sink her, please donate to the Caledonian Society and they will guarantee your refund.
Whom to Contact
Please contact the Friends of the Falls of Clyde.
Direct Contributions
If you want to contribute directly to the effort to save the