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  • The Falls of Clyde ship

    http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/ap...D=200880322005

    The ship needs $32 million for repairs and renovation!

    The historic Falls of Clyde, currently moored in Honolulu Harbor, will need an estimated $32 million in repair and renovation work to be restored to its former glory, according to a recent assessment of the 130-year-old ship.

    The cost of restoring the vessel has Bishop Museum searching for a new benefactor that can demonstrate the desire and the means to take on the tasks of restoring and maintaining the historic ship.

    "While our first choice would be to move forward with a complete restoration of the Falls of Clyde, the reality is such that we do not have the finances or staff resources to undertake a fundraising campaign of this monumental magnitude," said Timothy E. Johns, president and chief executive officer of Bishop Museum. The museum operates the Hawai'i Maritime Center, which owns the Falls of Clyde.

    Bishop Museum has launched a worldwide search for a new benefactor for the Falls of Clyde. Ocean Technical Services, which is conducting the search, has identified more than 500 potential candidates.

    A National Historic Landmark, the Falls of Clyde was last dry docked in 1981 and underwent significant restoration that enabled tours of the ship to resume and thousands of visitors to go aboard and experience it. A preservation plan was developed shortly thereafter and has served as the Museum's guide for ongoing maintenance and repair work.

    In early 2007, Hawai'i Maritime Center made the decision to close the ship to tours for safety reasons and in order to facilitate repairs to the deteriorating tank, which frequently caused the ship to list dramatically. The decision was also made to conduct a more thorough inspection by marine experts.

    The Falls of Clyde was built in 1878 by Russell and Company in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, 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 bulk 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 Hawai'i Maritime Center in 1988.
    Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

  • #2
    Re: The Falls of Clyde ship

    That was a sad story to read, as I can't imagine them being able to find any individual or corporation who would cough up $32 million for something that offers almost zero return on investment, and trying to raise that amount through public donations just wouldn't happen. Plus, the FOC is competing with the battleship Missouri for donations and for volunteer manpower too.
    I'm a big fan of the FOC, partly thanks to the late Bob Krauss, but I'm afraid I don't see a happy ending here.

    Well, time for your thanks.
    .
    .

    That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

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    • #3
      Re: The Falls of Clyde ship

      No, this is probably going to end very badly and it's virtually criminal. The vessel's handling has been mismanaged for decades.
      I was an apprentice rigger on her from '80 to '82 and almost nobody has gone aloft since I did, and certainly no work has been done.
      32 mil is just starters at costs today.
      https://www.facebook.com/Bobby-Ingan...5875444640256/

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      • #4
        Re: The Falls of Clyde ship


        Click on the photo to see a larger version.

        This ship is definitely deteriorating and is too expensive to restore.
        I'm still here. Are you?

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        • #5
          Re: The Falls of Clyde ship

          I've got some great memories as a child and with my children aboard.
          I did with the varsity theater too! The tide and time waits for no man.

          My suggestion?!
          Salvage anything worthwhile aboard and sink it in an appropriate place.
          It is 130 years old and I doubt any entity will foot the bill to add (?) years to it.
          No matter what, eventually unless placed on land, it'll end up on the ocean floor.

          Thinking forward while remembering the past.
          Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

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          • #6
            Re: The Falls of Clyde ship

            This might sound like a corny idea, but I think if anyone wants to save the FOC, they need to dig up some neat story about the ship and have it turned into a movie. That would generate interest with people and it might motivate folks to launch some kind of campaign to save the FOC.

            Trick is, the story would have to be exciting enough to be the basis for a movie. Maybe historians at the Bishop Museum and the Maritime Center can do some research and find an interesting story of real people and actual events that took place on the FOC. If necessary, embellish it just a little by adding pirates, a naval battle with cannons, a damsel in distress, and buried treasure.
            This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

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            • #7
              Re: The Falls of Clyde ship

              You never know FM!

              Here's a link to a Wikipedia page about FOC.
              http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_of_Clyde
              Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

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              • #8
                Re: The Falls of Clyde ship

                The best thing to do is bring her out of the water into a land based cradle of sorts to more than support but also showcase her entire hull which is very impressive on it's own. But it would take the whole parking lot nearby to house the whole thing.
                https://www.facebook.com/Bobby-Ingan...5875444640256/

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                • #9
                  Re: The Falls of Clyde ship

                  Originally posted by Ron Whitfield View Post
                  The best thing to do is bring her out of the water into a land based cradle
                  The Japanese have done that for some of their historic ships.

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                  • #10
                    Re: The Falls of Clyde ship

                    Speaking of the FOC...

                    Family folklore says my great-grandfather Nagasawa was a cook on the FOC. I've consequently always felt an attachment to the FOC and was very disappointed to not be able to tour it last time I was on Oahu a few months ago. Its current woes or uncertain fate is of course very saddening.

                    At the risk of shattering long held assumption/hope that my great-grandfather's claim was true, I've done some very limited research to confirm his story through looking at some books at the library and visiting and contacting the Maritime Center. None of this was conclusive, I can't seem to find ships records or anything for the 1898 - 1907 Matson period when he would likely have been sailing. Most info I've found is for the post 1916 Cpt. Kleibingat (I think that's it) period. Before rolling up my sleeves and really looking into it, I thought I might throw his story out on this thread and hope to get lucky. So does anyone know of existing FOC crew lists or published ship records from the pre-1916 era?

                    I don't really doubt he served on ships, his naturalization papers show he was fishing all over the Pacific Rim on other vessels. I just don't know if he sailed on the FOC. As for being a cook, well, I always thought it unusual a man from Japan would spend his life cooking New England boiled dinners, roasted turkeys, stew, and never anything Japanese. There was supposedly a plaque associated with the repatriated FOC which mentioned my great-grandfather's name as cook. But no one at the Maritime Center has heard of such a plaque (and they would be the ones who know!).

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                    • #11
                      Re: The Falls of Clyde ship

                      Mr. Bob, I wish I could help somehow, but please, if you succeed in finding some pertainent info, post it here!
                      https://www.facebook.com/Bobby-Ingan...5875444640256/

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                      • #12
                        Re: The Falls of Clyde ship

                        isnt Bishop museum associated with Kamehameha schools and bishop estate?
                        if so.... there should be no shortage of money...surely this can be considered educational and a great way to give back to the community and create jobs as well......
                        the bigger the government the smaller the citizen.

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                        • #13
                          Re: The Falls of Clyde ship

                          Originally posted by escondido100 View Post
                          isnt Bishop museum associated with Kamehameha schools and bishop estate?
                          if so.... there should be no shortage of money...
                          No, unfortunately the estate does not share resources with the Bishop Museum (parent of the Hawaii Maritime Center).

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                          • #14
                            Re: The Falls of Clyde ship

                            Originally posted by escondido100 View Post
                            isnt Bishop museum associated with Kamehameha schools and bishop estate?
                            That's a common misconception.
                            The building that was/is the original campus for the school is on museum grounds. It's in the "Historical Landmarks" registry and badly needs renovation, but our big sister up the hill won't even help with that.

                            So, no real association. Too bad.
                            Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

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                            • #15
                              Re: The Falls of Clyde ship

                              MM, that she is 130 years old is one of many reasons to continue keeping her in good condition for generations to enjoy and study. She's the last of all the '4 masted ships' (this term notates the fact that all masts are square rigged) and has immense historical ties to Hawaii and nothing like her exists in a state where sailing was a foundation for it's very being. For the State to throw her away is pointless and less than short-sighted. If they want a waterfront that is worth a damn, then the FOC is irreplaceable and a must save, and then put a focus on her. She's a great selling point for Hawaii, but has instead been ignored until she's about to rot away.
                              We already have substantialy so little to show of our superbly interesting past, that every bit is precious, and few are as much as this vessel.
                              Last edited by Ron Whitfield; June 7, 2008, 08:15 AM.
                              https://www.facebook.com/Bobby-Ingan...5875444640256/

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