VESSELS IN PERIL & VESSELS IN NEED
VESSELS IN PERIL
This page is dedicated to drawing attention to the plight of some of our member ships in urgent need of support to secure their preservation. Although many vessels are able to support themselves, others are struggling to survive.
THE CITY OF ADELAIDE (EX-CARRICK)
She
lies at Irvine in Scotland, and, having been refused UK Lottery funds, is now
having to apply for
The Trustees of the Museum have raised £1million since they were asked
to rescue the vessel after she had sunk in the Clyde in Glasgow. Those funds,
which were from numerous sources including the European Regional Development
Fund, have been spent on the first phases of the restoration of the vessel. The
appeal for additional funds launched by the Trustees
The Trustees received a report, commissioned by the Scottish Executive, in September 1999 which looked at the current structure and funding of the Museum. City of Adelaide was singled out as a Scottish project which required greater support than that of the museum alone. The study recommended that, if the Trust failed to raise sufficient funds, the vessel should be offered for sale to other organisations with access to the font size="3" face="Times New Roman">resources to fund the restoration. City of Adelaide, has been offered for sale, at the original buying price, to Authorities and Museums in the UK, Australia and the USA. That process was commenced at the beginning of February, no buyer has come forward. The Trustees are now, very reluctantly, accepting the final conclusion of the report which said that, in the event of a failure to find a new home for the vessel, the vessel should be dismantled. The application for listed building consent to demolish the vessel has been submitted to North Ayrshire Council. The museum will be making applications for grant aid to cover the cost of the recording of the vessel during the demolition process. The prime objective of the Trustees of the Scottish Maritime Museum is to safeguard the museum's collections.
Priority in recent years has been given to raise funds to house, maintain and present the collections of national and international importance and it will be necessary for this emphasis to continue for the foreseeable future. EN-US">The ship was launched in 1864 from the yard of W. Pile, Hay & Co., of Sunderland. The owners were based in Britain but included former emigrants to South Australia who had returned and who still had business interests there. The City of Adelaide was designed to carry both cargo and passengers, and was fitted with the highest quality of first class accommodation for a sailing ship. Second class passengers were also carried and, when necessary, basic emigrant accommodation was provided. City of Adelaide was one of the sailing vessels which gave a regular annual service to the ports of South Australia over the second half of the nineteenth century and as such were of fundamental importance to the development of the colony.
City of Adelaide was sold in 1887 and like many vessels of a similar type was used for bulk cargo transporting, firstly, as a collier working between the Tyne and Dover, and secondly, on the North Atlantic timber trade. In 1893 the ship's days under sail ended when she was bought by Southampton Corporation, but this was, in fact, the beginning of a long period, lasting almost 100 years, during which the City of Adelaide was converted for several widely differing purposes. Thirty years as a floating isolation hospital at with the Admiralty, as an RNVR drill ship and wartime DEMS training ship at Greenock on the Clyde; and finally forty four years as the Carrick, the floating premises of the RNVR (Scotland) Club, moored on the Clyde at Glasgow.The failure of an initial attempt to preserve the vessel by a newly established body, the Clyde Ship Trust, led to the involvement of the Scottish Maritime Museum. The ship, by 1991 in dire straits and at risk of total loss, was, through a very large scale operation, salvaged and removed in 1992 to Irvine, the headquarters of the Scottish Maritime Museum, for preservation and future restoration. The Scottish Maritime Museum has been unable to raise money to preserve the vessel. It sits on a rented slip and the owner of the slip is insisting that the ship is removed.
The SV City of Adelaide had been protected by Historic Scotland as an A listed historic building. However, the Scottish Maritime Museum has now secured permission from North Ayrshire Council and Historic Scotland to deconstruct the ship to guidelines developed by National Historic Ships. It plans to move sections of the hull to its Linthouse Building and to demolish the remainder of the hull. Tenders have been called for the work of deconstructing the ship. Tenders close on 23 November 2009 and work is planned to commence between 1 February and 31 March 2010.
There remain two groups who are lobbying to save the SV City of Adelaide. One is the Clipper Ship City of Adelaide Limited which is based in South Australia and aims to take the vessel to Port Adelaide, whose website you can visit here www.cityofadelaide.org.au.
The other is the Sunderland City of Adelaide Recovery Fund and it aims to return the ship to the port in which it was built.The City of Adelaide is currently the oldest clipper ship in the world.
THE HAMEN
ex s/s "Tandik", ex s/s "Pompey Power
"Hamen" is a typical and classic example of the numerous tramp traders in Europe , from the period covering the late 1930s until into the 1970s.
She was built as "Pompey Power" by Austin & Son Ltd. in Sunderland, England in 1949. She and her sistership "Pompey Light" were ordered by "The Lord Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of the City of Portsmouth". Both ships entered the collier-fleet, carrying coal from north of England to the coal-fired power-plants in Portsmouth. Just after the first delivery of coal to Portsmouth, the electricity industry was nationalised and the ships taken over by The British Electricity Authority, but operated by Stephenson, Clarke Ltd.
According to the builder, "Pompey Power" was among the "finest collier afloat". She had modern equipment and interior. The hull was painted black, while deckhouses and masts were brown, except for the wings of the bridge which were white. A white line was painted along the top of the hull from bow to aft.
The Pompey-sisters continued in their trade until 1960, when the oil-fired Marchwood Power Station opened. The need for coal was reduced. Subsequently, "Pompey Power" was sold, while "Pompey Light" continued until 1968, when she was scrapped in Antwerp.
Norwegian history
"Pompey Power" was sold in 1960 to A/S Orion-Tandberg & Möinichen in Norway, and renamed "Tandik". Deck machinery and masts were modernized. She went into the North Sea trade, but with little success. In 1962, she was sold again to Hans Utkilen in Bergen, who renamed her "Hamen". Her steam engine was removed and a 9-cylinder Wichmann diesel installed. From 1962 "Hamen" was sailing in European tramp trade with for example coal, steel, stone, grain, ore and timber as cargo. This went on with great success until the early eighties, when it became obvious that such an old ship no longer could compete with modern types. In 1986, "Hamen" was finally laid up north of Bergen. After an effort over years until 1996 to preserve the ship in Norway, "Hamen " was sold to Lupin Shipping Ltd., St Vincent. This company is owned by Alvar Olsson, Varberg, Sweden. He towed the ship to a harbour near Strömstad in Sweden. And then, "Hamen" was nearly forgotten for years.
New efforts to rescue "Hamen"
Since the 18th century, Norway has been amongst the most important shipping and fishing nations in the world. As a coastal nation, Norway has been depending of maritime activities for centuries. The foreign shipping trade has contributed essentially to the country’s economy and is still an important part.
Despite this importance, not a single vessel from the Norwegian international fleet is preserved as a museum ship.
From about 1980, several representatives from authorities, preservation institutions and interested individuals have expressed their desire to secure a freighter from this period, as a museum ship. "Hamen" is representative both for the type and design of this epoch.
Among these representatives were The Directorate for Cultural Heritage, the Norwegian Council for Culture, the Department of Environment, members of the Parliament, The Norwegian Maritime Museum, the Norwegian Society for Preservation of Historic Ships and individuals with great and wide experience from preservation.
As a museum ship "Hamen" could give the Norwegian society a possibility to learn how a ship like her were built and sailed and show the life of the seamen, who contributed enormously to the country and its economy.
She would in fact be a great contribution to the cultural heritage of Norway.
To date, there are only a few examples of ocean going power cargo ships being preserved in the world.
The Foundation m/v "Hamen" ex s/s "Tandik".
The foundation is established to secure and preserve "Hamen" as a stationary historic vessel and museum. The foundation bought the ship in 2005, and it is now temporarily secured. We have received economical and political support of different types, for instance from the Norwegian Council for Cultural Heritage, a private trust, from the Norwegian Parliament, and some private companies. The ship is still laid up in Sweden. At present, the working conditions are very, very difficult. "Hamen" should definitely be docked as soon as possible, to secure the underwater hull. The decks and the roofs of the deckhouses are leaking and in poor conditions. However, under the present economical conditions, it is not possible for the foundation to tow the ship to a yard for docking. We are in urgent need of money, and the situation for "Hamen" may be critical and impossible for the foundation to handle within short time.
We are therefore in need of any kind of help, as economical, practical, political and moral, to save the ship from this present situation. It is still possible to secure and preserve "Hamen", if the recourses are available, but there is not much time to do it!
If You want to get more information, discuss possible solutions, or even better contribute economically or/and practically, please contact Mr. Arne Holm in Oslo, telephone number 0047 9139 4558: email arme.holm@energi.no. Or visit the website on www.hamen.no.
VESSELS IN NEED OF SUPPORT
HMS PLYMOUTH
HMS PLYMOUTH AT BIRKENHEAD NOW -- DEVON IN 2007?
The HMS Plymouth Preservation Trust Ltd is looking to preserve the Falkland veteran frigate and move her to Plymouth where Associated British Ports have made available a berth in the Millbay Docks. Provided sufficient funds are raised her arrival in Plymouth will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the 1982 Falkland Conflict in which she played a key role. The Argentine surrender of South Georgia was signed in her wardroom and she was the subject of fierce air attack in San Carlos Water, being hit by 4 bombs. On June 17 1982 she was fittingly the first RN ship to enter Stanley harbour. HMS Plymouth was originally built at Devonport, being completed in 1959 and featured in the Cod Wars.
The charity is chaired by Commander Peter Harrison of the Ton Association and I am one of seven other trustees with a wide variety of backgrounds in local leisure industry, HMS Plymouth Association, media/PR, TV, accountancy, ex Royal Navy to name but a few!
A group of sympathetic investors is likely to buy the ship with the charity purchasing in a year or so, having hopefully raised the necessary funds.
Contributions payable to HMS Plymouth Preservation Trust Ltd (charitable application pending) can be sent c/o 12 Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1PA.
To learn more about the "Toroa" click here!
To learn more about the "Yavari" click here!
For further information, please contact Mr. Edward G. Zelinsky at Main Street Properties, PO Box 1043, 130 Main Street, Tiburon, CA 94920, USA; phone: (415) 435 0413; fax: (415) 435 6514. E-mail: ezelin8243@aol.com
