Falls of Clyde – July 2017 Update
August is nearly upon us.
The Friends of Falls of Clyde (FFOC) has stated to the press that Falls of Clyde is scheduled to leave for Scotland in September. The organization claims it is currently making the necessary preparations. If that is indeed the case, where is the flurry of activity one would expect with such a short timeline?
The only indication things are moving along are two Yokohama fenders* that have been placed on the port side of the ship. These were set up in preparation for a vessel to come alongside to assist with deballasting** the ship.
Yokohama fenders on the port side of Falls of Clyde. 23 July 2017.
Meanwhile, David O’Neill continues to do a superhuman job. He has been talking to potential supporters all over the world, including Matson. A direct dialog with Matson is good news. Maritime Hawai‘i hopes the discussions bear fruit. It would be fitting and a good PR move for the company to aid this historic, one-of-a-kind ship…the sole survivor of Captain William Matson’s original fleet of ships that started the company along the path to what it is today.
***
100 Years Ago:
The Associated Oil ship Falls of Clyde and the schooner Blakely sailed yesterday from the coast [of California] for Honolulu. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 24 July 1917.)
*If any of the FFOC board members read this, Maritime Hawai‘i suggests that the forward fender be moved aft until it is directly under the white mark on the bulwark. (The white marks indicate the locations of the tank bulkheads.) The aft fender could stand to be moved forward as well. Just some helpful advice if you are concerned about the condition of the hull!
**It seems rather premature to deballast the ship now, especially since there is currently no date set for the arrival of a heavy-lift ship and it is hurricane season.
