Falls of Clyde (1878)
Falls of Clyde at Pier 7, Honolulu Harbor. 15 November 2022.
The Falls of Clyde was built by Russell and Co. at Port Glasgow, Scotland. She was launched on 12 December 1878 (144 years ago). She was originally a full-rigged ship but was later converted to a barque.
Happy Birthday, Old Friend.
Another year has gone by. The Falls of Clyde’s fate is still up in the air. Although Falls of Clyde – International was awarded the contract to remove the ship from Honolulu Harbor, the organization was unable to come up with the amount for the performance bond required by DOT Harbors.
Maritime Hawai‘i hopes that Falls of Clyde – International will be able to work with newly elected Governor Josh Green, MD and his administration to return Falls of Clyde to the Clyde.
In the meantime, the ship waits patiently…
Well we are following up with the new Governor and have now requested a meeting in the New Year to discuss a solution.
To clarify, as a heritage group we could not get any insurer to offer us a Performance Bond, so instead either the State accepted insurance from our contractors, or they kept all funding due from the contract as security, until she was gone, again the State refused, you decide!
Now with global prices gone through the roof, any operation is now more likely to cost the State a lot more, no matter what option they select, should have gone ahead when it was on the table.