''Falls of Clyde'' is the last surviving
iron
Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...
-
hulled
Husk (or hull) in botany is the outer shell or coating of a seed. In the United States, the term husk often refers to the leafy outer covering of an ear of maize (corn) as it grows on the plant. Literally, a husk or hull includes the protective ...
, four-
masted full-rigged ship
A full-rigged ship or fully rigged ship is a sailing vessel's sail plan with three or more masts, all of them square-rigged. A full-rigged ship is said to have a ship rig or be ship-rigged. Such vessels also have each mast stepped in three se ...
, and the only remaining sail-driven
oil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crud ...
. Designated a U.S.
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1989, she is now a
museum ship
A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...
in Honolulu, but her condition has deteriorated. She is currently not open to the public. In September 2008, ownership was transferred to a new nonprofit organization, the Friends of Falls of Clyde. Efforts to raise $1.5 million to get the ship into drydock did not succeed. In November 2021 HDOT accepted a bid from Save Falls of Clyde – International (FOCI) to transport the ship to Scotland for restoration.
History
Russell and Company built ''Falls of Clyde'' in
Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow ( gd, Port Ghlaschu, ) is the second-largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19,426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16,617 persons. The most recen ...
,
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.
Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfr ...
, Scotland. She was launched as the first of nine iron-hulled four-masted ships for Wright and Breakenridge's
Falls Line.
She was named after the
Falls of Clyde, a group of waterfalls on the
River Clyde
The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...
, and built to the highest standard for general worldwide trade,
Lloyd's Register
Lloyd's Register Group Limited (LR) is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research and education in science and ...
A-1. Her maiden voyage took her to
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
, then in
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
, and her first six years were spent engaged in the India trade. She then became a
tramp
A tramp is a long-term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking all year round.
Etymology
Tramp is derived from a Middle English verb meaning to "walk with heavy footsteps" (''cf.'' modern English ''t ...
pursuing general cargo such as lumber, jute, cement, and wheat from ports in Australia, California, India, New Zealand, and the British Isles.
![Falls of Clyde by Lai Fong, oil on board, 1896](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Falls_of_Clyde_by_Lai_Fong%2C_oil_on_board%2C_1896.JPG)
After twenty-one years as a
British merchant ship, ''Falls of Clyde'' was bought for US$25,000 by Captain
William Matson
William Matson (born Wilhelm Mattson) (October 18, 1849 in Lysekil – October 11, 1917) was a Swedish-born American shipping executive. He was the founder of Matson Navigation Company.
Early life
Wilhelm Matson said he was born on October 18, 18 ...
of the
Matson Navigation Company Matson may refer to:
* Matson (surname)
*Matson, Gloucester, England, a suburb of Gloucester
*Matson, Missouri, an unincorporated community
* 2586 Matson, an asteroid
* Matson, Inc., a shipping company, formerly Matson Navigation Company
* Matson F ...
, taken to Honolulu in 1899, and registered under the Hawaiian flag. When the
Republic of Hawaii
The Republic of Hawaii ( Hawaiian: ''Lepupalika o Hawaii'') was a short-lived one-party state in Hawaii between July 4, 1894, when the Provisional Government of Hawaii had ended, and August 12, 1898, when it became annexed by the United State ...
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 sail as an American flag vessel.
To economize on crew, Matson rigged ''Falls of Clyde'' down as a
barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts having the fore- and mainmasts Square rig, rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) Fore-and-aft rig, rigged fore and aft. Som ...
, replacing the five yards on her (
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, carrying general merchandise west, sugar east, and passengers both ways. She developed a reputation as a handy, fast, and commodious vessel, averaging 17 days each way on her voyages.
In 1907, the
Associated Oil Company
Associated Oil Company was an American oil and gas company once headquartered in San Francisco, California and served much of the Pacific West Coast, including Hawaii, as well as the Orient and merged with the Tidewater Oil Company in 1938.
Hi ...
(later
Tidewater Oil
Tidewater Oil Company (rendered as "Tide Water Oil Company" from 1887 to 1936) was a major petroleum refining company during that period. Tidewater was sold many times during its existence. Brands included Tydol, Flying A, and Veedol.
The Veedo ...
) bought ''Falls of Clyde'' and converted her to a bulk oil tanker with a capacity of . Ten large steel tanks were built into her hull, and a pump room, boiler and generator fitted forward of an oil-tight bulkhead.
In this configuration she brought kerosene to Hawaii and returned to California with molasses for cattle feed.
In 1927, she was sold to the General Petroleum Company, her masts cut down, and converted into a floating fuel depot in Alaska. In 1959 she was bought by William Mitchell, who towed her to Seattle, Washington, intending to sell her to a preservation group. Mitchell's plan fell through and subsequent efforts by Karl Kortum, director of the
San Francisco Maritime Museum, and Fred Klebingat, who had sailed in her as chief mate in 1915, to place her in
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
, or
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, were similarly disappointed.
In 1963, the bank holding the mortgage on ''Falls of Clyde'' decided to sell her to be sunk as part of a
breakwater
Breakwater may refer to:
* Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour
Places
* Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia
* Breakwater Island
Breakwater Island () is a small island in the Palme ...
at
Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
. Kortum and Klebingat aroused interest in the ship in Hawaii, and within days of the scheduled scuttling raised funds to buy the ship. At the end of October 1963, ''Falls of Clyde'' was taken under tow bound for Honolulu.
As a museum ship
![Falls of Clyde deck](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Falls_of_Clyde_deck.jpg)
''Falls of Clyde'' was given to the
Bishop Museum
The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated the Hawaii State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. Founded in 1889, it is the lar ...
and opened to the public in 1968. In 1970 shipbuilder and industrialist
Sir William Lithgow, the grandson of original 19th century designer
William Lithgow, was engaged to assist in her restoration as a full-rigged ship. His Port Glasgow shipyard donated new steel masts, and topgallants, jib and spanker booms of Oregon pine.
In 1973 the ship was entered into the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
,
and declared a U.S.
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1989.
[
and]
In 1982 the ship was seriously damaged in
Hurricane Iwa
Hurricane Iwa, taken from the Hawaiian language name for the frigatebird (iwa, lit. "Thief"), was at the time the costliest hurricane to affect the state of Hawaii. Iwa was the twenty-third tropical storm and the twelfth and final hurricane of the ...
.
By 2008 she was in poor condition. Causes of the deterioration of the ship are multiple. The ship has not been dry docked for a long time. Sandblasting arguably damaged the ship. Preventive maintenance was not performed. The
Bishop Museum
The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated the Hawaii State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. Founded in 1889, it is the lar ...
, "has been accused of incompetence and dishonesty" for raising $600,000 to preserve the ship but then spending only about half that, and for other decisions on how the money that was spent.
[
]
In 2008, the Bishop Museum announced plans to sink her by the end of the year unless private funds were raised for an endowment for her perpetual care.
[
] In September 2008 the Bishop Museum was persuaded to transfer ownership to the non-profit group Friends of Falls of Clyde, which intended to restore her. Many artifacts and fixtures had previously been given away, taken, or otherwise disappeared on the assumption that the ship was to be scuttled.
[
] $350,000 was obtained from the Robert J. Pfeiffer Foundation, but hoped-for federal funds under the "Save America's Treasures" program or other programs did not come through. Each year, the Foundation hoped to get her into drydock but did not succeed. In June 2016 Harbors Division of the
Hawaii Department of Transportation
The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) is a state government organization which oversees transportation in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The agency is divided into three divisions dealing with aviation, maritime, and roads.
HDOT Divisions Ai ...
(HDOT) revoked the permit for her to moor at Pier 7, citing safety and security risks to port users.
Restoration and repatriation efforts
![Falls of Clyde](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Falls_of_Clyde.Honolulu._%2810754780683%29.jpg)
In August 2016 a group based in Glasgow, Scotland launched the Save Falls of Clyde – International (FOCI) Campaign, with a view to have her returned to Scotland where she was originally built. Initially, they answered a call for help from the charity known as the ‘Friends of the Falls of Clyde’ (FFOC) who owned and wanted to save the FOC from being scuttled. They put together a plan to get her back to Scotland attempting to work with HDOT and building and executing a plan.
In February 2019 HDOT put the ship up for auction but did not receive any qualified bids.
In July 2021 HDOT solicited bids for removal of the ship from Honolulu Harbor, and received two proposals in response. The Foundation challenged the Harbors Division's assessment of the ship, and says they never gave up ownership rights.
In November 2021 HDOT accepted a bid from FOCI to transport the ship to either
Greenock
Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...
or Glasgow where it would be restored and returned to sea. In March 2022 David O'Neill of FOCI said, "There's just a few legal and technical points to be ironed out, and then we will finalise the contract." HDOT canceled the bid in May 2022 after they said FOCI failed to meet conditions of the contract.
In popular culture
* The ship appears as a filming location in ''Magnum, P.I.,'' Season 2, Episodes 5 and 6, "Memories are Forever" (November 5, 1981) and Season 6, Episode 10, "Blood and Honor" (November 21, 1985).
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
Hawaiʻi Maritime Center
*
ttp://www.bishopmuseum.org/ Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum''Falls of Clyde'' on HawaiiWebFriends of ''Falls of Clyde'' websiteFalls of Clyde International Ltd*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falls Of Clyde
Ships built on the River Clyde
History of Inverclyde
Museum ships in Hawaii
National Historic Landmarks in Hawaii
Individual sailing vessels
Sailing ships of Scotland
Tall ships of the United Kingdom
Tall ships of the United States
Tankers of the United States
Museums in Honolulu
Four-masted ships
Windjammers
Oil tankers
Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii
1878 ships
Full-rigged ships
Historic American Engineering Record in Hawaii
National Register of Historic Places in Honolulu
1878 in Scotland
Ships and vessels on the National Archive of Historic Vessels