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GEORGE F. LEE / JUNE 2016
The four masted sailing ship Falls of Clyde was impounded by the state Harbors Divison.
Friends of the Falls of Clyde, a 19th century oiler docked at Honolulu Harbor, received a notice today that the ship has been impounded by the state Harbors Division.
Friends President Bruce McEwan said by telephone that he received the notice at his Pauoa Valley residence from state harbor police.
McEwan said the organization plans to request an administrative hearing to appeal the notice ordering the ship’s immediate removal from Honolulu Harbor.
“This makes absolutely no sense,” McEwan said.
McEwan said the Friends dispute the state’s allegation that the ship is a safety hazard and have asked until July 2017 to either restore, remove or safely sink the ship, a national historic landmark.
He said the state has consistently said the ship moored at Pier 7 is a safety hazard but has given no details.
The Bishop Museum halted public access to the Falls of Clyde in 2007 and sold it to the Friends for $1 in 2008.
The state Harbors Division, part of the Department of Transportation, said it expected the Friends’ plan to include more immediate action and that the vessel poses an unacceptable risk to navigation.
The state Harbors Division, part of the utterly dysfunctional Department of Transportation hasn’t got a clue what is going on. Not that they ever did.
You have to laugh at how obtuse they are. Making shibai allegations with no credible information to back them up. Just making it up as they go along.
We need a smart attorney representing the boat owners to file a lawsuit against them. By the time they write the check for hundreds of thousansds of dollars there will be plenty of money to repair the ship.
Just another day in the little 8th world of Hawaii Nei.
I’m afraid that the ship has turned out to be a white elephant for The Friends of The Falls of Clyde since the organization is unlikely to raise sufficient funds to restore her……
The Falls is rusting away. The weaken hull could rupture sending it to the bottom of the harbor with all on board, if any. The Falls will not last much longer sitting in salt water. The best way to preserve the ship is to move it to dry land where it can be used as a museum or even as a restaurant. Otherwise, it should be taken out and sunk in water that is not too deep to make it a dive attraction.