Officials order repairs as historic ship Falls of Clyde takes on water

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BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Workers with American Marine Corp. were at the Falls of Clyde in its berth Wednesday, working to seal rust spots on its hull and pump out water that has seeped into the ship. American Marine diver Sean McCann applied an underwater epoxy on rust spots on the hull. While conducting an inspection Wednesday morning, managers had noticed the ship sitting lower in the water.

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BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM

McCann applied the epoxy to a rusted seam.

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State officials said Wednesday that the historic ship Falls of Clyde is beginning to sink at Honolulu Harbor.

State Department of Transportation spokesman Tim Sakahara said that while conducting an assessment Wednesday morning, managers noticed the 266-foot ship was sitting lower in the water than previously observed.

“Some crews came in, and sure enough, it was taking on water and beginning to sink,” he said. “We got an emergency procurement to go in today and crews are pumping out water as we speak, plus some divers have gone in to assess the bottom to make any necessary repairs.”

Originally, the state Harbors Division had given the Friends of the Falls of Clyde, the registered owner of the ship, until Feb. 6 to remove it from its berth at Pier 7. Otherwise, the state would move ahead with auction proceedings.

Friends president Bruce McEwan had hoped to move the ship to Pearl Harbor until a Scotland-based group, Save Falls of Clyde International, could execute a plan to bring it back to Scotland, where it was built. A plan to transport the ship to Scotland fell through over the summer.

McEwan said the changes in the ship’s hull apparently occurred overnight, and that it is difficult to know for sure what happened until a full assessment is made.

“It looks like somehow the heavy winds in the harbor caused some kind of wave action against the port side, and opened up a rust seam and (it) started taking in water,” he said. “Once water started coming in and the bow went down, it was the same type of situation. Water started coming in through the seams.”

McEwan said the state brought in contractors to do the repair work.

Originally built by Russell &Co. in Port Glasgow, Scotland, in 1878, the Falls of Clyde is believed to be the last surviving ship of a fleet named after Scottish waterfalls. It departed from Greenock, Scotland, in 1879 for its maiden voyage to Karachi, Pakistan, then became part of Matson’s fleet before being converted into an oil tanker.

In retirement at Honolulu Harbor, the ship became a museum and hosted weddings, funerals, parties, military re-enlistment ceremonies and even a re-enactment of the Boston Tea Party.

It survived Hurricane Iwa and two previous plans to scuttle the vessel. Bishop Museum, its previous owner, was going to scrap it, but the Friends purchased it for $1 in 2008. It has been berthed at Pier 7 for free since 2008, and the Friends just marked the ship’s 140th anniversary in December.

The state impounded the ship in 2016.

Sakahara said work to keep the ship from sinking would likely continue for a few days, and that discussions would continue next week on what to do with it.