HRH The Duke of Edinburgh used a celebration in July this year of the saving of the SS Great Britain to focus on the horrendous plight of the City of Adelaide. The ship a category A Listed Building, has been marooned on a slipway in Irvine for over a decade. Proposals put forward over the years have not proved viable and consent for the vessel’s recorded deconstruction had been given in 2007. As reported in RN 110, a campaign to prevent this prompted Fiona Hyslop, Scottish Minister for Culture and External Affairs to commission a review to explore all the current schemes for resolution.
The options being considered were:
- managed deconstruction of the vessel for recording and public display;
- relocation in Scotland;
- and two bids to remove the vessel from Scotland (Clipper Ship ‘City of Adelaide’ Ltd (CSCoAL) and the Sunderland City of Adelaide Recovery Foundation (SCARF).
None of these options is straightforward, and the review was to facilitate a fully informed and open decision on the best outcome. Ms Hyslop announced on 28th August that the Australian group, CSCoAL were the preferred bidder, saying: ‘No one involved wanted to see it deconstructed but until now, this seemed the only practical solution. That has now changed. The City of Adelaide has an illustrious past shared by two nations, Scotland and Australia. This bid gives us the opportunity to save the ship, build on that link and open up the potential for both countries to recognise partnerships and shared heritage on an international scale.
The report, looking at the possible options for the City of Adelaide commissioned by Historic Scotland, from their website.
or read it inline below.
DTZ report on the future of the City of Adelaide
It is intended that the ship will arrive in Adelaide in time for the celebration of South Australia’s ‘Jubilee Year’ in 2011 celebrating the 175th anniversary of the State. The owners of the vessel, the Scottish Maritime Museum, and The Clipper Ship, City of Adelaide Ltd will now apply to North Ayrshire Council for listed building consent for the work needed to prepare the Carrick for removal.
The decision has not been greeted with all round approval. Mark Horton, in Rescue News 111, welcomes the ship having been ‘saved from the chain saws’. However, the Sunderland City of Adelaide Recovery Foundation (SCARF) have pointed to the cost implications of moving the ship to Australia, with some reports in the Australian media that the Scottish Government will be pledging £910,500 to help fill the gap in Clipper Ship ‘City of Adelaide’ Ltd’s (referred to below as CSCoA) budget for moving the ship to Australia.
We have included below a full comment from Michael LaRose a representative of SCARF.
Comments on the DTZ report from Sunderland City of Adelaide Recovery Foundation (SCARF)
