Hawaii Completes Disposal by Sinking Historic Sailing Ship Falls of Clyde

The Hawaii Department of Transportation issued a statement confirming that the sinking of the famed sailing cargo ship Falls of Clyde was completed midday Wednesday, October 15, away from Honolulu harbor. The state had been seeking a solution to have the vessel removed from Honolulu Harbor since it seized the Falls of Clyde in 2016 and repeatedly attempted to sell the ship.

The 146-year-old vessel had been docked at Honolulu Harbor but had been closed to the public since 2008. It was first brought to Hawaii in 1963 for restoration and spent its final years berthed at Pier 7, where it once served as a museum ship as part of the Hawaii Maritime Center. The center closed in 2009, and after the owner defaulted on the ship by not moving it, it was impounded in 2016 when its permit was revoked.

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Falls of Clyde was the world’s only surviving iron-hulled, four-masted, fully-rigged ship. She was built in Glasgow in 1878, during a shipbuilding boom inspired by increased trade with the U.S., and she made several voyages to American ports while under the British flag. In 1898, she was purchased by Captain William Matson of the Matson Navigation Company and reregistered in Hawaii.

From 1899 to 1907, the ship was re-rigged as a bark for sailing with fewer crew, and she made over sixty voyages between Hawaii and San Francisco, carrying passengers, sugar, and general cargo. She was sold San Francisco-based Associated Oil Company, which installed large steel tanks in the hull, allowing her to carry 750,000 gallons of liquid bulk. For decades, the ship would bring kerosene to Hawaii and molasses back from Hawaii to California.

At one point, a deal was announced that would have seen the ship returned to Scotland for preservation, but they were unable to finance it and arrange transport for the ship, which was in deteriorating condition. The state attempted to auction the ship in 2019 and posted several requests for proposals. A group of preservationists calling themselves Friends of Falls of Clyde tried diligently to save the vessel. Ultimately, the state concluded that the ship was a safety hazard and, with no buyers, settled on sinking the vessel.

Contractor Shipwright LLC received the job and began in July with the removal of debris and efforts to ensure the watertight integrity of the ship’s subdivision bulkheads. They also reported that the hull would require strength remediation to prepare the vessel to be safely towed out of the harbor.

Sensitive to the ship’s loyal following, HDOT reports the group Friends of Falls of Clyde conducted a final send-off ceremony for the vessel. Work was completed earlier than anticipated, with the scuttling originally expected by late November.

Video of the vessel being towed away

Around dawn on Wednesday morning, two tugs pulled the vessel away from Pier 7 for her final voyage. She was taken to an agreed position approximately 25 miles south of Honolulu Harbor. She was sunk in a position with a depth of approximately 12,500 feet.

HDOT reports that negotiations have begun for the maritime center property. It expects to make repairs to Pier 7 as part of a revitalization project.

Artifacts from the Falls of Clyde were removed for preservation before the disposal of the ship. Key elements, including the ship’s name board, wheel, and bell, will be incorporated into a permanent display. Other artifacts were transferred to the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, and some of the rigging tools will be used for maintenance on a three-master square-rigged Scottish-built ship, Balclutha, which is on display in San Francisco.