Masts of Famed Glasgow Tall Ship Removed for Restoration
In the port city of Glasgow, Scotland, the masts of a famous ship that serves as a reminder of a proud shipping past have been removed for the first time in 30 years.
For decades, the masts of tall ship Glenlee have been a familiar site on River Clyde where she serves as a floating museum sitting alongside Glasgow’s Riverside Museum. Over the coming few months, the masts will be conspicuously absent following their removal as part of efforts to conserve the historic ship.
The Tall Ship Glenlee Trust, an independent charity that owns Glenlee, said the removal of the masts forms the second phase of the ship’s restoration project that is being funded by a $2.4 million grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. In the first phase, which was completed last year, the refurbishment focused on the internal hull and steel works.
Built 130 years ago by Anderson Rodger in the Bay Yard at Port Glasgow, the steel-hulled ship that was designed to carry cargo across the world today stands as an iconic representation of Glasgow’s proud shipping past. When she was built, Glenlee was originally fitted with three masts made mainly of steel, with wooden sections at the top to reduce overall weight. The masts would be her only means of propulsion for during her first two decades of service that saw the ship traverse oceans using wind power alone.
For her next two decades, Glenlee served as a British cargo sailing ship before she was acquired by the Spanish Navy over the 1922 – 1979 period and used for training. Over that period, the original wooden sections were removed and replaced with an entirely new steel rig.
As time passed, the tall ship lost her former glory, and by the 1990s she was in a sad state of disrepair. Clyde Maritime Trust, now the Tall Ship Glenlee Trust, rescued the ship in 1993 and returned her to the River Clyde.
Though refurbishments were carried out over the intervening years, Glenlee is now undergoing its deepest restoration project in over three decades. Following their removal, two of the ship’s three masts have been transported to a workshop where a detailed analysis of their strength and condition will be performed. Once complete, the masts will be returned to Glasgow and reinstalled on Glenlee, which will enable the tall ship to continue attracting visitors and hosting events.
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
“Maintaining an historic vessel is an expensive but essential business: we want to ensure that Glenlee remains in best possible condition,” said Fiona Greer, Development Director of The Tall Ship Glenlee.
Top image courtesy Rosser1954 / CC BY SA 4.0
Content Original Link:
" target="_blank">
