Falls of Clyde Closed for Tours While Major Repairs are Done Ship’s Listing Causes Community Concern
Bishop Museum ’s Hawaii Maritime Center (HMC) has recently closed the Falls of Clyde to tours while substantial repairs are being made to the ballast tanks in the hull, according to Bishop Museum Interim President Michael Chinaka. The historic ship is expected to reopen later this year.
A National Historic Landmark, the Falls of Clyde is the world’s only four-masted, full-rigged ship left remaining afloat. The ship has been undergoing a massive renovation and repair project since 2002. For the past several months, the ship has been listing to one side or the other as ten riveted steel ballast tanks in the hull were emptied individually, in order for repairs to be completed by a contractor.
“On many occasions, we received calls from all over the harbor as she begins to list,” says Karla Grace, Manager of Hawaii Maritime Center. “We want the community to know the listing is being caused in part to allow for the tank repairs to be completed.”
The floating exhibit is moored at Pier 7 in Honolulu Harbor adjacent to the Hawaii Maritime Center . In 2002, Bishop Museum was awarded a $300,000 grant under the Save America’s Treasures program with private citizen Robert J. Pfeiffer providing the required matching gift of $300,000. Under a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service (NPS), Bishop Museum embarked on an ambitious plan to stabilize, restore, and maintain the Falls of Clyde in accordance with standards approved by NPS and the State of Hawai‘i Historic Preservation Officer.
From April 2002 through December 2004 the Falls of Clyde Preservation Project focused on several areas of concern including pest control, corrosion, painting, and sealing the vessel’s interior hull. Termite infestations were eradicated and the corrosion of the forward decks was repaired. The rigging was inspected and it was discovered that the third mast, being wood, had deteriorated. A brace was designed and installed to stabilize the mast and prevent it from falling. A cathodic protection system was installed as the original system was damaged. Repairs to the port and starboard side hawseholes were completed so that the Falls of Clyde could be moved in the event of a hurricane or other intense storm.
Boys Scouts from Troop 42 scraped, sanded, and varnished the railing around the poop deck under the direction of Deckhands Donald Bell and Noel “Red” Griffiths-Seewerker. Preservation activities continued in December 2004 with the hiring of Consolidated Painting LLC to clean, dry, prime, paint, and seal the interior hulls of Falls of Clyde with cold tar epoxy paint and primer applications. While the painting project was underway in February 2005, a salt water leak on the inner hull was discovered four feet below water level. A diver was dispatched to patch the relatively large hole. Since then, Consolidated has had to stop work on numerous occasions in the cargo tanks to patch holes created from sandblasting.
The ship’s hull was found to be in more fragile shape than originally thought. From January to March 2006, the high number of rainy days slowed the ongoing repairs. Tank repairs continued, but were slowed by constant new repairs to holes that were caused as a result of the continuing sandblasting efforts.
From July to December 2006, the contractor completed sandblasting of starboard tank four. New holes resulting from the sandblasting were repaired as they developed. A new leak in the external wall through the hull of Portside Tank 4 was also discovered. Leaks allow sea water to enter, which results in increased corrosion and potentially serious flooding that may cause the ship to list.
In early 2007, Bishop Museum made the decision to close the ship to tours in order to facilitate the tank repair work, says Grace. Once the tanks are completed, the ship will reopen and volunteers will continue their ongoing care for the ship.
The next project lined up for volunteers is the removal of spars from the mizzen mast. With the help of about ten volunteers, Deckhand Donald Bell will climb the ratlines from the main deck to the top of the mast and place a block about the spar to secure it to the top of the pole. He will then release the two brace pennants and tie a messenger rope line to each end, which will become the control lines for the deckhands below. They will pull the spar away from the mast and lower it to the deck with the help of the ship’s steel cable wench. Once on deck, the spars will be inspected to see if the parts can be utilized in some way as exhibit or display pieces. In the past, other spars that have been replaced were used to make display fixtures for the Falls of Clyde model, which is currently exhibited in the HMC lobby.
“All types of people are attracted to do volunteer work on the ship, especially those who love sailing ships or have an interest in historic vessels,” says Bell . “We have all ages of volunteers, from young Boy Scouts to seniors on volunteering vacations helping us keep Falls of Clyde in good repair. It’s a labor of love and we will have to be constantly vigilant to keep it in good shape.”
Grace added, “We are so grateful to have had so many dedicated volunteers from the community throughout the years, always willing to assist with many different projects.”
Among the groups recently contributing are General Electric’s Elderhostel program who came from all over the United States to clean and paint as part of the new volun-tourism movement for those who want to combine community service with their vacation time. The Caledonian Society did woodworking, prepping, and sanding. Fifteen men from the Navy’s Pacific Area Communications Center chipped paint, swept and did other repairs.
“With a ship of this age and size, the work is never done,” says Grace. “The recent losses of such active volunteers and strong supporters as Captain Dave Lyman who died tragically in a harbor accident, and Honolulu Advertiser columnist Bob Krauss who died following open heart surgery, have certainly had an impact on our momentum. Both Lyman and Krauss were important community leaders that spearheaded fundraising efforts to help raise money and maintain community interest in the ship. Their loss is deeply felt by all of us.”
Krauss and Lyman were instrumental in helping create a new foundation specifically to help preserve the future for the Falls of Clyde. The Falls of Clyde Foundation is a new organization that will initiate fundraising projects and encourage creative programming to maximize educational opportunities for the historic vessel. Presently more than 5,200 school children take part in school visits to the ship and HMC per year.
According to Blair Collis, board member and Vice President for Public Operations at Bishop Museum , there will be some upcoming announcements about HMC and the Falls of Clyde sometime in the near future. Bishop Museum is currently in negotiations to secure a restaurant contractor for the site, which will bring a new indoor/outdoor dining facility in a prime location overlooking the harbor pier-side of Falls of Clyde.
“It’s important that we protect and preserve the Falls of Clyde at Hawaii Maritime Center for future generations of Hawai‘i’s children,” says Collis. “As the last ship of its kind in the world and with its history so closely linked to the history of Honolulu Harbor , it makes the success of our fundraising and volunteer recruitment efforts doubly important.”
For more information about Hawaii Maritime Center or the Falls of Clyde , call (808) 847-3511 or visit www.bishopmuseum.org.
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