Long journey: City of Adelaide will return to South Australia. Pic: © STV
The world's oldest passenger clipper ship is to be sent from its current Scottish home to Australia.
A bid to keep the 145-year-old City of Adelaide in the UK, by sending the ship to Sunderland - where she was built - was rejected.
Speaking in Irvine - the current home of the ship - Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop said she would be returning to the city after which she was named.
She said: "We can now have a link between Scotland and Australia which allows both nations to share the vessel's historical, cultural and social significance through tourism, interpretation and education.
"I was impressed and inspired by the enormous commitment shown by the Australian and Sunderland groups for the vessel.
"I am aware that everyone who worked on the unsuccessful bid will be disappointed. However, because of the need for the vessel to be removed from its current location, a viable alternative to deconstruction had to be identified in order to save the ship."
City of Adelaide Preservation Trust chairman Creagh O'Connor said he was "thrilled and delighted" after a decade-long campaign. The trust aims to preserve the vessel on a land-based maritime precinct at Port Adelaide in time for the 175th anniversary of settlement next year.
Campaigners from Sunderland vowed to fight on. Peter Maddison - who briefly "occupied" the clipper last year - was told his group's bid "did not contain sufficient detail in practical terms".
He said: "There will be a lot of broken hearts in Sunderland today. But after all, the ship lies there still. It will be months before anything can happen and the Australians have now got to demonstrate they can do this.
"I wish them well and congratulate them on their success but we will fight on."
The clipper had faced being deconstructed if relocation plans could not be agreed.
It is hoped she will now be able to be preserved on arrival in Australia.
The ship was commissioned as HMS Carrick between 1923 and 1948 in the Royal Navy.
After decommissioning, she was known as Carrick until 2001.
Cunninghame South MSP Irene Oldfather has today welcomed the news that a decision had been made.
She said: "Having now campaigned for over a decade to save the vessel, there have been times when it had looked like the case had been lost. Now, we have found a solution, and there is a positive outlook for the ship.
"While it will be a sadly missed feature of the Irvine harbour area, personally I believe that preserving the vessel for future generations is the single most important factor that had to be taken into account. It appears that the Adelaide bid offers that way forward.
"The transfer of the ship to Adelaide will help to strengthen the shared cultural and historical bonds between Scotland and Australia. I look forward to seeing how the plan for the transfer progresses."
The ship is the older of only two surviving composite clipper ships in the world - the other is the Cutty Sark.
