Historic ship built in Port Glasgow towed out to sea and sunk in Hawaii

A historic Clyde-built ship has been towed out to sea and deliberately sunk in Hawaii.

The Hawaii Department of Transportation and contractor Shipwright LLC completed the ocean disposal of the vessel Falls of Clyde on Wednesday.

The ship, which had been built in Port Glasgow in 1878, had been moored as a museum ship in Honolulu since the 1960s.

Due to its deteriorating condition, it had begun to leak.

It was towed into deep water about 25 miles offshore and scuttled during an early morning operation.

The ocean disposal of the vessel the Falls of Clyde. Hawaii Department of Transportation

Campaigners say they are “angry and dismayed” after spending more than a decade trying to bring the ship back to Scotland.

On Tuesday, the Friends of Falls of Clyde, based in Hawaii, conducted a small send-off ceremony for the vessel ahead of its removal from the port.

Some artefacts have been removed and transferred to the National Park Service and will be displayed at the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park.

Its name, wheel and bell were also retained.

Some of the rigging tools from the Falls of Clyde will be used for the maintenance of the Balclutha, a three-masted square-rigged Scottish-built ship moored at the park.