The Hawaii State Department of Transportation Harbors division has given the caretaker group, Friends of the Falls of Clyde, until February 6th to move the 1878 built, four-masted iron windjammer out of Honolulu harbor. The Harbor Divisions concerns are that “the condition of the Falls of Clyde poses an unacceptable risk to navigation in Honolulu Harbor and a safety and security risk to harbor users.”

The hope was that another group, the International Friends of the Falls of Clyde, would raise the funds to charter a heavy lift ship to carry the Falls of Clyde back to where she was built in Scotland. Unfortunately, that plan fell through for both financial and logistical reasons. 

The ship Falls of Clyde was impounded by the State of Hawaii in 2016, citing safety concerns. There have been two other failed attempts to return the vessel to Scotland to be restored. The state Department of Transportation said it’s “making every effort” to work with the Friends group. Nevertheless, it is possible that should the most recent deadline be missed, that the state could put the ship up for auction.

Falls of Clyde is the last surviving iron-hulled, four-masted full-rigged ship, and the only remaining sail-driven oil tanker.