No successful bids for 140-year-old Clydebuilt ship Falls of Clyde, authorities in Hawaii say

A Clydebuilt ship currently berthed in Hawaii has attracted no successful bids having been put up for auction.

Authorities had invited offers for the historic Falls of Clyde, moored in Honolulu Harbour, with a deadline of February 28th.

They are hoping to get rid of the ship, which has required frequent maintenance work and is considered to have outstayed its welcome at the pier.

State Department of Transportation spokesman Tim Sakahara told local media that there had been no qualified bids, only one illegitimate offer from a prankster claiming to be Vladimir Putin.

“The auction officially is over, with no successful and accepted bids,” he said.

“We were optimistic we would get a successful bid, that someone out there, either an individual or company, would come in and really want to take over the ship… That was our hope. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”

There remains interest from a group in Scotland hoping to bring the ship back to the river on which she was built.

Last year, David O’Neill of the Save Falls of Clyde International campaign told The Sunday Post about his ambitious plans to bring the ship home and raise funds to put her back into seagoing condition.

Upon the announcement, of the auction a Gofundme page was set up to aid the efforts to secure a suitable future for the ship that didn’t include scrapping or sinking.

Mr O’Neill wrote on the campaign’s Facebook page earlier today: “Prior to the end of the auction process I wrote to Harbors dept to confirm that we are still looking to work with them to find a solution and return the ‘Falls’, to Scotland. We await their formal response.”

He said that he hopes to visit Honolulu and meet with harbours department to outline the proposals and the offers of technical support, as well as details of lift ship contracts being offered.

Built at the Russells yard in Port Glasgow back in 1878, the Falls of Clyde is the world’s last remaining four-masted sailing ship.

It had a working career spanning several decades, sailing the world before settling on the North American Pacific coast, eventually ending up in Hawaii.

Described as a ‘survivor’ by groups hoping to preserve the ship for future generations, she has been rescued from potential sinking on numerous occasions.

The ship’s current deteriorating condition led to island authorities putting the Falls of Clyde up for sale earlier this month.

After inviting interested parties to view the ship, the only bid received was a typed letter offering 25 cents for it, signed by ‘Vladimir Putin’.

A quarter coin was taped to the letter, but authorities were looking for a $1.5 million performance bond and a guarantee to remove the ship within 60 days of purchase.

Mr Sakahara said that with the closure of the auction, the state would move onto the next steps which include possible donation of the ship to a government agency or selling it for a negotiated fee.

The final option would be to invite bids to simply remove the ship, with the aim of getting rid of it from the harbour before hurricane season.