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Masts of historic ship on River Clyde removed for conservation work

News imageMartin Shields A sailing ship docked next to a large museum building. A large crane and other construction equipment are next to it, with wok clearly taking place on the boat.Martin Shields
Work has begun to remove the masts of the Tall Ship Glenlee

The masts of a famous Glasgow ship have been removed for the first time in 30 years to allow conservation work to take place.

Owners of the Tall Ship Glenlee - which is docked at the city's Riverside Museum - will send two of the vessel's three masts to a specialist workshop in Maldon, Essex.

Repairs will then be carried out and a new set of running rigging will be added before the masts are returned to the Glenlee in the summer.

The vessel was built in Port Glasgow about 130 years ago, and served as a British cargo sailing ship for over 20 years.

After being refurbished in 1999, she has served as a museum and tourist attraction.

She is owned by The Tall Ship Glenlee Trust, an independent charity, who said the ongoing work will keep the ship in as good a condition as possible.

Specialists TS Rigging have previously worked with other historic vessels throughout the UK, such as RRS Discovery and the Cutty Sark.

The team there will firstly carry out detailed analysis of the strength and condition of the metal before carrying out any necessary repairs.

An entire new set of running rigging will be added, while the standard rigging is to be serviced - this involves traditional skills that now considered so rare they have been added to the Heritage Crafts endangered list.

Fiona Greer, the development director of the Tall Ship Glenlee, said: "Maintaining an historic vessel is an expensive but essential business: we want to ensure that Glenlee remains in best possible condition.

"Being able to upgrade her rigging with the funding received from National Heritage Memorial Fund is something we have been planning for a long time."

She added that people wanting to watch the masts being removed should do from the Govan side of the river, or at the Govan-Partick Bridge footbridge.

News imageMartin Shields Two men in high vis yellow jackets, working on the mast of a large boat. They are helping to remove the masts for conservation work.Martin Shields
The work is the first refurbishment of the ship in three decades

The first phase of the ship's refurbishment focused on the internal hull and steel work and was completed in spring last year.

The second phase - funded by a £1.8m grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund - is the first major overhaul of the ship's rigging in three decades.

Chris Wood, a rigger with TS Rigging, said: "Vessels such as Glenlee were once commonplace, but have now become a rarity largely consigned to history. To work on an original Victorian tall ship that has been saved for the nation is a privilege."

The steel-hulled ship was built by Anderson Rodger in the Bay Yard and designed to carry cargo across the world, being originally fitted with three masts made mainly of steel.

For the first 20 years of her working life, these masts were her only means of propulsion, driving her across the world's oceans, using wind power alone.

She served as a British cargo sailing ship for over 20 years and was then used by he Spanish Navy for training between 1922 and 1979.

The Tall Ship Glenlee Trust - at that time called the Clyde Maritime Trust - took over responsibility for the boat in 1993 and returned her to the River Clyde.