Company pushes ahead with plan to sell HMS Plymouth for scrap
THE owners of the veteran warship HMS Plymouth appear to be determined to send her to scrap in spite of attempts to save the ship.
The HMS Plymouth Trust claimed that with only a matter of days to go to the end-of-month deadline, Peel Ports had not yet applied for an export licence.
-
HMS Plymouth
But the company, which owns Vittoria Dock at Birkenhead, where HMS Plymouth is berthed, said: “We have been in meetings with both the Environment Agency and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency over conditions for export.
“These involve obtaining a Transfrontier Shipment licence and setting up an MCA towage plan aimed at ensuring no pollution occurs during the towing of HMS Plymouth to the scrapyard in Turkey.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Friday, May 31 2013
“The deal to sell the ship to Turkey has been agreed and will happen when the necessary conditions for export have been met.”
Meanwhile Chris Swift from the HMS Plymouth Trust claimed that there was still live ammunition on the ship which would delay its export.
“Unknown to many, HMS Plymouth is in fact a fully operational warship apart from her engine.
“The Environment Agency has mentioned to me that in fact her weapons are operational and she also contains ammunition such as live Sea Cat missiles, mortar bombs and shells.
“They can of course be removed but the MoD would have to be involved.”
Peel Ports did not comment on Mr Swift’s claims.
The ship, which was built in Devonport in 1959, has been promised a berth in Northumberland if she can be saved.
The HMS Plymouth Trust says it needs to raise £400,000 before the end of this month. (September.)
When she was first decommissioned in 1988 Lord Owen, the former Devonport MP, and a group of volunteers fought to keep her in Plymouth. For a year she was berthed at Trinity Pier in Millbay Docks. She finally ended up in Birkenhead.
In a joint partnership between the Warship Preservation Trust and Wirral Borough Council she was opened to the public in May 1992.
The trust went into voluntary liquidation and the ships were closed to visitors in 2006. HMS Plymouth was closed up and left to deteriorate at Vittoria Dock.
To donate: Send cheques to Navy Training Corps HQ, PO Box 328, Malvern, WR14 9GB. Give online at MSTSBlyth.org.uk. For details email peni@talktalk.net
Comments
by Chunder123
Tuesday, September 25 2012, 4:58PM
“IT makes you think of the people who spent years of their lives on that huge hunk of floating metal and now its going to be scrapped. Seems like lives wasted for no real reason or at least some elements of time wasting. IT makes you wonder why did they go on that and let it suck their life away”
by niugnepyzarc
Tuesday, September 25 2012, 5:10AM
“The logic of people who donate to causes like this when there are many more worthwhile charities out there is baffling. Hmm save the children? Or save the rusty ship?”
by niugnepyzarc
Tuesday, September 25 2012, 5:08AM
“Hmm better things to spend money on today then an old warship methinks, I'd ask the Plymouth trust hoe much the money they are raising to save an old warship could actually help people in need if put to better use.”
by Laurence_ss
Tuesday, September 25 2012, 12:25AM
“The Latest Trust News Items
http://tinyurl.com/crsv4uy
http://tinyurl.com/ce57ugh
Something positive”
by Laurence_ss
Monday, September 24 2012, 6:35PM
“3 of the Seacats are real with rocket motors intact...remote firing system is in working order....
2 of Mortor bombs are real....Mortor fully working just need breach charges to fire Mortors.....
4.5 gun in fully working condition.....20mm cannons (before they went missing) not deactivated and also in fully working order.
Radars all work, Sonars all work, all radio comms work, etc etc.
Only MAIN ENGINES do NOT work !
The ship is NOT a fully operational and hasn't been for many years.
The ship has no LIVE ammunition onboard.
Laurence s Stevens
HMS Plymouth Trust”
by deputydog
Monday, September 24 2012, 5:37PM
“why save an old rust bucket save the city centre”
by BOREDOFPLYM1
Monday, September 24 2012, 5:22PM
“what a load of smelly brown stuff missiels and operational weapons - additionally we cant afford to susyain our current warships so no way should money be invested in this hiastory or not”
by rtyrrell1
Monday, September 24 2012, 4:32PM
“Just to confirm that the fight to save HMS Plymouth is NOT over yet and the HMS Plymouth Trust and HMS Plymouth Association are still actively seeking ways to save the ship. This vessel is an historic ship and unlike cars in a scrapyard is part of our history. The ship is NOT a fully operational warship and hasn't been for many years. I am sure the ship has no live ammunition onboard and that Peel Ports would, having claimed to be owners, made sure that she did not.
We are hoping that the Plymouth Herald will publish the Trusts position with an article which gives good reasons why she shouldn't be scrapped, and I would again like to make it clear that there is a very good alternative to Peel Ports plans which will ensure a sustainable future for the ship in a permanent berth which we have secured, as part of a larger Maritime project. It is interesting to note that another project to create a Maritime Centre in Plymouth seems to have ended. I can assure you that the one to save HMS Plymouth has NOT.
Richard Tyrrell
Chairman
HMS Plymouth Trust Ltd”
by Vinnie_Gar
Monday, September 24 2012, 1:43PM
“"The Environment Agency has mentioned to me that in fact her weapons are operational and she also contains ammunition such as live Sea Cat missiles, mortar bombs and shells."
Really?
If that's true then someone is in big trouble and no-one should be going anywhere near it.”
by nubnub
Monday, September 24 2012, 12:39PM
“"Unknown to many, HMS Plymouth is in fact a fully operational warship apart from her engine."
Yeah like loads of car at the scrap yard.”