She’s survived more than a century on the seas and even withstood a 100mph hurricane but now one of Scotland’s rarest ships could be facing her final journey.

Despite repeated efforts to save her, Falls of Clyde, currently impounded in Hawaii, is at risk of being towed out and sunk to become an attraction for divers.

To one man though, she is far more than just the world’s last remaining iron-hulled four-masted sailing ship; she is a Glasgow lady, an ocean wanderer, who deserves the chance to come home.

“She’s been neglected for almost 20 years but she’s still floating,” says David o’Neill.

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“She was built on the Clyde and she should be brought back to sail on it – she may be 138 years old but she still has a lot more to give.”

Which is why for the past six weeks David, 59, has been persistently tracking down people who might be able to help bring her back to Scottish waters.

Falls of Clyde now versus a painting of her at sail. Save Falls of Clyde

He’s been to the bosses at Ferguson Shipyard where the Falls of Clyde was built, to the Glasgow Nautical College with its next generation of sailors, and on to the owners of some of the biggest barges in the world.

“To ask for a lift,” he says. “Somebody must have a ship passing by Hawaii sometime over the next 12 months – why don’t they pick her up while they’re there?”

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What’s more, David’s dedicated approach of ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get’ appears to be working.

As a gesture of goodwill, one Dutch tug company has already offered a free of charge trip to tow Falls of Clyde from her current port onto a barge.

“We’ve even got help once she’s here,” says David. “A company has offered to get her down the Clyde for us, which was going to cost about £30,000 so that’s fantastic news.”

Historic photos of life aboard Falls of Clyde. Save Falls of Clyde

What is still needed though, is help with the big ocean journey in the middle – a big barge to take her back to Scotland.

There is one other major barrier – Hawaii’s transport department has declared the Falls of Clyde too dangerous to remain at Honolulu harbour, despite protests from campaign groups who say she is seaworthy.

A Hawaiian volunteer group called Friends of the Falls of Clyde, who have been fighting to save the vessel, which is now a museum ship, launched a fundraising drive to raise £1.2m to have the ship put in dry dock and repaired.

Hawaii’s transport department has declared the Falls of Clyde too dangerous to remain at Honolulu. Save Falls of Clyde

Despite the campaign, the harbours division of the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation took back her permit to stay in Honolulu harbour, condemning her to be scuppered.

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“She was impounded six months ago and the volunteers out there have done all they can,” says David. “Now it’s up to us.”

Scottish actor Brian Cox has given his backing to the campaign and David is hopeful others will follow.

“He is the perfect example of Scottish strength and character,” he says. “That’s what Clyde shipbuilding is – the tough people who built these ships.”

Historic photos of life aboard Falls of Clyde. Save Falls of Clyde

Falls of Clyde was designed by William Lithgow, the founder of the famous shipbuilding firm, and is the only survivor of the renowned Falls Line fleet – all of which were named after Scottish waterfalls.

Built with a wrought-iron hull with a net tonnage of 1748 tons, she had a registered length of 266ft.

She went on to sail for more than four decades, visiting ports on all continents before arriving in Honolulu in 1898.

She carried sugar from Hilo to San Francisco until 1906 when she was turned into an oil tanker and taken to Alaska.

Nearly three decades later, she was taken out of service and was on the brink of being sunk when a journalist started a campaign to bring the vessel back to Hawaii.

She carried sugar from Hilo to San Francisco until 1906. Save Falls of Clyde

She arrived in Honolulu in 1963 to a state welcome, and over the next decade she was fully repaired, with assistance from Sir William Lithgow, the Scottish shipbuilding grandson of her designer.

During her lifetime she sailed the world under three separate flags, but now David and her carers want her to sail again – this time under the bright blue of the saltire.

“Other ships older than her are sailing, she is very salvageable and more than capable of being put back to work again,” says David.

“She can sail again and has much more to give to future generations.

“The vision is to see her sailing down the Clyde with a giant 40ft Scottish flag billowing behind her – and I’m not going to stop asking until we make that happen.”

To keep up to date with the campaign visit the Save Falls of Clyde International page or email savefallsofclyde@gmail.com if you can offer help with marketing, legal or skilled trades.