Need your help! Falls of Clyde as a Waianae divesite

[CaptFlyingDutchman]

Just got this back from DLNR:
It is moored at a Department of Transportation (Honolulu) harbor, outside of our jurisdiction. The Museum has sought permits from the National Park Service and the Environmental Protection Agency for the ship to be scuttled at a location in deepwater and will need their approvals for this to occur. The scuttle plan has been reviewed by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Our department has provided information about our requirements for a nearshore scuttling -- which carries certain requirements for environmental cleanliness, safety for divers, and stability once sunk -- to an interested party but no further action was taken.

Given the very poor condition of the ship and risk of imminent sinking at its pier, as well as the very large cost of restoration for which funds may not have been raised by the Museum, it seems that the likely fate, though regrettable, of this historic ship is to be sunk at sea.

Sincerely
Dept. of Land and Natural Resources
Public information office
G

So what the fudge does that mean???? I hope this is not another MISSED OPPORTUNITY

Sounds like they are going to sink it in DEEP water. I hope we can change that.

Capt Scotty can you clear any of this up, please!!!!

Here is a [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]generic [/FONT] letter I found, encase you dont have the time to write one, just follow the link.

Dive Reports from Oahu diving with Island Divers Hawaii

 

[DiveWestOahu]

aloha all
still trying to follow up with the harbor master who has ties with the bishop museum, also it couln't hurt if we can get the HVB involved, they actually have money set aside to help promote tourism and I can't think of a more bang for the buck project that this, look at the ariscany (spelling?) in florida!! if anyone has friends there (HVB) that couldn't hurt
ps also maybe a good idea to cc them (HVB) if there's enough buzz maybe they'll jump in and drop some money
mahalo for all the support
(see i'm not really such a pr*ck afterall am I??)

 

[scottitheduck]

Here is another form letter courtesy of Mat.... Just copy, paste and fill in the blanks!

G

Ms. Thielen,

I am writing to you from (enter city or state) to express my support for transforming the Falls of Clyde into a near-shore artificial reef.

When I first learned that the Falls Of Clyde was to be scuttled I mourned the loss of an historic icon which has long decorated the Honolulu Harbor. This landmark has stood as a testament to preserving the history of similar vessels which contributed to the commercial and cultural changes in Hawaii.

As sad as I am to learn about the impending fate of the Falls of Clyde, I am more distressed to learn that the planned sinking of the vessel is to take place many miles off shore. It is unfortunate to think that this historic embodiment of the transformation of Hawaii will soon be wiped clean by sinking her in an inaccessible location.

It is with this in mind that I implore the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources to consider scuttling this vessel near-shore, making it available to recreational divers and historians. As you are aware, Hawaii's current wrecks provide a significant attraction for divers, and the opportunity to see a vessel with such historic significance is not one many divers would pass up.

Allowing the Falls of Clyde to remain in our accessible record would benefit her historical significance to the Islands.

I invite you to share this correspondence with your colleagues and hope to see the Falls of Clyde remain an icon in Hawaii's waters.

Best regards,
Name
City
State

 

[CaptFlyingDutchman]

Thanks Scotty, good idea

Here is contact info for the HVCB

Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau
2270 Kalakaua Avenue, Suite 801
Honolulu, HI 96815
From U.S. And Canada: 1-800-GoHawaii (1-800-464-2924)
Email: info@hvcb.org

Call, email, mail, visit



I just emailed them
If this gets some legs, maybe someone should contact a dive magazine.

 

[MeiLing]

I hate to be the voice of negativity here, but one of the voices that they will be really wanting to hear from is the voice of the Waianae Neighborhood Board as this is their community.

If you really want this to happen, you also have to be involved with them and help DLNR push the idea to them.

They are the ones who will most likely throw up your major roadblock.

Bear in mind that there is a huge difference between deep water and a diveable site! So many miles out you can ditch about anything! Sinking a ship in a diveable realm is an entirely different ballpark!

Furthermore, being able to get a planned sinking in near shore waters requires time to grease the wheels. If you are serious about this, I'd advise some fundraising efforts to keep her afloat until you get the necessary approvals for your plan.

 

[scottitheduck]

OK then, sink it off of Waikiki! I'm calling Atlantis Sub Company first thing in the AM to see what they think....

I'm with Cap: Call, email, visit, write. So far I've had people from Virginia, Alaska and Chicagoland email DLNR. The key here is to convince everyone that

1) She belongs in Hawaiian Waters
2) Reefing of her would be FAR MORE beneficial to the economy and the ecosystem than dumping her deep
3) That she can continue to amaze and inspire historians @ 100 ft

Keep it up guys....

G

 

[El Orans]

I'll send a letter as well.

 

[justleesa]

 

[MeiLing]

OK then, sink it off of Waikiki! I'm calling Atlantis Sub Company first thing in the AM to see what they think....

Waikiki has a neighborhood board too..... And DLNR doesn't do anything without working with neighborhood boards to make the plan acceptable to those whose neighborhood it impacts.

Something like this takes a whole lot more than letter writing. It takes approval from the appropriate people. And for that to happen you need to work at how to keep her afloat until it can all be done. What you should do is work with the folks who are currently trying to keep her afloat while you work on a solid plan to get the appropriate approvals to sink her nearshore.

I'm sure Atlantis folks will tell you, this takes a whole lot more than writing a few letters. It's a start, but you need way more if you are going to get the job done.

 

[justleesa]

Well it looks like there is someone that wants to keep her afloat

Falls of Clyde has last-minute suitor | starbulletin.com | News | /2008/08/05/