F126 MESSAGEBOARD

[Martin]

By pledging just £1 you can play a part in saving H.M.S. Plymouth

The beginning (of the end in Birkenhead)
After being open as a visitor attraction in Birkenhead, Wirral for 15 years, the Falklands veteran H.M.S. Plymouth finally closed her gangway to visitors on Sunday the 5th February 2006. The reason for the closure was that the owners, The Warship Preservation Trust, were forced into voluntary liquidation due to the conversion into luxury apartments of two corn warehouses on the dockside adjacent to the ship.

H.M.S. Plymouth, along with the other vessels under the Trust's 'command' (believed to be the largest single group of historic vessels in Europe) ~ H.M.S. Onyx ~ HRH The Prince of Wales former command H.M.S. Bronington ~ the German WWII U-boat U534 ~ LCT 7074 Landfall and the former Mersey Light Ship Planet ~ were offered an alternative berth some 200 yards along the jetty. However, the cost of moving the collection would have been in the region of £1/4 million. Also, the berth offered was only on a temporary basis, as this too was earmarked for regeneration, meaning another £1/4 million pound move some 18 months down the line. The Trust could not afford this sort of money and was forced into voluntary liquidation.

The end
The Trust had no outstanding debts, which meant that none of the vessels or contents needed to be sold, however, without a berth they could no longer be run as a going concern, and the final judgement of the liquidators was that they be handed to the Crown. The Crown immediately disclaimed them and, as they were sitting in their waters, Mersey Docks and Harbour Company (Peel Ports) became the ‘owners by default’. MDHC continue to own and maintain H.M.S. Plymouth at their expense and are supportive of WML’s plans to relocate her to Devon.

The campaign
A campaign, led by former staff and volunteers, commenced in an attempt to keep the vessels in Merseyside. I attended the majority of these meetings to see if the Association could provide help in any way and give support to their campaign. However Wirral Council could not put any more money into the project, and the campaign eventually floundered. The vessels were moved by MDHC from their berth at West Float into Vittoria Dock, where H.M.S. Plymouth still remains.

What we want to do
H.M.S. Plymouth had an eventful and very active career with the Royal Navy until finally decommissioning in 1988. The ship was not only involved in the Cod Wars but also played a key role in the South Atlantic in 1982, one of only a small number of ships to take part in every significant action of the Falklands Campaign. The Argentinean surrender of South Georgia was signed in her Wardroom, and she was hit several times by bombs while operating in San Carlos Water, thankfully with no fatalities.

We wish to find a suitable berth for H.M.S. Plymouth where she can once again be opened to the public, not only as a visitor attraction, but as a museum and memorial to all those who lost their lives or were injured, both physically and mentally, during the South Atlantic Campaign. There is already a purpose-built chapel on board where relatives, friends and shipmates can spend time in quiet reflection. The ship also has displays, photographs and artefacts relating back to 1982. No other surface ship from 1982 has been preserved and opened as a public exhibit.

How we want to do it
In the ensuing months of 2006, a Plymouth based company, Warship Management Ltd was set up with the intention of finding "5 good men and true", each willing to pledge £20,000 to fund the purchase and relocation of H.M.S. Plymouth. To this end some 60 ports throughout the UK were approached for a berth, all to no avail. Finally Associated British Ports in Plymouth offered the use of the berth at Trinity Pier, Millbay Docks, the berth she had previously occupied in 1988 when first saved from the scrap yard.

However, in January 2007, just as the purchase was about to be made, the new Port Manager at Millbay informed WML that plans to redevelop Trinity Pier for the University of Plymouth and the Marine Biology Laboratory had been brought forward, and it was likely that the £35 million project would begin that year. As a consequence ABP regretfully decided that Millbay was no longer available as a berth for H.M.S. Plymouth. Following a lot of heartache, disappointment, and anger, over this setback, the search for a suitable berth continued.

Commercial Wharf
Then, in early April 2007, WML identified a berth at Commercial Wharf near the National Marine Aquarium in the heart of Sutton Harbour as potentially viable but with a need for some investment and modification.

Discussions with Plymouth Council, Cattewater Harbour Commissioners, the National Marine Aquarium and other relevant authorities were undertaken to gain the required permissions to berth the ship at Commercial.

Unfortunately, various objections, mainly by the Harbour Commissioners, were raised against this proposal, amongst which were; lack of sufficient funds; against sitting in the mud; the need for a modified pontoon, plus other smaller objections.

As we are now aware, the development of Commercial Wharf has commenced (the pontoon is nearing completion) and the shore-side development of the wharf will commence in the near future. It would appear then, that any plans we had for this ‘preferred’ berth, have more or less completely disappeared.

Howard’s Quay
During the negotiations for Commercial Wharf, and completely out of the blue, a Mr. John Howard contacted WML with the offer of a berth which he owned, at Howard’s Quay. This is situated on the River Plym, close to Laira Bridge and is currently in use by Mr. Howard for the loading and unloading of scrap metal for disposal.

Mr. Howard informed WML that the berth was available immediately, although as with Commercial, would need modifications, including dredging and piling, in order for H.M.S. Plymouth to sit alongside. There would also be the continuing need to develop the shore-side infrastructure to include visitor parking, museum, shops, toilet facilities, cafeteria etc.

Once again, negotiations commenced with the relevant authorities to secure the berth. Unfortunately, the same objections as those for Commercial Wharf were put forward by the Harbour Commissioners. However, we believe that these objections are not insurmountable, and negotiations will continue until all avenues have been exhausted.

A favourite saying of Mike Critchley’s, Former Lieutenant Commander, Royal Navy and Chair of WML is, “Without money ~ no berth; without a berth ~ no ship; without a ship ~ no visitors; without visitors ~ no income.” Numbers 2 & 3 are within our grasp; number 4 comes with 2 & 3, but for number 1 we need all the help we can get

How much will it cost?
The cost to save and relocate H.M.S. Plymouth is obviously going to be high, and below is an estimate based on the costing for Commercial Wharf. However, wherever a berth might be available, a similar amount would be required to fund the project.

Purchase price ~ believed to be £75,000 (following negotiations by WML with MDHC)
n.b. due to the protracted negotiations which have been ongoing for the last 21/2 years, we have been informed that the purchase price is now £100,000 (Sec as at 9th Oct 2008)
Survey ~ £3,900
Towage Birkenhead ~ £2,000
Towage South ~ £28,000
Towage Plymouth ~ £2,000
Dredging ~ £100,000
Berth Modification ~ £2,000,000 (to include cafe, shop(s), museum, toilets, car parking etc.)

Total £2,210,900

Our aim
Our aim is to raise £2 million In order to do this we are trying to reach 2 million people, each willing to donate just £1 to help raise the required funds to purchase and relocate the ship, hopefully to her spiritual ‘home’ of Plymouth, Devon. This is, after all, the City where she was built, named after and spent a great deal of her service. Should a berth in Plymouth not materialize, we would obviously have look elsewhere ~ Rosyth has recently shown an interest ~ the main objective being to stop her going to India, being broken up and made into razor blades.

How can we achieve this?
In an attempt to achieve this, I have sent an e-mail to everyone in my address book, asking them to make a pledge of just £1 then forward the e-mail to everyone in their address book and so on, and so on. In order to gain the most impact possible, I have also posted, or asked webmasters to post the details on various website message boards and forums. The editor of the Ganges Gazette, Dick Lloyd, has offered to include our plea in the winter edition of the Gazette.

How to make a pledge
Visit Help Save HMS Plymouth, where you will be asked to complete a short form giving some personal details and make your pledge of just £1. We will then contact you with details of how and where to send your donation.

If you would prefer, you may also donate by post by sending a cheque or postal order to: Derek ‘Tiger’ Moth, Chairman Save the Plymouth Fund, 4 Angel Close, Pennyland, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK15 8AQ.

Please note ~ the personal details you provide will be treated with strict confidentiality. They will not be used for any purpose, other than tracking your pledge and making contact with you. They will not be divulged or passed on, in any form whatsoever, to any other person, group, organisation or entity. The amount of your pledge will be known only to myself and ‘Tiger’ Moth.

Should our venture fail, all donated monies will be further donated to similar naval charities, so ensuring that your donation will ultimately go to a good cause.

What has H.M.S. Plymouth Association done?
At our AGM in October 2006 the members of H.M.S. Plymouth Association agreed by ballot, that the Association could become one of the “5 good men and true” by raising the £20,000 necessary to become a stakeholder in the WML plan. This target was achieved in a little over four weeks. To date, we have been pledged over £30,000, which includes a generous £9,000 from a French gentleman, Vincent Betremieux, who has had a keen interest in the ship since 1988 and some small donations.

Mersey Docks and Harbour Company (Peel Ports)
MDHC, in the form of Dave Briody, have been very patient with us, and have turned down a number of other offers to take H.M.S. Plymouth in favour of our bid. However, they have stated that she will probably not last another winter in Birkenhead, and over the last 6 months they have been 'making noises' about scrapping. We believe that it is now only a matter of time before this will happen, so time is running out fast. This has, after all, been going on for 21/2 years and their patience will only stretch so far.

I think this probably goes without saying, but if you would like to pledge more than just £1, please don't be afraid to do so




Some of our supporters
Captain David Pentreath Commanding Officer, Plymouth, 1982
Captain Michael Clapp Commander, Falklands Amphibious Task Group, 1982
Vice Admiral Sir John Coward Commanding Officer, Brilliant, 1982
Admiral Sir Jeremy Black Commanding Officer, Invincible, 1982
Admiral Sir Sandy Woodward Commander, Falklands Carrier Battle Group, 1982
Douglas Reeman Renowned writer
National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth
Peel Ports (Mersey Docks and Harbour Company)
Gilmore Hankey Kirke
The Petersham Group
Creaseys
Ashfords
Jackson
GoToOnline
Navy Books
Furbank & Co.
Thirdman
HMC Interactive


Thank you for taking the time to read our plea.

This topic will be updated as and when more information becomes available.


Yours Aye.

Martin Slater,
Secretary H.M.S. Plymouth Association.
_________________
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