Irvine's Carrick is now back on dry land in Australia

The Carrick sank on the River Clyde in 1991, before being brought to Irvine a year later.

The 1864 composite-built clipper is the oldest surviving ship of its kind, Cutty Sark being five years younger.

The Carrick, now using her original name, the City of Adelaide, finally left Irvine on a barge in September 2013 after being rescued from demolition by a group of South Australian businessmen.

The Carrick, now The City of Adelaide (Image: Rita Bradd)

The ambition of Australians was that she would become the centrepiece of a seaport village where other historic vessels could also be displayed.

While the ship has remained on a barge all those years, great progress has been ongoing inside, where tours have been taking place since her arrival in Adelaide.

Conservation, restoration and development as a museum is well underway. 

And as of last weekend, the 'City of Adelaide' is back on land, allowing work on her timbers to be undertaken as this was not possible whilst she was on the barge.

She will remain on the cradle that was assembled in Irvine that has supported her throughout her rescue, and will be settled into her new home on dry land at Dock Two.

(Image: Rita Bradd)

Since discovering the plight of 'Carrick' at the tall ships race at Greenock in 1999, Scottish author Rita Bradd has followed the fate of the ship.

She was fortunate to gain passage on 'Palanpur' which allowed her to write an account of the final voyage of the ship in tandem with the diary of a young woman who had been on the maiden voyage, that she had been given access to.

Rita has returned to Adelaide several times since her first arrival, and held the launch of her book 'Clipper Ship "City of Adelaide" Beneath The Southern Cross' on board 'City of Adelaide' on the 155th anniversary of the ship's arrival, in November 2019.

Rita revealed the former Carrick's long journey down under.

She said: "She was towed to Chatham where she was cleaned up in readiness for the late Duke of Edinburgh to give her back her original name of 'City of Adelaide' at a ceremony held at the Royal Naval College at Greenwich, London.

"A storm broke out as she left for her journey across the North Sea to the Netherlands where she was shrink-wrapped and fumigated to meet with Australian quarantine regulations.

"She was then hoisted onto the top deck of heavy-lift vessel MV 'Palanpur' to voyage to Adelaide, South Australia where it is said a quarter of a million people there are descended from those who travelled out on 'City of Adelaide' seeking a better life as they became early settlers in the state."

The group, 'Clipper Ship City of Adelaide Ltd' recently received land at Dock Two in Port Adelaide and for two years intricate, delicate engineering plans have been made for the dream to be realised.

Now the work is underway at last. Keep your eyes peeled for further updates.

Donations to help with the ship's future development may be made through this link : https://www.cityofadelaide.org.au/get-involved https://www.facebook.com/ClipperShipCoA/