HMS Plymouth - Campaign to save her.

At present, there is a 'clear and present danger' of the type 12 frigate HMS Plymouth being taken away for scrap.

There is a campaign to save her, at present they are trying to raise £5000 to pay for a barrister to challenge Peel Ports.

As of an hour or two ago, the people who want to save her have managed to raise approximately £3300 in less than 24 hours.

Links to the Facebook page and HMS Plymouth's website are below.

http://www.hmsplymouthtrust.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SAVE.HMS.PLYMOUTH.OPEN/543847382409151/?notif_t=group_comment_reply

I see this was posted on the 19th and no one has commented, what is it with the military vehicle hobbiest who is seems to me is only interested in ww2! Bet if this was a ww2 ship there would of been several replies!!

Most things charity related seems to go quietly.

i put in a join group request so i can spam my friends on facebook with it

As a Dutchman its not my history.

Still, I'd like to see it saved.

So come on and help out all.

Thanks guys, if you check out on the links supplied at the top a lot of injustices have been made! And a lot of interest is being raised on national tv and newspapers to stop this vessel being scrapped

I am a dutchman too, i just think it is a shame that perfectly good ships get transformed in to razor blades.

It would do Mablethorpe some good to have that ship as a museum ship as we need the tourists.

as Tesco is planning to invest in the mainstreet i might email them that that ship would be a crown jewel to the town

Hi, I'd have posted updates but it seemed by the quiet that no one was interested in her plight.

The latest update is that she was taken early, allegedly to prevent the organisation trying to save her from serving the warrants to prevent her depature. A representative of the HMS Plymouth Trust was prevented from gaining access to her to serve the warrants.

She is currently being towed to Turkey but the Trust's barrister has indicated that this is not a major problem as she could be towed back if the courts order her returned.

The trust was shown to have a legitimate claim to her, so now it's in the hands of the lawyers.

PS The £5000 target was met in 18 hours.

I think maybe some updates on here would raise awareness oh how popular the ship is

The latest update is that the trust cannot provide any updates for now due

"As much as I would like to update you I cannot as this would be to show our hand to the other side. I myself am hoping to give you an update by this evening or in the morning at the latest. All I can say is that phone lines are ringing hot between the UK and Turkey and everywhere in between. Sorry I can not allow any more information out at present. The Gibraltar ETA is important and is needed "

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SAVE.HMS.PLYMOUTH.OPEN/547469195380303/?notif_t=group_comment_reply

However things are starting to get mentioned in the media now

There is also fundraising efforts now in place. Everything from Tshirts to rather nice pictures. The vendors are donating a portion of the price to the trust. (I believe in the case of the pictures, £20 from every purchase of goes to the campaign)

TShirts:

http://www.purpleangelgraffix.com/save-hms-pymouth/

Naval pictures:

http://www.jackstaxi.net/

Not sure how many of us know much about floaty things, probably because they are harder to drag home and hide behind the shed...

I hope all goes well, though I have no idea how one goes about preserving something so huge!

trevor

[quote name=

I hope all goes well, though I have no idea how one goes about preserving something so huge!

With an awful lot of paint!

At the moment there is something going on regarding the tug and her position. I'm not sure about the details at present. But things do appear to be moving.

Could we have an update on this please

According to the WWW she was towed to Turkey for cutting at the end of August

Hi, things are moving pretty quickly just now and not all the information is in the public domain (Due to negotiations and behind the scences stuff)

This is my summary from what I can gather on the FB page:

She is now in the scrapyard and things are going a bit 'funky' The yard stopped talking to the Turkish lawyers and the trust for a while.

However representatives of the trust are flying out to inspect her, making sure the yard has not gone back on it promise to delay the scrapping.

There is now a mystery backer involved who, with the trust's, blessing is interested in buying her, however it seems the yard will not let her go for anything less than scrap value and a guarantee that it will not be held liable for any court action.

It seems that the UK Government put in a clause during the sale, saying she must be scrapped, however it is pretty well established that she is a charitable asset, (Once a CA, then always a CA, so the UK Government had no authority to insist on her destruction.) and the MOD has stated it has no interest in her either way.

If I find out anything more concrete I will post it here. The representatives should be touching down in Turkey very soon now.

The link on FB is:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SAVE.HMS.PLYMOUTH.OPEN/

Donations are still being gratefully accepted on the Trust's website:

http://www.hmsplymouthtrust.co.uk/

Latest update regarding HMS Plymouth. She is gone. I will include the full post from Facebook along with the link.

"It is with deep regret to have to report this update to you tonight. Having spoken with Gareth Griffiths and Roy Martin tonight at length they have asked me to report the following;

HMS Plymouth is no more.

As you will be all aware, Gareth and Roy flew out to Turkey on Monday and have worked tirelessly around the clock to gain access to the scrap yard, SOK Denizcuilik were HMS Plymouth arrived a few weeks ago. The yard has a heavy security presence which includes the Turkish military so gaining access was not particularly an easy task but were eventually granted access to the senior management of the yard with detailed documentation from Conservative MEP David Campbell-Bannerman who has been a keen supporter of HMS Plymouth Trust Ltd and played an active role in the campaign to preserve the historic warship in the UK.

The senior management of the yard have been described by Roy and Gareth as professional, welcoming and amicable. HMS Plymouth was discussed in detail over tea and biscuits. Sadly however the outcome was not what we all held a glimmer of hope for.

The scrap yard confirmed the following, which I think you will agree is quite disturbing:

1) HMS Plymouth was sold to SOK Denizcuilik by a “subsidiary” of Peel Holdings which was set up for the sole purpose of selling HMS Plymouth and wound up immediately after the vessel was collected.

2) Peel Holdings placed the following clauses in the sale:

- The deconstruction of HMS Plymouth must start immediately on arrival at the yard and given priority over all other work.

- No photographs or access may be granted to HMS Plymouth by third parties.

- The vessel must be completely destroyed; the yard can not resell, give away or otherwise transfer HMS Plymouth to third parties nor negotiate any other use for the vessel. The purpose of the sale is for the vessel to be completely destroyed.

-Photographic evidence of the deconstruction can only be released once the vessel no longer exists.

3) The most bizarre and concerning part of the contract which will all most certainly be investigated now by relevant authorities is this one, again, wording may not be exact:

“This deconstruction contract is a top secret case in collaboration with the UK Government. If this contract is in any way breached, Peel Holdings will ensure that you will not receive anymore deconstruction contracts from the MOD for any other vessels.”

It is at this point Roy and Gareth were shown pictures of HMS Plymouth being scrapped from the cutting of the bow, removal of the bridge to just her remains on the beach which I believe is somewhere between mid ships to stern minus superstructure.

So it is with much deep regret and upset that I have had to bring you all this news which is effectively the end of our campaign and more importantly, the end of HMS Plymouth which is what it was all about. I understand that this news will bring great disappointment and upset to you all and I share in that with you though I do not pretend to “understand” how each individual feels as this will be very different to all of us in how it effects us.

This update doesn’t really have a parting line, there is really no more to say on it. On behalf of HMS Plymouth Trust Ltd I would like to say how heart warming it has been to have 100% support from you all during the last two and a half years and that we are eternally appreciative of you all.

HMS Plymouth Trust Ltd. "

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SAVE.HMS.PLYMOUTH.OPEN/permalink/567099763417246/

Sad to hear she is gone. So much history destroyed by torch and to be converted to razor blades.

So Peel Holdings is to ensure that the destruction company will not receive any more ships from the MoD. I find that statement somewhat disturbing, The Ministry of Defence, a government department, is being told by a private company that they cannot sell a asset of the crown? The audacity of these people...........

Peel Holding is a massive company with a lot of political clout, it runs at least one of the MOD's dockyards (Chatham from memory) and owns most of the docks in the UK along with a lot of MOD and ex MOD land.

It also has a reputation for asset stripping:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Peel_Group

At present there is a campaign to save HMS Edinburgh:

https://www.facebook.com/saveHMSEdinburgh

Let's hope that is more successful and there is hope the HMS Plymouth Trust will manage to save another ship.

Can I ask an obvious (well it is to me ) question? Why were Peel group so intent on scrapping her?

If a fair offer had been made relating to her scrap value ? (was an offer made?) of at least as much if not maybe at the very least a £ or so more than the offer had been off the Turkish Company ?.... why would any sane company not take that offer ? ....

baffled I is

Can I ask an obvious (well it is to me ) question? Why were Peel group so intent on scrapping her?

I can't say for sure, I get the feeling she was an embarrassment to them, perhaps a sign that they went back on their word. (I remember visiting her when she was still owned by the Warship Preservation Trust and being told the Peel Ports had guaranteed her berth for long as needed etc.)

Peel Ports certainly went to extraordinary measures to make sure she was destroyed. Over the years there were several groups (including the HMS Plymouth Trust) who were willing to take her off PP's hands, including paying them her value in scrap.

I can't say for sure, I get the feeling she was an embarrassment to them, perhaps a sign that they went back on their word. (I remember visiting her when she was still owned by the Warship Preservation Trust and being told the Peel Ports had guaranteed her berth for long as needed etc.)

 

Peel Ports certainly went to extraordinary measures to make sure she was destroyed. Over the years there were several groups (including the HMS Plymouth Trust) who were willing to take her off PP's hands, including paying them her value in scrap.

Best thing is, she didnt actually belong to Peel Ports!!!

Exactly. Peel Ports set up a company for the sole purpose of selling her. That way PP can pocket the cash while shirking any responsibility.

I see this was posted on the 19th and no one has commented, what is it with the military vehicle hobbiest who is seems to me is only interested in ww2! Bet if this was a ww2 ship there would of been several replies!!

I see on another thread regarding the LCT my words ring true!!!