Legendary 77-year-old tall ship sent to scrap
Rodw, CC BY-SA 4.0 A three-masted tall ship, which has been used in films including Treasure Island, Count of Monte-Cristo, and Alice in Wonderland, has been sent to the scrapyard after almost eight decades on the water.
The Earl of Pembroke was built in Sweden 1945 as Orion and was used to haul timber in the Baltic Sea until being laid up in Denmark in 1974.
The 44.2-metre ship was later moved to the UK in 1980 where a full restoration began in 1985, with film work in mind. The restoration saw the rig changed from a schooner to a barque type, to more closely resemble Captain Cook’s HMS Endeavour. The ship was also renamed to Earl of Pembroke, in homage to HMS Endeavour‘s original name.
The ship went on to feature in numerous movies, including Treasure Island, Shipwrecked, Count of Monte-Cristo, Alice in Wonderland and Cloud Atlas. It also appeared at a number of festivals, such as the Southampton Boat Show and Liverpool Maritime Festival.
The vessel was resold by Metaco LLP in 2017 to Scarlet Sails Ltd.
In recent years, the vessel had been docked in the Den Helder post in Holland. However, according to local Dutch media, the current owners could no longer meet the costs of the vessel’s maintenance.
A post on the Facebook page of Dutch shipbreakers Hoeben RDM Schepen confirms the vessel was scrapped in nearby Kampen on 2 December 2022.
What an absolute tragedy. A terrible loss. A heritage forever lost.
So true. Very sad to see and it will never be replaced in the same way.
Bande de marin d’eau douce vous bâcler tous ses souvenirs
You would think the scrap man would have some sympathy for historic items, or offer it to interested parties. Good job we had Dia Woodham in uk with steam locomotives.
Easy to scrap impossible to replace
If only I had the money, I’d buy and fully restore it so people could enjoy this beautiful ship. No councillors to be allowed on board.
A disgrace ! In Letting this happen to such a beautiful ship, with so much history & work gone into this vessel, & giving so much happiness to so many over the years surely a museum at the very least or another maritime organisation could have taken this ship with so few of them left.
They did this as. Quickly and quietly as possible to a void any shaming,so shame on you😢
What a shame to let a tall ship go for scrap. Somebody should have stepped in and kept her going.
Surely this is covered under the government laws as it’s extremely old
Tragedy ,to have these ships sailing and the youth tought ,what do the old salts think ,its a sad chapter again in our Maritime history .
Why wasn’t it sold to someone who would restore it
If it Could be Pull into a Marsh .. sails replaced with Solar panels , a perfect carbon neutral accommodation.
#NORWICHUPCYCLE
Hello Hugo. As a fellow Montgomery I agree it is a travesty when a better solution could and should have been found. I doubt if there was little of value as scrap. It is obvious that similar artefacts are and probably have been similarly disposable.
Is any of the rigging still available for salvage?
Typical cost only basis decision to destroy vanishing heritage , this wouldn’t happen in the UK we are the greatest presivationist & restorers that mater to ordinary folk not the rich & famous.
We get down & dirty , that great army of volunteers, professionals & retired crafts men/women who have saved for the nation 2000 miles of Waterways, steam.rail , aircraft , boats that are in current use doing great service for those days trippers .
So Shame on those who allowed it to happen in foreign lands .
Typical of our throw away society where we do not value our heritage. Same thing has happened to most of the little ships from Dunkirk. A sad end.
Surely a big film company could buy it and put it in a theme park?Such a shame to let it rot!
Who on earth made this stupid decision? Historical belongings that have been restored at great expense should be. saved not destroyed.
No respect for historic items in the UK anymore. Where were the so called preservationists? Terrible.
Was it put up for sale prior to taking the decision to scrap it? A great loss.
This country does not know how to keep and look after history
Look at the USA how many ships have they kept
They have more WW2 ships saved then the RN currently has in service
Disgraceful
What a bizarre thing to do! They don’t make them anymore, at least not in that original way. Surprising there was no effort by someone to have it saved.
A great lost. Can’t it be saved
This vessel had a fine history not only in the timber trade but in the film industry. There are many ports that had Timber docks my own port ofHull as an example. Surely it could have been offered the safe haven the old girl deserved
I know how you feel. We have one small three master left in Liverpool docks. Left to rot by our National Museums and now being scrapped to be replaced by a larger slavery exhibit
No one cares about maritime heritage anymore.
By replaced I also mean the dry dock itself is being filled in costing millions.
A great shame to see the demise of yet another historical vessel. Maybe not famous, but very useful for perpetuating the images of other vessels now gone that were actually famous such as Bounty, Endeavour, Beagle etc. Also, for representing Hispaniola, Invinceable and other film roles. Hopefully, there are still one or two others remaining to fill her shoes, but a sad occasion none the less.
So sad so much history lost,gone forever.
Can the public not save it?
Yet another peace of Gloucestershire History as gone going too the scrap yard why just like The air balloon pub you say GLOUCESTERSHIRE is deep in history now you are destroying it mad people of today. Not thinking about tomorrow ??????
Very sad relics like this should be saved for our heritage.
You would have thought with a bit of hustling about a group of people could have been brought together to save Her, very sad that nobody bothered.
Like soldiers, old ships never die but slowly fade away. We cannot keep everything dear to us except things that have truly made/changed the course of history. That is evolution.
Why is this being scrapped .is it rotten .what condition .?
Sad but not an historic ship as such. Built as recently as 1945
I am surprised Sweden didn’t try and buy it, apart from heritage value it could have been used as a tourist attraction.
“Scrap” is one of the cruelest verbs in the English language. Is it really necessary to make room for something else. This kind of substitution usually marks a loss of some form.
Thank God it’s gone. The sooner we get rid of these historic remnants the better. Let’s just forget all our naval history, how to sail a tall ship let alone rig one. Look at all the money wasted preserving our past and our culture it could be much better spent by . . . Er . . . Um . . . Oh yes funding some extra councillors or even better – paying some politicians even more money to do . . . Er . . . What is it they do?
Is this the one that was in Charlestown st austall for some time
As usual heritage only if those with the power are interested narrow minded idiots look at Exeter my dad tried many years ago at the council offices of Exeter to save many buildings and Roman Baths that were on cathedral ground they didn’t want to so they got rid or hid what a disgrace
Thanks for letting everyone know AFTER it has been scrapped.
Looks like the last flying Avro Vulcan is going to scrapped soon. Making way for yet another housing estate.
Takazuka park, Japan, 1960, a redundant tall ship in situ as a real life adventure playground for little ones to enjoy alongside a redundant four engined airliner. Beats swings and seesaws every time. Much more practical than scrapping them off
I am so upset about this
I first joined the Earl as an AB in the summer of 1994 when she was fitting out in Bristol Dock for the company Square Sail LTD
We later sailed to Charlestown Cornwall to continue the refit and later sailed to Malta to film Cutthroat Island
I had my 21st birthday on the passage back to Cornwall from Spain many good memories of the four years I served this beautiful fast sailing ship
I don’t understand how a ship as important as this (the Earl was the last wooden schooner to be built and carry timber in Sweden) could be scrapped RIP The Earl Of Pembroke you will always be remembered by your old crews