FROM The Archive — Comet Paddle Steamer Replica Lifted Back Into Place After Restoration In 2011

A LOOK back at the spectacle in May 2011 when the newly-restored Comet paddle steamer was returned to pride of place in Port Glasgow after restoration.

The vessel’s condition is now a matter of concern, with its funnel removed last week for safety reasons.

The 15-month, £180,000 Comet Rebuilt project involved 17 local people working as part of an employment and training project in partnership with Inverclyde Council, The Trust at 7 ½ John Wood Street and Ferguson Shipbuilders.

The original paddle steamer was built by Henry Bell and began a passenger service in 1812 on the Clyde between Glasgow and Greenock, the first commercially successful steamboat service in Europe. The vessel was shipwrecked in strong currents near Oban on 13 December 1820.

The replica was built for the 150th anniversary of the ship and was sailed to Helensburgh from Port Glasgow in 1962 accompanied by a large flotilla of canoes, sailing dinghies, yachts, and motor boats achieving the design speed of five knots.