Weather delays City of Adelaide journey to Australia

The City of Adelaide is on a pontoon barge at Irvine ahead of its final journey to Australia

Attempts to transfer the world's oldest surviving clipper ship from Scotland to Australia have been delayed for second day by adverse weather.

The City of Adelaide was scheduled to leave the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine - where it has been since it was salvaged in 1992 - before 13:30.

That operation was cancelled for a second consecutive day on Thursday.

Attempts will be made on Friday to move the vessel to London before it is transferred to Australia.

The Adelaide is currently on a pontoon barge, waiting to start its seven to 10 day journey to London.

Ship history

Once there, it will be loaded into the hold of a cargo ship for its onward journey.

The City of Adelaide was built on the River Wear to carry people emigrating to southern Australia.

In 1893 it became a hospital ship, but in 1924 was converted into a training ship at Irvine, and renamed HMS Carrick.

In 1991 the ship sank at the Princes Dock, Glasgow, and lay on the bottom of the River Clyde for a year before being raised and taken to Irvine.

For years, it lay rotting on a slipway at the Scottish Maritime Museum, with the cost of repairs put in excess of £10m.

A rescue campaign mounted by rival consortiums from Adelaide and Sunderland saw the Australian group win the bid for ownership.

It formally took control of the Adelaide two weeks ago.

Source: BBC, UK.