The rapidly deteriorating historic scow 'Echo' is in the throes of being demolished due to safety concerns by new owners Port Marlborough of New Zealand.
It is understood Port Marlborough stepped in after the previous owners of the 1905-built wooden vessel recently failed to gain consent for the vessel to operate as a floating café/restaurant.
Port Marlborough projects manager Rose Prenderville said the Picton Marina-situated vessel, which had been highly modified, was "rotting very quickly".
"Another exacerbating factor was that it had a couple of masts and we've had some big earthquakes over 12 months ago, so we were really concerned about the hazard of the masts in a decaying hull," Ms Prenderville told Baird Maritime.
"On the basis of an engineering report, we have removed the masts immediately upon taking possession and have subsequently had a full inspection of it by a shipwright.
"We started dialogue with historical interests around Marlborough, including the Edwin Fox Society, the local museum and historical experts and had them look at the structure with us and research the most appropriate way to handle the heritage."
The 'Echo' joined a fleet of vessels owned by Eckford and Company in the 1920s, delivering freight between Wellington and Blenheim and was loaned to the United States military during World War II.
Withdrawn from service in 1965, the 'Echo' was later used in the Hollywood movie The Wackiest Ship in the Army starring Jack Lemmon and Ricky Nelson. It subsequently served as a clubhouse before being transformed for the restaurant trade.
Iain MacIntyre
