'They cite health and safety as reasons for their actions, but breaking her up causes pollution and she is in an area of special scientific interest. 'It does not seem to be in the interest of the creditors. Possibly 25,000 to deal with the asbestos alone. 'Our offer was small but it would not have cost them anything, whereas breaking her up will cost them a great deal. 'It was a complete shock to find that they have started to break her up without even responding to our offer. 'They have exposed asbestos and because their licence for removing it has run out we have at least 14 days during which they can't work on her. 'We made the offer and then heard nothing until I walked past the other day and found that they had started to break her up. But we couldn't apply for the grants until we owned her. 'During that year we would have been able to secure grants to help us move her and then restore her. 'We offered 15,000 pounds for her and showed evidence of our funds and that we were able to pay for her storage for a year. Historic: American soldiers disembark at the shores of Normandy on D-Day, June 1944 'The company that owned her, Island Marina Holdings, is in the hands of the receivers. 'She has survived a bad fire when she was a nightclub but we believe that if she is restored we could run her as a tourist vessel. Mark Young, one of the trustees of the Ryde Preservation Trust, said: 'During her life she has been a pleasure craft, a war ship, a gin palace, a hotel and a nightclub - and unfortunately she is now a wreck. PS Ryde - which is on the National Historic Ships register - is in the hands of receivers after the company that owns her went bust last year.īut those who wanted to buy her can't understand why the administrators did not accept their offer, which they thought would be of mutual benefit to the creditors and Britain's maritime heritage. This is to the fury of a group of enthusiasts who have been trying to buy her with the aim of one day restoring her to her former glory. The once-grand boat is languishing at a mooring on the Isle of Wight and, without warning, work has begun to break her up amid health and safety concerns. Now the 223ft vessel - the world's last coal-powered, sea-going paddle steamer and one of the few surviving ships used at Normandy - is finally being sunk - by bureaucracy.
Derelict: The once-grand boat is languishing and, without warning, work has begun to break her up amid health and safety concerns
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