The "Carrick" currently rotting quietly away in Irvine was originally built as "City of Adelaide" and renamed "Carrick", or more correctly HMS Carrick, later in her career when she served as an RNR Drill Ship at Greenock and later in Glasgow as an RNVR Club.

Designed to carry both passengers and cargo between England and Australia. She included first-class and second-class passenger quarters, and the hold could be filled with emigrants if desired. The ship spent many years making annual runs to and from South Australia, playing an important role in the development of the colony; researchers have estimated that 60% of South Australians can trace their origins to passengers on "City of Adelaide", so she is therefore not without some historical significance.

On relative costs £10 million was required to completely restore the "Carrick" (Applications to Government, Scottish Tourist Authority and National Lottery all failed), £25 million was approved to refit the "Cutty Sark". The latter cost will now probably go through the roof as a result of the fire damage.

I think that the shock-wave that has reverberated through the country at the prospect of losing such an attraction as this historic ship dictates through common-sense that we'd be better off if we had at least two of them - A fully reconstructed "Cutty Sark" in Greenwich, London (Major tourist trap) and main port of destination during her working life; and "Carrick" fully reconstructed as "City of Adelaide" located in Sunderland where she was built.