On this day in history – 17th February 1936: ‘Lady Elizabeth runs aground’

“Lady Elizabeth is one of the finest surviving examples in the world of a 19th century, British-built, all-iron, inter-oceanic sailing ship. She is the quintessential Cape Horner and has become the dominant iconic symbol of Port Stanley. Some might even say the Falklands. She is our Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty and Tower Bridge rolled into one. For me on a fine evening, nothing beats watching the sunset over the Two Sisters with the Lady Liz in the foreground. But she is made of perishable metal, and cannot be a joy forever. In places she is now paper thin. People talk of saving her as a museum, but for a community of our size and limited means, that is not realistic. But what we could do is have a rescue-plan in place that would allow for the recovery of certain key features - the anchor deck with the fo’c’sle below, the main deck house with its galley and bunk room and, of course, the poop area with its steering mechanism. If nothing is done, the Lady Elizabeth will one day sink into oblivion, just like the Capricorn and Jhelum.”