Glasgow’s Tall Ship Glenlee celebrated 30 years since it returned to the River Clyde with family members of the former crew on board for a special tribute. 

Located at the Riverside Museum, family members of the crew who helped navigate the boat back home three decades ago took part in a celebratory event on Friday. 

Alistair Miller captained the ship in 1992 and was in charge of guiding the boat back home as it was pulled by tug boats from Spain.

The ship was threatened with scrappage after spending 70 years working hard in the Mediterranean Sea and was no longer required, with the journey taking nine days.

READ NEXT: Glasgow park with the famous 'hot seat' from Still Game 

Now 30 years on from when the boat arrived back in the Clyde’s docks, the grandson of the captain Ross Dowall rang the bell on the ship at 3:50pm on Friday afternoon, marking the moment the boat officially returned home three decades earlier.

Glasgow Times:

Fiona Greer, Trustee at the Riverside Museum, said: “It was such a wonderful moment to celebrate.

“Having the family all connect with the ship and being able to be on the very boat that their fathers were on must have been special.

“There is something special about connecting people, memories and stories to history as it really does bring it to life.

“The ship isn’t just a boat, it is a place where people can come and really connect with it and that is what it is all about.

“And to have Ross ring the bell on the ship his grandfather captained must have been very cool.

“Hopefully, he really connected with the ship like his grandfather did.”

Glasgow Times: Ross onboard the boat with nearly 200 years of history Ross onboard the boat with nearly 200 years of history (Image: Martin Shields)

Having been built in 1896, the boat was used as a trading ship in Scotland before being sold to the Royal Spanish Navy in 1922, where it served its role for over 47 years before laying dormant until it was bought by West Coast Scots in 1992 after recognising it was a Clyde built vessel.

After returning home, the ship was then worked on for several years to be returned to its former glory, with it now being an iconic landmark in the Glasgow skyline for people to visit.

And the family members of Captian Miller, along with Tom Gibson, the grandson of the chief engineer of the crew, were delighted to be on board the ship to celebrate the huge milestone.

Glasgow Times: Captain Miller, bottom left, with close friends on the crew. Captain Miller, bottom left, with close friends on the crew. (Image: Supplied)

Fiona added: “Ross must have got a real good insight into what his grandfather experienced when he was on the boat.

“It is something the boat does, it reels you in and you can really sense the history that is behind it.

“It is something that I see all the time people coming in and looking at the ship.

“The ship does cost around £450,000 per year to run, with all the maintenance needed and for it to be able to be used as a sightseeing tour.

“The volunteers here at the museum really do a lot of hard work to make sure it is kept afloat.”