Scotland’s Year of Stories: Story of Tall Ship's apprentice unveiled in new exhibition

 The Tall Ship Glenlee is celebrating Scotland’s Year of Stories with tales from the logbook of a young apprentice who lived and worked on board in 1918.

Built in 1896, the former merchant sailing vessel has circumnavigated the globe five times. It is the last remaining three-masted Clyde-built ship still afloat in the UK, the only steel square-rigged cargo vessel remaining in the whole of the UK, and one of just five Clyde-built vessels remaining in the world.

The vessel is now anchored at Kelvin Harbour on the River Clyde by the Riverside Museum where she welcomes around 180,000 visitors annually from all over the world.

Its new exhibition tells the story of Ernest M Andersen, known as Andy, who joined the crew as an apprentice aged 16 in 1916.

At the time, The Tall Ship Glenlee was known as the Islamount, and it set sail from Sydney with a cargo of wheat in the hold, bound for Cape Town, South Africa on August 20, 1918. Its young apprentice updated the logbook nearly every day of the 81-day voyage, recording the weather, the day’s activities, and the position of the ship. The exhibition brings the logbook to life, detailing aspects of daily life which would otherwise have been lost to time. There are first-hand accounts of the friendships, rivalries and living conditions stored among its pages, alongside tales of hardships, moments of joy and exhilaration.

Personal belongings of Andy’s, such as his sextant and tobacco tin, are also on display, giving a further insight into his life on board the The Tall Ship Glenlee.

Granddaughter Stephanie Champion visited the ship and shared his logbook.

“The different parts of The Apprentice’s Tale project will really allow Andy’s words and world to come to life,” she said.

“As a family we are honoured to have our grandad remembered in this way and to share his voyage with today’s visitors.”

Transcripts of the full logbook are also available to view on The Tall Ship Glenlee’s website, along with maps pinpointing the ship’s location at the time of writing, allowing visitors to continue to follow Andy’s story from home.