THREE jewels in the crown of the Tall Ships weekend could be made out-of-bounds to the public.
The Royal Navy was hoping to moor 7,500 tonnes of ships at Seament Jetty, in Huskisson Dock, during the waterside extravaganza.
HMS Argyll, Grimsby and Mersey were due to come alongside to allow public tours before they lead the Tall Ships out of the Mersey.
The naval vessels will still form part of the parade of sail and the flotilla, but will be kept away from the crowds in an inaccessible part of Huskisson Dock.
Senior Royal Navy officers were told at the eleventh hour they will not be able to stay on Seament Jetty, which runs along the south side of Huskisson.
Instead, the Navy has been told by the Mersey Docks & Harbour Company to moor the frigate, minehunter and offshore support vessel on the north side of the dock, away from the public.
Commodore John Madgwick, the Navy’s regional commander in the North West, had hoped thous-ands of maritime enthusiasts would be able to tour the ships.
A scaffolding walkway has been constructed around Wellington Dock, where the largest Tall Ships will be moored, to allow specta-tors to see the armada of vessels.
Cmdr Madgwick said he is cont-inuing to press for a venue that would allow the public to see the ships. He told the Daily Post: “This is a once-in-a-generation event. Every organisation should be bending over backwards to make sure this is splendid.
“Here’s a golden opportunity when there’s a lot of people to show them as taxpayers what we do with their money.
“And the ships would be another enhancement to the show that would help to make it even better.”
Commodore Madgwick added he expected considerable disappointment if the ships could be seen but were not open.
When the 20,000-tonne Ark Royal moored at the city’s cruise liner terminal, around 8,000 people flocked to see her.
The Royal fleet auxiliary vessel Lyme Bay, a 16,000-tonne bay-class amphibious landing ship, will be at the cruise liner terminal during the Tall Ships weekend.
The Navy will also escort the Tall Ships across the Irish Sea and one will travel with the flotilla during the first leg of the Tall Ships Races to Norway.
Organisers have been planning for the weekend since Liverpool was announced as the venue in 2004.
Cmdr Madgwick said he has plans drawn up since then, showing his ships at the Seament Jetty.
He said he always expected the ships to be accessible to the public and the Navy have printed leaflets saying they will be open.
Meetings between the Culture Company, Mersey Docks & Harbour Company and the Navy about the berthing are ongoing.
A spokesperson for the Culture Company said everything possible was being done to accommodate the ships over the weekend.
Berthing plans for the event are still fluid, he added. “The Navy issue is being looked into – hopefully we will have some form of solution by the end of the week.
“Berthing plans for the vessels change on an almost daily basis.”
More than 70 huge sailing ships will fill the city’s docks from July 18 to July 21. They will be berthed in Wellington and Albert Docks.
Most of the major class A tall ships – those at least 40m long – will be in Wellington and Sandon half-tide docks.
A spokesperson for the Mersey Docks & Harbour Company denied that plans had changed, and said the three Naval ships were always going to be off-limits in Huskisson Dock.
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