CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save an historic North-East-built ship say restoration could cost more than £5m.

The City of Adelaide was built at the William Pile Hay and Co shipyard, Sunderland, in 1864, and is one of only three surviving clipper ships of its type in the world.

It was used to take emigrants from Britain to start new lives in Australia.

In later life, it was a floating isolation hospital in Southampton, a wartime Navy training ship, and finally, the floating RNVR club on the Clyde at Glasgow.

It was salvaged and moored at Irvine, Ayrshire, in Scotland, home of the Scottish Maritime Museum, but the museum does not have the money to fully restore it.

It is the only 19th Century passenger sailing ship among 46 vessels identified by the National Historic Ships Committee as forming the UK's "core collection''.

The newly-formed group, Sunderland Maritime Heritage, hopes to do the job itself and has commissioned a specialist survey that found the extent of the work needed.

Its chairman Alan Renwick said: "The ship has deteriorated in the three years since the previous inspection.

"It is ripe for restoration but it would cost in excess of £5m to do.

"The end result would be quite fantastic and a real asset to the area.

"The restoration itself would provide employment, training, for young people to learn shipbuilding skills that still exist here on Wearside and the North-East.

"She is part of our maritime heritage and we should not allow this opportunity pass us by.'