The on-going restoration of the historic steamship TS Queen Mary has been buoyed by a donation from Clyde ferry and harbour operator CalMac.
The money will go towards reinstating the vessel’s main mast.
The new mast will be machined from a single Douglas Fir tree and varnished before being installed on board with original refurbished rigging.
Launched in 1933, the vessel was known as Britain's finest pleasure steamer, and it her heyday carried around 13,000 passengers per week.
Since rescuing the vessel from being scrapped, in 2015, Friends of TS Queen Mary have raised and invested £2M, both in cash and in-kind, in the project to restore TS Queen Mary as a heritage destination and education centre, moored at Glasgow Science Centre.
CalMac has a long association with the vessel. At the outbreak of World War Two, the steamer switched from a pleasure craft to become a lifeline for Scotland's island communities.
After the war she was transferred to the flag of the Caledonian Steam Packet Company, who merged with MacBraynes in 1973 to become Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd.
The company’s Director of Community Brian Fulton said: ‘The historic relationship the company has with this vessel runs deep and we are delighted to be able to play a part in restoring the Queen Mary to her former glory."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here