Poms rally to stop historic City of Adelaide clipper ship from being bound for South Australia Protestor Peter Maddison has occupied the City of Adelaide clipper ship in Scotland. This month he organised a protest in Sunderland, England, where he wants the ship sent instead of Port Adelaide. A CAMPAIGN to keep the City of Adelaide clipper ship in the UK is gaining momentum. Members of the Sunderland City of Adelaide Recovery Fund took to the Sunderland streets last Saturday (August 17). The group, headed by Save our Ship campaigner Peter Maddison, is fighting a decision made in 2010 to send the historic ship to Port Adelaide at a cost of Pound750,000 ($1.2 million) to Scottish taxpayers. Mr Maddison, who named his daughter Adelaide, told the Portside Messenger keeping the ship in the UK would create local jobs. "The ship is still in Scotland - she is intact and has far greater historical integrity and importance to us," Mr Maddison said. There is plenty of passion in Sunderland - and a desperate need to work. Mr Maddison said the group marched through the streets of Sunderland handing out flyers to more than 40,000 soccer fans. He said he would like to see the City of Adelaide Preservation Trust "step down graciously and be statesman-like in the face of defeat." "With what we know now of the plight of their financial bid and the almost insurmountable problems ahead for them, we should publicly request they now default to (us) as standby bidders," he said. City of Adelaide Preservation Trust director Peter Christopher said the Sunderland group had "been incapable of raising money or support to save the ship." "For him to suggest that we have insurmountable obstacles ahead of us is untrue and an error on his part," Mr Christopher said. The City of Adelaide was built in 1864 to carry passengers and cargo to Adelaide. It is expected to arrive in Port Adelaide in early 2014 and be docked at Port Adelaide to become a tourist attraction, pending a government decision.