Prince Philip enjoys a 'very Australian' affair as historic ship renamed Prince Philip laughs as he watches the renaming ceremony for the City Of Adelaide clipper ship on London's riverside. Picture: Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images Source: Getty Images WITH plenty of spilt booze, meat pies and good humour the worlds oldest clipper was given a right royal Aussie send off as it prepares to make its last journey to Australia to become a living museum. His Royal Highness Prince Philip was most amused and remarked "how very Australian" as he chuckled through the formal renaming of the 1864 clipper "City of Adelaide" ahead of its return to South Australia. The historic 19th Century vessel was destined for the scrap yard after being left to rot in a muddy bank in Scotland but was saved and will now be transported back to South Australia to be restored to some of its former glory and go on display. The ceremony on the River Thames at Greenwich in south east London to rename her City of Adelaide - the name it had when it transported goods and new migrants to the South Australian colony from the 1860s - was steeped in nautical tradition. It involved burning its written old name "HMS Carrick" in a champagne ice bucket, to purge its name from the "ledger of the deep" and Neptune's memory, then tipping half the bottle of champers into the Thames to appease him. A glass of alcohol, in this case champagne, had to then be thrown to four directions to appease the gods of the four winds and that's when the duke began to laugh, much to the delight of the group of supporters and onlookers. "He loved it, he said that's very Australian and he really enjoyed himself," SA agent general to London Bill Muirhead said of the Duke's response. The world's oldest surviving clipper ship, the City of Adelaide, moored on the Thames. Picture: Oli Scarff/Getty Images I think he loved seeing the vessel, he thought it was really awesome. After the ceremony the duke joined invited guests to share imported Australian wines, beer and meat pies. Built in Sunderland in 1864, the City of Adelaide made 23 return voyages carrying supplies and 300 migrants at a time from England, Scotland, Ireland and Germany to the fledgling colony before returning with wool and other goods for export. Its sailing days ended in 1893 but it continued to serve as a floating hospital and then a training ship, when it was renamed HMS Carrick, until sinking in a dock in Glasgow in 1991. It lay on the bottom of River Clyde for a year before being raised and moved to the muddy banks of River Irvine when the government in Scotland pressed for it to be stripped of its historical significance status and thereby avoid the $50 million it would cost to salvage and renovate. In 2001 Prince Philip led a group to look at alternatives and 10 years later the Scottish Government accepted the multi-million dollar Australian proposal to send her "home." "I declare that this ship is now going to be called City of Adelaide, I hope she has a long and successful career in her reincarnation," the duke said yesterday at her renaming. He added its restoration was vital for Australia's maritime history. Many Australians will appreciate the ability to see this ship which was specifically built to carry many of their forbears on the long passage from Britain to Australia. That passage took a then speedy 65 days. The ship, the first composite vessel to have wood over a wrought iron frame, is four years older than its globally famous sister ship the Cutty Sark which it berthed next to in Greenwich for the first time in a century yesterday. Hamilton Island marine developer Andrew Chapman was honourary captain for the renaming. Mr Chapman's great-great-grandfather travelled from Adelaide with his wife and two granddaughters back to London for a holiday aboard the Adelaide while his Port Augusta great-great uncle sent bales of wool to the motherland for auction. "It's very personal, you can look at the ship there and imagine the hardship of travelling to the colony and back, we do it in a plane today in 24 hours in relative comfort, the best they did was 65 days so it would have been hard," the 47-year-old Mr Chapman, who as master of the ceremony yesterday wore a period captain's uniform. On one occasion when my great-great grandfather brought his family back to London his wife was seven months pregnant and to think of bringing your wife in that condition is quite amazing so I have a real attachment to it. The risk was that it was going to be broken up in Scotland and six guys got together in Adelaide and for 10 plus years have been working to save this ship. It's a big, big day. Mr Chapman's father Tom was one of the sponsors as was businessman and former Cricket Australia director and chairman Creagh O'Connor. He said he was delighted to have been involved and now see his dream coming true to have a significant part of Australia's maritime history return. So for more than $6 million has been spent to get it onto a custom-built cradle, scraped clean as required by Australian quarantine and will now be lowered into a hull of a cargo ship for final transportation. Its relocation was made possible through public donations and sponsorship by big business predominantly from the defence industries. Its relocation hasn't been without controversy. The city of Sunderland has been attempting to block its move under law that prohibits the movement of critical heritage items. Yesterday one supporter at the ceremony was still angry British tax-payers were allowing its loss. "I tell what should happen and that is it's carried straight out of the Thames on that barge and turns left and heads home where it belongs," he said.