In addition to the boat removal the major works programme will see the creation of an expansive public events area, new moorings and car parking, the construction of a new boat storage area and facility block, and a cleanup of the railway arches.

"The work at Bowling forms part of the ongoing revitalisation of Scotland's reopened Lowland canal corridor, " said Scott Gaherty, project manager for BW Scotland.

Once lifted the boats will be taken by barge to a landfill site up the River Clyde. Any salvageable steel will be recycled and a historian has been brought in to help identify the two main wrecks.

It's hoped the propellers from the minesweeper, the torpedo boat and the steam trawler will be returned to the harbour to be displayed with informative historical plaques.