Can it be believed that the beautiful, rakish maritime patrol vessel, no longer needed by the marine section of the Armed Forces of Malta, is to be simply sunk? (Boats To Be Scuttled, September 1). Malta has a Maritime Museum, with no ships, so why is this elegant beauty not being preserved and opened to the public? It’s a fine ship and has done sterling work for Malta, over a long period. It deserves better.

It belongs to the taxpayer, as presumably does Dock 1 and the basin at Dockyard Creek, Cottonera. Why could it not be docked there, at presumably no cost? As near as one can get to Malta Maritime Museum, it would be crewed by volunteers.

There will be many retired ex-crew, ex-navy from many countries, ex-dockyard staff and civilians, with a love of ships, willing to come aboard for a few hours per week, to clean, paint and polish and to show people round and maybe tell a few salty stories; to get a deck under their feet again, meet like-minded people and get away from the domestic scene for a few hours. They only need to be asked, to know they are wanted. An advert in the newspaper surely would do the trick.

I suspect that almost no one of the public has been close to this ship, certainly not aboard her. They would love to have access to the bridge of a fighting ship, see the galley, accommodation, radio and engine rooms, climb the gun platforms and imagine working conditions in rough seas.

The main cost, I would say, would be for paint and maintenance materials, electricity for internal lighting and possibly cooling fans, bilge pump etc. I am sure this would be covered by charging an entrance fee, stating it is to cover the above.

Come on Malta, wake up, you have Fort St Elmo, with part of an aeroplane, you have an Aviation Museum, sporting a DC 3 with no wings (for at least four years now). Try something different – you have this super ship, complete, waiting for a new life. Are you really going to sink it? If divers want to see it, they can take a day off and get the real thing. As is said, when it’s gone it’s gone.