Hundreds of artefacts are to be delicately moved from the Arctic Corsair ahead of its move to a temporary birth and placed in temporary storage.
The distant trawler, that often completed a 2,000 mile round trip to Iceland, will be placed into storage in September ahead of the flood defence work along the River Hull by the Environment Agency. The trawler will then receive a major restoration to secure its long-term future and return to its new home at the North End Shipyard.
Hundreds of artefacts are now being recorded, logged and placed into storage, ahead of being redisplayed as part of a new visitor units displays as part of the project.
Councillor Marjorie Brabazon, Chair of Hull Culture and Leisure Limited, said: This is an incredibly exciting time for the museum team as they begin the work to clear the trawler completely of its artefacts and collection. The volunteers have been involved in planning for the conservation and along with the team will oversee each stage of the work as it is undertaken.
Paul Stockhill, Hull and East Yorkshire Partnership Manager, said: “The Environment Agency has been working closely with Hull City Council and other partners on the £36.5m flood defence works on the River Hull, together with city ambitions to create a rejuvenated waterfront. Aligning of all this work is enabling many partners to work together to reduce flood risk while creating a great visitor destination with the Arctic Corsair as centre piece for this public space.”
The full conservation of the Arctic Corsair is being funded by Hull City Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). It is part of the £27.4 million Hull: Yorkshires Maritime City programme that will protect and share every element of its maritime past, present and future by developing three important sites: the Maritime Museum; the Dock Office Chambers and the North End Shipyard; and conserving two historic vessels, the Arctic Corsair and Spurn Lightship.
The work involving the Arctic Corsair will include:
Full restoration
A permanent dry berth to ensure long-term preservation
Ongoing marketing and promotion to raise awareness of her national significance
New and improved interpretation facilitating increased tourism and educational visits
A range of skills and training opportunities
Increased opening hours
Enhanced volunteering programmes leading to a projected 230 per cent increase in volunteering
For more information on the guided tours, visit www.hcandl.co.uk
Guided tours of the Arctic Corsair are still available. Visitors may not be able to see all of the ship and visitor centre as we prepare for the move. The free tours run every Wednesday and Saturday 10am – 3pm and Sunday 11am – 3pm until further notice. Before each tour starts, you can watch a 10-minute action film – Life at Sea – in the Arctic Corsair visitor centre, next to the Hull and East Riding Museum. You can also find out more about the Arctic Corsair at the museum, which is free to enter and you do not need to book.