The project is to repair under water hull damage to Steamship Shieldhall, which has occurred as a direct result of the vessel being mothballed and static throughout 2020 and through to May 2021 due to Covid-19.
Shieldhall’s hull has been damaged by excessive biofouling, in the form of barnacles and mussels, which had formed because the ship has been stationary. In any normal year, biofouling would be minimised by the self-polishing action of the anti-fouling coating as the ship moves through the water. Because the ship has been laid-up, however, extensive accretion has compromised the hull’s protective coating, exposing steel to seawater corrosion.
The only remedy is to drydock the ship in early 2022, clean the hull, remove the remaining areas of compromised coating, replace or repair corroded hull plates and apply a modern anti-fouling system. If we do not carry out the recoating, the ship's hull will continue to degrade and initially, result in withdrawal of our passenger certification and hence, expose our major income stream and eventually, in the extreme, could lead to structural hull failure if not corrected.
Steamship Shieldhall is one of just 200 vessels forming the National Historic Fleet (Certificate no. 66). Equivalent to Listed Building status. As a member of the Fleet she is formally recognised by National Historic Ships as being of pre-eminent significance, providing an insight into the UK's maritime history and technology, and worthy of the highest level of protection. Shieldhall has twice been named as National Historic Ship Flagship in recognition of her significance and the opportunity that she provides to engage wider audiences with maritime heritage.
Shieldhall is one of a few steamships that remain operational and the marine technology on board reflects that which allowed powered ships to replace sail to provide a more reliable voyage schedule and hence, passage times.
The fact that Shieldhall is operational, and that visitors are actively encouraged to visit her engine room, boiler room and bridge whilst she is at sea, means she offers the public a completely unique opportunity to engage with maritime heritage. She is the only ship in the UK that can give visitors the opportunity to experience, travel upon and explore a fully operational, historic steam cargo vessel.