Urgent conservation work totalling more than £1m is set to begin on the RRS Discovery.
Dundee Heritage Trust has secured £1.4 million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund for a programme of major refurbishment they say will save the 123-year-old ship.
The work will aim to restore the Discovery’s ageing wooden structure which is beginning to decay – with priority given to the deck and supporting stern.
And when the conservation programme begins this month, the internal hull, bow and propeller shaft – including decay in the stern timbers – will all be looked at.
Timber salvaged from the SS Pegu, a steamship torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1917, will be used for the deck.
Work to the portside bulwarks will be addressed in a later phase.
It’s estimated the refurbishment will continue throughout 2024 and into next year. The Discovery will be open as usual during the works.
Refurb works a third of original cost
The RRS Discovery was built in Dundee in 1901 and was the first purpose-built scientific research vessel for the polar regions.
It cost £34,050 to build, plus another £10,322 to be fitted with engines and machinery, and more than £6,000 for other equipment and fittings.
The total cost was £51,000 – the equivalent of £4.1m in today’s money.
Its first use was for what became known as the Discovery Expedition (1901-1904) during which the ship spent two years locked in the ice.
During this expedition, 48 officers, scientists and crew were on board.
The Discovery returned to Dundee in 1986.
Emma Halford-Forbes, heritage and exhibitions director at Dundee Heritage Trust said: “These funds from the National Heritage Memorial Fund are crucial in efforts to save the ship for future generations.
“The ability to bring forward these urgent works will be pivotal in securing the ship’s future, while we work on plans for further conservation works in the coming years.
“We can’t thank National Heritage Memorial Fund enough for this critical funding.”
Conversation