New website for historic ship preservation

‘We are hoping to reach out to a whole new set of people,’ Hannah Cunliffe from National Historic Ships told

MJ

this month, as the organisation brings together the very old and the very new in mutual support.

The directory was launched last November at the Earl’s Court Sail, Power & Watersports Show and holds a virtual map of the UK, showing the skills and materials available area by area. ‘The new web development will help local suppliers to talk to each other,’ explained Ms Cunliffe.

The site will also help the organisation in developing a number of local ship restoration ‘hubs’ so that services and suppliers will be able to tie into them, providing an integrated approach, rather than the ‘patchwork’ of services that vessels in need of restoration have to navigate at present. It is envisaged that there will be four strategically placed Centres of Excellence established by 2010/2011.

The site can be found on www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/directory/ in its present (pre-new look) form, the site holds as complete a list as possible of the skills necessary for the maintenance and restoration of the UK’s historic vessels.

Originally, the directory came about from the six month infrastructure audit commissioned by National Historic Ships in July 2007 to assess facilities and skills in the UK which offer critical support to the nation’s historic fleet. A survey of vessel owners brought a highly positive response to the idea of producing a UK directory of specialist skills.

Primarily showing UK services, there are some skills that have now been lost to the UK so vessel owners are turning to Europe and further afield to locate the services or materials they need. The directory therefore includes companies from abroad, and although it does not cover these in any length, it does give pointers to other sources if those in the UK have not been able to provide the required support.

The organisation is committed to continuing its direct support of key historic ship projects, particularly those which have the capacity to deliver wider heritage benefits. It is aiming to deliver a small grants programme focused on independent charitable trusts and private owners.