7th Jan 2011 / 10:57am
One of the country’s most important historic steam ships has launched and appeal for survival, amid ongoing concerns that Britain’s maritime heritage is in decline.
Registered charity The Solent Steam Packet today launched an emergency appeal for £80,000 to secure the future of SS Shieldhall, a unique and historic steam-driven cargo and passenger ship based at the port of Southampton UK. SS Shieldhall is one of a small number of vessels forming the UK’s National Historic Ships Fleet and was named ‘Flagship of the National Historic Ships Fleet’ in 2009 by the National Historic Ships Unit, making her officially recognised as being of pre-eminent national or regional importance.
In spring 2011, the hugely popular heritage steamship Shieldhall, owned by charity preservation group The Solent Steam Packet Ltd, must undertake dry-docking at an estimated cost of £80,000 to £100,000. Without this she cannot continue to sail and would be at risk of being scrapped in the near future. SS Shieldhall is operated entirely by unpaid volunteers who are now looking for help funding this essential work which will allow the vessel to keep a valid passenger certificate and continue to delight the thousands of people who visit and travel on her each year.
Budget cuts mean that grants are no longer routinely available to pay for maintenance work on heritage ships and historians say that our seafaring nation now risks losing many of its most significant vessels.
Captain Peter Roberts, Master, SS Shieldhall, commented: “In order to continue to present SS Shieldhall to the public and make the trips we do each year we must dry-dock every two years. Unfortunately, over the past few years our financial reserve has been hit by the huge rise in fuel costs, as well as a loss of income caused indirectly by the current financial climate and we are now looking to the public to help us continue operating this lovely old steamship.”
The 55 year-old SS Shieldhall, based at the Port of Southampton, is the largest remaining sea-going steamship in the UK and the last fully operational coastal passenger / cargo steamer in Europe.
Since restoration to full working order in 1991, SS Shieldhall has provided the public with unparalleled heritage maritime experience through sea-going cruises in the Solent and along the south coast of England. The ship is operated by a fully qualified crew together with a shore-based support staff, all of whom are unpaid volunteers.
All UK passenger ships are subject to stringent certification by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) to ensure the safety of passengers and crew. An essential part of this is a rigorous inspection of a ship’s hull in dry-dock on a regular basis. This is the maritime equivalent of an MOT on a family car.
SS Shieldhall is due an MCA inspection in May 2011 just prior to the start of public sailings. However, due to unprecedented rises in fuel costs and continued reduction in leisure spending, The Solent Steam Packet is unable to fund this dry-dock inspection of the ship alone. The consequence would be the loss of MCA passenger certification. The cost of steaming between Southampton and a UK dry-dock, together with usage charges and costs of work arising, amounts to around £20,000 per day; significant expenditure for a charity relying solely on fare income and donations. Unlike historic buildings, the UK’s heritage ships are not eligible for grant-aid towards sustainability and running costs.
By way of comparison, English Heritage is planning to spend over £11 million on property maintenance this year and the National Trust spent over £166 million on routine property costs, according to the last available figures.
The Solent Steam Packet is seeking donations and support from individuals and businesses who are not prepared to allow a unique part of Britain’s maritime heritage to be sent to the breaker’s yard. Without emergency funding, MCA certification will lapse in early 2011 thus depriving the general public of the opportunity of experiencing a true steamship at sea.