Engineering:De Wadden

Short description: Three-masted auxiliary schooner

De Wadden in No.2 Canning Graving Dock, 11 November 2023
History
Ireland
Name:	De Wadden
Namesake:	Wadden Sea
Owner:	Nederlandsche Stoomvaart Maatschappij (1917–1922) Richard Hall of Arklow (1922–1961) Terry E. McSweeney (1968-1972) Kenneth Kennedy (1972-1984) National Museums Liverpool (1984-Present)
Operator:	Nederlandsche Stoomvaart Maatschappij (1917–1922) Richard Hall of Arklow (1922–1961) Terry E. McSweeney (1968-1972) Kenneth Kennedy (1972-1984) National Museums Liverpool (1984-Present)
Port of registry:	Amsterdam, Netherlands (1917-1922) Arklow, Republic of Ireland (1922-1961) Dublin, Republic of Ireland (1968-1972) Greenock, Scotland (1972-1987) Dublin, Republic of Ireland (1987-Present)
Builder:	Gebroeders Van Diepen, Waterhuizen
Yard number:	490
Acquired:	4th July 1917
In service:	July 1917
Identification:	Official Number: 5797 AMST 1917 Callsign: QBPS (1917-1922), EIKF (1922-Present)
Fate:	To be scrapped at the start of 2024
Status:	Preserved as a museum ship
General characteristics
Type:	Auxiliary schooner
Tonnage:	251 GRT (as built), 239 GRT (1949), 190 Net Tons
Length:	116.72 feet (35.60m) without bowsprit 146.72 feet (44.60m) with current bowsprit
Beam:	24.39 feet (7.44m)
Depth:	10.16 feet (3.10m)
Decks:	1
Installed power:	125hp 'SteyWal Dutch engine (as built) 80hp Bolinder engine and a 50 hp Kelvin engine (after re-engining) 150hp Six Cylinder Crossley DR diesel engine (1941) 450hp Caterpillar diesel engine (after 1980)
Propulsion:	Single Screw
Speed:	5 knots (with original engine)
Crew:	6

De Wadden is a steel hulled, three-masted auxiliary schooner that was built in 1917 by Gebroeders Van Diepen of Waterhuizen, Netherlands. She and her two sister ships, De Lauwers and De Dollart, were ordered by the Nederlandsche Stoomvaart Maatschappij (Netherlands Steamship Company) in order to take advantage of the unique trading conditions the Dutch had during the First World War due to their neutrality. She spent most of her life as an Irish Sea Trading Vessel and is now preserved as a museum ship in Liverpool, England.

Netherlands Steamship Company service (1917-1922)

De Wadden was delivered on July 4, 1917, by Gebroeders Van Diepen of Waterhuizen, fitted with an inboard 125-horsepower two-stroke diesel engine manufactured by the Machine Factory Steyaard & Jannette Walen, in Rotterdam, to supplement her compliment of sail, and had entered service by March 1918, being advertised as sailing from Rotterdam to Bergen. The crew aboard consisted of five men and a boy, and since she could sail a marine engineer was not required.

She and De Lauwers survived the war, while De Dollart had been sunk by German Submarine U-82. A year after the war on December 22, 1919, she was assisted into Great Yarmouth with engine damage and a damaged anchor pillar. She continued to sail with the Netherlands Steamship Company until the war's shipping boom had calmed, at which point she was no longer a useful asset, leading to her sale on 27 February 1922 to Richard Hall of Arklow.

Richard Hall of Arklow service (1922-1961)

At the time of his purchase of De Wadden, Richard Hall was expanding his fleet of schooners. He was a well known ship-owner in Liverpool, having served his time at sea on Liverpool Square-Riggers. He would make few alterations to the ship, mainly consisting of structural changes in the hold where crew quarters were built. She was put into service by her new owner as an Irish Sea Trading Vessel, sailing out of the River Mersey to various Irish ports carrying cargoes such as grain, pit-props, china clay, mineral ores, manure, timber, and coal, eventually becoming the last schooner to trade in the British Isles. The Hall family had experience owning and operating schooners, having owned others including the Cymric. Her original 125 horsepower SteyWal engine was replaced with an 80hp Bolinder engine purchased from the Admiralty after a major failure, and she was also fitted with a 50 hp Kelvin engine to give additional power.

During the Second World War, she was one of few vessels providing a vital lifeline of supplies to the Irish Republic, and managed to survive the war, and in 1941 her engines were replaced again by a six-cylinder 150 hp Crossley DR diesel, which was overhauled at least once between 1950 and 1951. The ship was involved in a collision with the Belfast steamer Craigolive in 1951 but was repaired.

Two journeys to the River Blackwater were recorded in 1948. The first, on June 23, saw the ship loaded with 240 tons of pitwood, en route to Dublin, with O'Keeffe sawmills of Tallow noted as the merchant. Later, on November 13 the ship was carrying 210 tons of timber from the O'Keeffe sawmills of Tallow merchants again, travelling to Garston, Liverpool, where she was known to load coal bound for Ireland. On May 8, 1958, the ship would make its last trip on the River Blackwater, becoming the last ever schooner to do so, marking the end of river-based transport servicing the catchment. This was due to the fact that the newly built Youghal Bridge preventing any large sailing ship from passing under it and further upriver. Overall, the ship made 43 passages over the Blackwater between 1936 and 1958. She was known to carry cargo to and from the stonebuilt quays at Killahalla and Cappoquin, as well as Dromana.

The ship would have seven captains during the period of Richard Hall's ownership. The first, named Edward Hall, was Richard's brother, whose career at sea ended after falling between the ship and a quay, being severely injured in the event. Her second captain, a man named William Kearon, commanded the ship for five years in the 1920s. He died when a vessel he was commanding during WWII was torpedoed and sunk. Captain George Kearon, a first cousin to William, would follow as captain of De Wadden, serving until 1932. The Kearon family was plagued by tragedy, having lost two cousins at sea in WWI, then later George's father and two of his brothers drowned when their schooner Julia was lost at sea in 1935. Ted Kearon, another cousin, would be lost while commanding a midget submarine during the attack on the German Battleship Tirpitz in WWII. George Kearon was succeeded by Victor Hall, Richard Hall's son, and would become her longest serving captain, spanning the years between 1932 and 1952; and he would also go on to help accumulate a lot of the information the Merseyside Maritime Museum has on the vessel today. Her next captain was named James Hagan, one of the best known Arklow schoonermen, previously commanding ships including the barque Cupicia and the schooner Happy Harry. Her final captain under Arklow ownership would be Bobby Price, serving until the ship ceased trading in favour of modern motor coasters and was sold into private ownership in 1961.

Final years of service (1961-1984)

Terry E. McSweeney Service (1968 - 1972)

De Wadden was sold to Mr. Terry E. McSweeney in Dublin in 1968, who would use her as a houseboat. She ended up at Long Loch, near Blairmore, Argyll, Scotland, around 1972, and was left there at anchorage, held by two large anchors, one up forward and one aft, and a rope tied to a tree. Her hull was covered in rust caused by rainwater, and paint was peeling from the masts and deckhouses. Marine growth covered the bottom, hiding corrosion. She would often take to the bottom until Terry would sell her off to an old friend named Kenneth Kennedy, a local of Dunoon who had helped sail her up to the Clyde from the Solway when Terry had bought her.

Kenneth Kennedy service (1972 - 1984)

Purchase

Kenneth was running a small building business in Dunoon, ten miles from the ship's location, He had been given permission by a local landowner to bring sand from the river mouth at the head of the loch, and only needed the transport necessary. He had pondered using the ship to bring sand from Loch Riddon for a while, and now finally had an excuse to do so. He managed to convince family members that it was a viable decision with talk of sailing holidays. With the ship purchased, he informed his two employees, Jack and Rusty, that they had become part-time seamen. Both were very eager at the prospect of this opportunity, asking when they would be putting to sea. Considering the condition Kenneth had bought her in, it would take weeks of engine repair, scraping, and maintenance to be able to put to sea.

Recovery

With the help of Terry and his son Mike, they made an early start, soon getting the worst of the scraping done. Each section was then rubbed with a wire brush and given a coat of red lead. After about three days the accessible parts up to the waterline were completed. His family had inspected the ship, his wife being appalled at her condition, and his boys keen and eager to explore the holds.

Kenneth had purchased a spare engine alongside the ship, which was onboard Terry's new ship. It weighed about four tons and Kenneth needed it onboard De Wadden so they could start the engine repairs. A spring tide was due to come up, so the decision was made to try to tow the ship off the beach with the assistance of a tugboat named Penguin that was owned by Terry's son, Mike. They would spend a lot of time digging at the two anchors at low tide, which were then pulled into the hawse pipes by way of relays of men on the windlass turning the iron handles. The ship's holds were deep in rainwater, and they spent some time siphoning it all out. By the time all was done the tide was high and Mike was alongside in the tugboat. The tide crept up towards the waterline, and fifteen minutes before full tide the ship was slowly inched from the beach. Within ten minutes it was free, marking the first stage of recovery.

Ten days after they were back on board and had begun moving engine parts into the hold. The crankcase was noted as being difficult to get into the hold, weighing a ton. Terry had given Kenneth the idea to buy a large mushroom anchor to establish a permanent mooring in West Bay, Dunoon, and he thought this was a good idea, so bought a two ton mushroom and two cable lengths of heavy chain from Faslane ship breakers.

In early June 1972, once the remaining engine parts were aboard, the ship was towed from Long Loch to Dunoon, and was successfully moored in West Bay. Terry and Mike departed to get back to Blairmore, wishing Kenneth good luck. Now ready to begin conversion and repair work, Jack and Rusty were instructed to paint the hull a dark maroon, with a white band above to set it off. Kenneth would inspect the engine as the boys painted, devising a plan of action to get it functioning.

Engine Repairs

The ship was by now beginning to look more presentable from a distance, but there were still many things to be done. Once the engine room was prepared for the huge work ahead, they set about stripping the Crossley D.R.6 150bhp two-stroke diesel engine. They had all had experience with different types of engine before, but never one this old or this big. Fortunately, the ship had a workshop manual for the engine, so they spent some days studying that before getting started. The first thing they did was disconnect the engine from the propeller shaft, then proceed to strip several parts, including the flange bolts, 100 lbs cylinder heads, water and oil pipes, and pistons. The rings on the pistons were in a sorry state, but luckily Kenneth had a full set of new ones from the spare engine he had purchased from Terry.

A few days later, Jack and Rusty would begin to clean the pistons as Kenneth inspected the crankshaft for worn bearings. Luckily, all seemed passable meaning re-assembly could begin. In about a week all pistons were back in place, ready for the heads to go back on. Some of the gaskets were not in great condition, so Kenneth had some stripped from the spare engine. Eventually, they were ready to try and start her up. However, the petrol-paraffin donkey engine which provided compressed air for starting had a bad air leak due to all the pipes being corroded beyond repair. They were able to replace the pipes without issue, giving the engine a test run.

Rusty was the first to try, winding the handle, the engine kicking back, nearly breaking his thumb. Kenneth had tried afterwards, with much the same result. They tried to jamb the lead onto the spark plug once Kenneth reached a good speed, and to their surprise, the procedure worked as long as they turned the handle fast enough before applying the lead, the engine firing without kicking.

Jack arrived with an assortment of pipes and unions, and eventually they were able to start pumping air into the two big steel air bottles, and all pipes and bottles had held at maximum pressure (350 PSI). Knowing this, they were able to start the main engine. Kenneth opened the main air valves, turning the control wheel to the starting position. With the hiss of escaping air the engine began to turn, clanking slightly but consistently picking up speed. It turned for about half a minute until the air was exhausted, ultimately failing to start. It took twenty minutes to recharge the bottles, but they had no better luck. After four attempts they became despondent. On the way ashore after leaving the project for the night Jack figured out the solution to the issue, and that was to heat up the manifold before they turn the engine.

The next day Jack brought a garden blowlamp and a can of paraffin aboard, and they lit it on deck, having it roaring by the time Kenneth returned from a trip to the engine room. Jack headed for the engine room carrying the lamp, the lamp turning into what was described as a 'flamethrower', sending a jet of burning fuel across the room and scorching the paint. Fortunately he managed to turn the fuel off before any severe harm was done. It was soon relit and placed in the air intake without issue, leaving it there for half an hour, giving time for the whole engine to warm up.

With that, the lamp was shut off, the air valves were opened, and the starting wheel was turned. The difference in the engine was audible first, then after a few revolutions Kenneth could feel explosions in the cylinders. He shut the throttle back to a fast idle as the rev counter climbed to 300, proceeding to dash out on deck and watch the smoke come from the exhaust, looking over the side to ensure that they had a flow of cooling water. He returned back to check for leaks and oil pressure, but all seemed to be well, so they left the engine running for an hour to build up carbon on the rings.

During the next week they had her running every day, and eventually were able to start her without the blowlamp as compression improved. Finally, the propeller shaft was connected and they were ready to move. Kenneth, Jack, and Rusty had been working tirelessly for three months, but the engine was very reliable from then on.

Putting to Sea

De Wadden was put on a trial run the following Sunday, as well as taking some family members aboard. They departed Dunoon at eleven o' clock, heading up to Long Loch at a slow pace. The boys and crew rushed about the decks in great excitement as Kenneth spent his time steering and listening for any falters in the engine's sound. They soon came alongside Terry and Mike, only staying for half an hour as Kenneth was anxious of an engine failure, heading back to Dunoon. Upon returning to their buoy it became lost beneath the bow, so Kenneth was forced to rely on frantic shouts and waving from Rusty and Andrew. Jack was manning the telegraph in the engine room, and after Kenneth's third request for astern Jack shouted back 'What are you buggers doing up there. A couple more starts and you've had it'. Luckily, Kenneth spotted Rusty pulling the buoy over the side, responding to Jack that he was finished with the engine.

With that done, he dashed for the bow and assisted Rusty and Andrew in feeding a heavy wire rope through the hawse pipe and by the time Jack appeared they were winding the heavy chain up from the bottom using the capstan. It was clear they needed an engine to drive the windlass. With that, their first trip was over without disaster.

For the next few weeks they were all back at building works due to lack of funds. Each night Kenneth would check the riding light and do a little more repair work. He replaced ratlines and fitted new ropes to masthead blocks. By this point the Summer was well over and winter was creeping in. He was told by a pier master that there was a force ten southerly gale due in. He knew he would have to get the ship shifted as fast as possible as to prevent the gale from taking her ashore.

The Gale

The sea was already big as they launched their dinghy from the lee side of Dunoon's old lido and made way for the ship. She was rolling heavily and at times swung broadside to the sea as the long chain went slack. Jack and Rusty were the first to board, narrowly missing a wave that ripped the ship away from the dinghy. Kenneth struggled to secure the bow hook to the dinghy as it plunged. As soon as it was fast Jack raised the bow, causing Kenneth to almost fall over the transom as it sank in a trough. On the crest of the next wave Kenneth got the stern hook on. Now that Kenneth was aboard, he made for the engine room, and had no trouble getting it started. Since they had gotten aboard, the sea had risen to produce six foot high waves, her bow lifting clear each time a big crest rushed towards the shore due to the ship riding high with no ballast. They would have to get out of the bay before they were swept onto the rocks. Fortunately, slipping the mooring was easier as they had a stenhouse clip which could be released by a hammer blow.

Jack retired to the engine room and Rusty to the bow, preparing to cast off the next time the bow fell off to the wind. The signal was given to free the ship from her mooring, and the telegraph was put into full ahead. She took time to gather speed, running broadside to the sea to clear the bay, rolling badly. The Rayburn stove, a relic from her houseboat days, broke from its mountings and fell against the steering wheel, preventing it from turning. Kenneth tried to force the wheel free as they continued on towards the Gantocks. Rusty and Jack came to the wheelhouse at roughly the same time, and the three of them were able to free the stove and get the wheel turning. Kenneth put the ship hard to port and they were free of danger. Jack was not happy and wanted to throw the stove over the side, but Kenneth decided to keep it, seeing potential future use for it.

They soon entered the relative shelter of Loch Long, dropping anchor close to Gairletter point. The wind was now more westerly and gusts off the hills howled through the rigging. Kenneth, Jack, and Rusty spent the night in the wheelhouse, getting very little sleep as they kept close to a small fire Kenneth had lit in the stove. Fortunately, the ship had stayed put and the wind had eased, enabling a return to Dunoon where they tied up at the coal pier. After the light had improved, they started the engine again, pulling up the anchor and setting off.

The wind had caught up and pushed the ship wildly off course, taking them well off shore. Kenneth was forced to oversteer, making headway almost impossible. The lack of ballast was not helping the situation so Kenneth had Jack and Rusty to pipe cooling water into the aft tank. Just as things were looking to improve, Jack informed Kenneth that the stern shaft coupling had become loose, and the bolts would soon come out. He ordered the engine to be stopped immediately, sending Rusty down with Jack to tighten the bolts. A pilot boat came alongside and asked if they required assistance, but Kenneth thanked them and said they'd be off shortly, merely making adjustments.

A few minutes later they were underway again, but had decided they had had enough, and brought the ship to an overnight anchorage, leaving her and returning home. After a meal and a few hours rest, Kenneth returned to the ship alone. He would lower the second anchor as a safety precaution. As the ship lay broadside a gust struck her amidships, the strain being too much. Both anchors failed to hold, and she was off across the loch at an increasing rate, the ship becoming more exposed to the wind as she lost the shelter of the hills around her. Kenneth waited for her to drift across the two mile wide loch, in hope that the anchors would find grip as she drifted closer to shore. In about fifteen minutes he was nearing the shore but he knew she would be washed ashore before the anchors gripped, so he started the engine, and he dashed to the wheelhouse to take the wheel. A squall was coming up towards the ship, visibility almost nil. All that could be done was steer into the wind and hope that no other vessel was near. The two anchors were still streaming out under the ship, slowing her down. As the rain eased Kenneth spotted the lights of three cottages, heading for them, running straight for the beach, hoping he could get the anchors embedded in shallow water.

The bow came within a ship's length of the shore before the anchor chains tightened, bringing her to a stop. The engine was halted, and the ship remained in place for about half an hour before it was picked up by the wind once again and pushed over to Cove. By the time the ship was mid-loch, Kenneth decided to take drastic action. He would cut the anchor chains free from the ship with an oxyacetylene cutting torch, sending them and the anchors down to the bottom of the loch. With that, she would be drifting fast towards the beach. Kenneth hastily turned the engine back on and managed to ease the ship into deeper water and set course for Gairletter.

He kept going until the gravel crunching beneath the bow told him he was well ashore, stopping the engine once he was sure. With a falling tide, the ship wouldn't be free until the next tide came up. Soon Mike, Terry's son, came up alongside De Wadden in a dinghy, having travelled from his lightship, expecting Kenneth to need some help. He would accept, getting him to assist with deploying the remaining anchor. Now that Kenneth knew the ship was safe, he decided to head home, expecting it to be another two weeks, when the spring tide came, until she would be free from the shore. In the meantime, Kenneth and Rusty had gone to the shipbreakers and bought another anchor, as well as sundry ropes, shackles, and portholes.

Winter Layup

After about a week, spring tide had arrived, though upon first attempt there was not enough water to float the ship. the morning after there was a southerly gale and the tide was higher than usual, prompting another attempt. The ship was already afloat upon arrival, though still caught to shore by her anchor. With all aboard, the crew began to reel in the anchor, and Kenneth got her started, edging away from shore immediately, keeping speed until the anchor was reeled in. Within an hour they were alongside at Dunoon Coal Pier, though Kenneth was doubtful about tying up there due to the threat of the weather. He would accept an offer to store the ship at a sheltered pier in Loch Riddon, named Ormidale Pier. Fortunately, the crossing from Dunoon to the new pier occurred without incident. For the entirety of winter the ship lay dormant without use, with some semblance of works being done. Most notable was the installation of bunks, and cooking facilities aft, removing the steel deckhouse up forward the original galley was in. He also installed an engine to drive the windlass, making lifting the anchors a much easier affair. They had found two buckets hidden within the hold, and by using the boom on the foremast as a derrick they could raise the buckets with the capstan on the windlass.

Dredging for Sand

Kenneth, Jack, Rusty, and John would take the ship out to the upper end of the loch at high tide, and as soon as possible got the buckets out, beginning the long loading process. Making about 7 tons an hour, making over 100 tons in all over the weekend. Understanding that the current method of loading was not ideal, Rusty recommended buying a Ruyston Bucyrus 10 crane.

Come Monday morning there was a good tide and the ship was once again afloat. The ship was significantly harder to steer due to most of the sand being up forward in the hold, a result of minor inexperience but despite this they carried on as well as they could. After six months of hard work, they had their first cargo. On the way back to Dunoon, the safety valve on the engine blew off, and after rounding Toward Point they left her secured at a mooring for the night, carrying on to Dunoon the morning after.

They offloaded the ship's cargo that morning, small trucks taking the sand to a local plasterer, and by afternoon the hold was empty. The tired crew took her out to the mooring in West Bay, taking a dinghy home right afterwards.

Later Years

Kenneth would continue to alter various aspects of the ship, such as enlarging the wheelhouse, removing the standing rigging from the starboard side of the mainmast and mounting on deck a Ruston Bucyrus diesel-powered crane. It had a grab and swivel base, being able to service both hatches, but it could only load and discharge from the starboard side. Kenneth would use the ship for carrying sand and taking out fishing parties and had fitted a bulkhead between the two main cargo hatches to make the discharging of sand easier. During this time, she had no regular crew, being manned by friends and family on an amateur basis. The Highlands and Islands Development Board had shown interesting in providing a grant that would see the ship's holds be converted into cabin space in order to allow the ship to run cruises from the Clyde to the Western Isles, but the initial costs to carry this out proved too significant as there was worry that her income under this role would not be enough to pay back the grant. A Dutch Preservation Society had also shown interest in the vessel, but this never came to fruition either. Her compliment of sail was not used much by Kenneth due to the condition of the masts and rigging at the time, but he had hoped to do some sailing with her eventually. She had no certificate of seaworthiness in 1974, so was restricted to the confines of the Clyde Estuary. She undoubtedly had a certificate by 1984, as she was capable of travelling to Liverpool that year. She appeared in the BBC series The Onedin Line sometime during the show's run between 1971 and 1978. She also made an appearance in The Lost Tribe. Kenneth sold her to the Merseyside Maritime Museum for £20,000 in 1984.

Merseyside Maritime Museum ownership (1984-present)

Following her purchase by the museum, she arrived off the Mersey Bar on Sunday 5th August 1984 after having travelled from Dunoon, and anchored off of Monks Ferry until the next day. She was then moored in the Canning Half Tide Dock outside of the museum building itself. Between 1984 and 1987, the additional superstructure she had gained during her final years of service was gradually removed and placed into storage due to suffering damage caused by rot, as well as the museum wishing to restore her to her Irish Sea Trading Vessel configuration. The last piece to be removed was the ship's wheelhouse, remaining in place as late as 1986.

In late 1987, the vessel was moved into No.2 Canning Graving Dock in order to enable the museum to carry out further maintenance and restoration. For a brief time in the 1990s the vessel was open for tours and educational sessions, though she was closed for further conservation work, including the replacement of her poop deck coamings, extensive work on her hull, and the making and fitting of new masts and a bowsprit. According to the Irish Independent, Victor Hall funded the purchase of the materials that would form the new masts and bowsprit.

In June 2022, National Museums Liverpool (NML) had announced that it had launched a feasibility study on De Wadden's future, and were considering disposing of the vessel, which had confirmed that the costs of ongoing repairs and maintenance to the vessel were unsustainable. Several options were formed by NML as for what could be done to De Wadden, including moving the vessel to another location within NML's estate, however this option was discounted due to the significance of the costs involved. This left her owners with two options, either disposal by deconstruction, or disposal by transfer to another organisation. So, in October 2022, NML's board of trustees had agreed to the disposal of De Wadden, and between December 2022 and February 2023 a notice of intent to deconstruct was posted to the National Historic Ships website. Even after the declaration of intent to deconstruct was made, the museum had continued to welcome potential transfer options up until February 2023, however no suitable buyer was discovered, so it was agreed that disposal by transfer was not a realistic option. Following this, the final recommendation was made to NML's board of trustees in March 2023 and the decision to dispose of De Wadden via deconstruction was made, with the process to begin towards the end of 2023. The museum has committed itself to preserving as much of De Wadden as possible, including a 3D video model of the ship, keeping certain parts of the ship, and photogrammetry.

On November 2, 2023, NML posted a Tender for the Appointment of Contractor to Dismantle and Dispose of the Vessel 'De Wadden'. The description states the contract will last three months, specifically between January 1st 2024 and March 31, 2024, and will cost between £150,000 - £200,000. The contract demands that the dismantling of the ship must be completed by March 2024. Applications are open until December 6, at 10 am. According to NML 'The procurement documents detail the steps that the appointed contractor must comply with to ensure we remove the vessel safely and compliantly and gives a detailed plan of the methodology for the sectioning and removal of the vessel.' (As of November 2023) NML's board of trustees approved the commencement of the digital recording of the ship, with a 3D digital cutaway scan of the ship already being produced. Lakeland Arts, a registered charity assisting in this effort stated that 'Comprising more than 3,500 photographs and accompanied by high resolution panoramas this 3D scan will capture as much data as possible to produce a comprehensive digital twin/record of the ship, suitable for contemporary museum interpretation and research, and production of a scale model if this were to be needed at a future date'.