By Ross Tiger to receive winter protection
The mast of the Ross Tiger is scheduled to undergo maintenance works this month, beginning next week on Monday 28 September.
The vessel has been closed to visitors since March due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
However, permission has been granted for work to continue on the outside of the ship, subject to weather conditions.
Located outside the Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre, the Ross Tiger is a 1950s Grimsby trawler.
It is currently thought to be the oldest diesel side-trawler to survive in the UK.
London-based marine civil engineering consultants, Beckett Rankine, will be carrying out a maintenance inspection to the ship’s mast before local marine coatings specialist, Bird and Goodwin, apply new protection to the structure.
The steel decks of the Ross Tiger’s boat deck and whaleback will also receive new marine coatings.
A statement written by a spokesperson for the Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre said:
“Ross Tiger is a physical reminder of the advances to the fishing industry that were developed at Great Grimsby and is now understood to be the earliest diesel side-trawler of her kind, left in the UK.
“Over the years, thousands of men have lost their lives from this port in the endeavour to catch fish.
“Ross Tiger is preserved as a memorial to so much, including the magnificent Yorkshire shipbuilding industry, the engineering heritage of the city of Lincoln, the bravery and skill of generations of British trawlermen, and the thousands that sailed from our port never to return.”
Councillor Callum Procter, portfolio holder for tourism, heritage and culture, added:
“Ross Tiger is a crucial part of the offer at Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre and is a hit with visitors.
“Grimsby Fishing Heritage staff are currently working with their tour guides to develop a virtual tour of the ship that can be delivered to the public inside the main building.
“It is hoped that this can still make the ship accessible to the public while the current situation prevents physical tours from taking place.”
Repainting works are also due to be completed on the Ross Tiger in early October, giving the ship improved protection for the coming winter months.
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