Of Ships and Science: Developing a conservation management plan for the research vessel SS Explorer

Talk by Ben Saunders (Wessex Archaeology). Part of the Edinburgh, Lothians & Borders Archaeology Conference 16 November 2024. The former Fisheries Research Vessel Explorer is a small ship with a big story to tell. The last Scottish built example of a steam powered trawler and the first purpose-built research vessel for Scottish fisheries, the ship blended cutting edge technology and scientific research with tried and tested ship construction and hull forms. An amazing survivor, the ship has been berthed in Leith Docks since 1994 following two close calls with shipbreaking yards. To step aboard is to be transported back to the mid-20th century at sea, with an incredible level of survival of equipment, machinery and cabin spaces. However, the ship sits at a crossroads with the wear and tear of decades starting to cause damage to structural stability and let in the elements to degrade its significance. As part of sustainable conservation management of the ship the SS Explorer Preservation Trust commissioned Wessex Archaeology to complete a full Conservation Management Plan for the ship, bringing together an assessment of the current condition alongside a collation of the various significant historic, social and scientific elements and connections for the ship to identify issues and put forward policies to mitigate them. The overall plan was presented at a launch event in April 2024 and there is now active planning for drydocking and further works, all intended to give this exceptional vessel a new lease of life as a floating museum to maritime science, Scottish shipbuilding and fisheries. The talk will look at the history of the ship, its connections and significance, its current condition and the results of the CMP.