Trawler joins national register of historic vessels

And now the Arctic Corsair, a floating museum on the River Hull, has joined some of the most illustrious names in shipping by being listed in the National Register of Historic Vessels.

Marking 50 years since she was built in a Beverley shipyard by Cook, Welton and Gemmell, Arctic Corsair is now rated among other nationally important vessels, including Nelson's flagship HMS Victory, the Royal Yacht Britannia and SS Great Britain.

The listing, ahead of her being reopened to visitors on March 14, has delighted those who work on the vessel.

Volunteer Jim Williams said: "Our visitors and volunteers have always known the importance of the Arctic Corsair to Hull's heritage. We are proud that she is now recognised as a nationally important ship."

The register was set up in 1996 to record the nation's maritime heritage with the aim of supporting the long-term preservation of important vessels through advice and grants.

The assistant curator of maritime history at Hull Council, Tom Goulder, said: "Thanks to the dedication of the Arctic Corsair volunteers this historic ship has been preserved.

"It is now a nationally recognised attraction where visitors can see for themselves the importance of Hull's fishing industry and the communities that supported it."

The vessel is the last survivor of Hull's once mighty "sidewinder" trawling fleet, and carried crews who experienced the highs and lows of the industry.

In 1973 she broke the world record for the landing of cod and haddock from the White Sea.

But two years later, the extension of Iceland's fishing limits to 200 miles saw the Arctic Corsair and other Hull ships become embroiled in the Cod Wars.

Hull's fleet of over 150 sidewinders faced not only the loss of its traditional fishing grounds but also increases in the price of fuel in the early 1970s, and never recovered.

A few of the more modern and efficient stern trawlers continued to fish out of Hull, although the deep water fishing industry was in terminal decline.

Arctic Corsair will be open for tours every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday until October.

Anyone who would like to work as a volunteer guide on the ship is invited to an event on board at noon tomorrow.