National Historic Ships

Hannah Cunliffe - Historical Researcher & Maritime Consultant

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National Historic Ships 

In 2006, I was employed as a consultant by National Historic Ships - a non-departmental public body advising the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on national historic ship preservation and funding priorities.  Initially, I worked with them to update the National Register of Historic Vessels (NRHV) which can be viewed at www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk.

The NRHV is a database of some 1,200 vessels which:

  • were built in the UK and are at least 50 years old.
  • are over 40ft (12.19 metres) in length (not including bowsprit).
  • are based and operating in UK waters.
  • are substantially intact.
  • have extraordinary maritime importance.

Infrastructure Audit

From July 2007 to February 2008 I was commissioned by National Historic Ships to undertake an Infrastructure Audit of all the skills and facilities available for the repair and maintenance of historic vessels in the UK. 

This project was directly in response to comments from owners of craft on the National Register of Historic Vessels, who had experienced increasing difficulty in maintaining their historic ships in a world where old techniques and skills are dying out without the commercial demand for them.  

As consultant for this project, I carried out a survey of the remaining skills and facilities linked to maritime heritage in the UK, and also canvassed opinion amongst owners as to any problems they experienced locating these and what materials or labour now had to be sourced from abroad.  

This information has been published on National Historic Ships' website at www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/directory in the form of a readily searchable gazetteer of contact details.