Lifting RRS Discovery’s Rudder
The urgent works to the Royal Research Ship Discovery are well underway, with all hands on deck to work to conserve this incredible ship and her legacy.
Now, we have big news to share – over 6 tonnes of news, to be exact. On Thursday 20th June, RRS Discovery’s historic rudder was lifted up through the hull of the ship and placed on the dockside at Discovery Point, to be restored before being re-installed on the ship following the major conservation project.
This is not the first time that this colossal piece of the ship has been raised and repaired. It was broken when Discovery was blasted free of the icy grasps of Antarctica in 1904, and had to be meticulously lifted through the well and replaced with the spare; relying on manpower and hauling, as opposed to modern cranes.
The temporary removal of the ship’s rudder will not only allow for the piece to be repaired, but will further relieve RRS Discovery’s overhanging stern – an immediate focus of the major restoration project – of weight so that it can be repaired effectively, with a cradle-like scaffold expected to be installed in the dry dock in the coming weeks.
Ali Gellatly, Director of Ship and Facilities at Dundee Heritage Trust says, “It has been a remarkable sight to see the historic rudder lifted through the well of the ship. This marks a massive milestone in the works being funded by the National Heritage Memorial Fund. I don’t think any one of us present today will forget seeing the rudder lifted skywards in the same method that Robert Falcon Scott and his crew witnessed in Dundee, during Discovery’s trials in 1901 before their famous Antarctic Expedition.”
Since the announcement of the major conservation project aboard RRS Discovery earlier this year, various elements of the ship’s ageing structure have been addressed; including repairing aft skids, removing modern paint from the ship’s sail locker to expose historic wood for repair and replacement, and beginning to de-caulk targeted areas of the deck.
As custodians of the RRS Discovery and two Recognised Collections of National Significance, Dundee Heritage Trust are an independent charity. With less than 2% of their income being publicly funded, the remaining 98% is generated by the charity; through museum admission; fundraising; and hospitality. As the major works on RRS Discovery progress, the charity continue to fundraise to support the cost of the everyday care of this extraordinary Polar vessel.
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