An Ellesmere Port ship which has undergone a major renovation has been declared the Regional Flagship of the Year 2017 for the North West.
The Daniel Adamson, which is berthed at TelfordQuay in Ellesmere Port, was presented with the award by National Historic Ships UK in recognition of its commitment to education and engagement with the North West’s maritime heritage involving an intensive series of visits extending to Ellesmere Port, Liverpool, and Lymm.
The Daniel Adamson, restored with the help of a near £4m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, tied up at Telford’s Quay near the Inland Waterways Museum in May in her new role as a moving visitor and museum attraction following her maiden voyage from Liverpool.
The ‘Danny’, then the Ralph Brocklebank, was built at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead in 1903 to tow barges laden with goods from the inland towns of Cheshire and the Potteries to Liverpool, today’s Daniel Adamson Preservation Society records.
A small but incredibly powerful canal tug, the 150-tonne twin screw, coal-fired steam vessel is now unique in being the last surviving steam-powered tug to be built on the Mersey and is believed to be the oldest operational Mersey-built ship anywhere in the world.
Earlier this year, she sailed into Liverpool’s Canning Dock after firing her furnaces and crossing the Mersey from Cammell Laird, Birkenhead where for 12 months a team of volunteers and shipbuilders at the shipyard used their world class skills to lovingly restore the vessel.
Whilst static, the Danny will offer interactive ‘story-experience’ tours which include real-life stories from past boat workers along with the sights and sounds of the past.
This season will see 39 cruises along the Mersey, the Weaver and the Ship Canal by the vessel, described as ‘a moving piece of history’.
Hannah Cunliffe, director of National Historic Ships UK, said: “I am delighted that we are able to offer these awards once more and publicise the range of cruising programmes which these vessels are planning for the coming season.
“Our four 2017 Regional Flagships have all shown their enthusiasm for raising the profile of UK maritime heritage at the events they are attending and we look forward to working closely with them in the months ahead.”
Marketing manager for Daniel Adamson Georgia Hayes said: “This award is something we are exceptionally proud of because it is recognition for the significance of the ship which is listed as 15th on the register of National Historic Ships.
"The Danny has been raised from the ashes as a ship ready to be scrapped and now she is a vessel of importance and is a living piece of history which can be viewed across the North West as a museum as well as offering cruises, many of which are from Ellesmere Port and Acton Bridge. "We are always moving our locations so that we can travel the North West but our timetable is listed on our website and our cruises are monthly until October this year."
The award criteria requires vessel owners to come forward with seasonal programmes to engage the public through festivals, demonstrations, on-board cruises, quayside visits, educational programmes, participation in races and similar activities.
