1984 - 2024 | Merseyside Maritime Museum

NOTE: Some of this is identical to what is written on Wikipedia, as both were written by the author of this website, stardust5980 (aka celesteshipping5980).

Pre-Acquisition

- Between July and September 1983 the museum discussed purchasing De Wadden, concluding that she had a significant enough history with Merseyside. The conclusion the meeting came to was that she was in good condition and considered a 'good buy' at £35,000.[21] At some point, the Arklow Maritime and Heritage Museum was interested in the ship, wanting to have it as their centerpiece, but it was out of the question for many reasons, including financial ones.[23]

Early Years

- Following her purchase by the museum, she arrived off the Mersey Bar on Sunday 5th August 1984 after having travelled from Dunoon, and anchored off of Monks Ferry until the next day.[1] She was then moored in the Canning Half Tide Dock outside of the museum building itself.[2] In 1984, the additional deckhouses (except the wheelhouse) she had gained during her final years of service were removed and placed into storage due to suffering damage caused by rot, as well as the museum wanting to restore her to her Irish Sea Trading Vessel configuration, specifically during the 1930s before her masts and bowsprit were shortened.[3][22] Along with this work the hold was cleaned and her engine was overhauled. According to the Dungarvan Observer, the museum had intentions of restoring the ship to sailing condition.[22] In November 1984, John Kearon, the museum shipwright and ship-keeper, and a relative of George and William Kearon, two of her Arklow captains, gave a talk about the ship. He had also offered conservation advice prior to the museum's acquisition, later being appointed as head of conservation of what would eventually be National Museums Liverpool. Via the use of several slides, he demonstrated how owners of schooners such as De Wadden were also proprietors of local grocers and provision merchants. A segment of the presentation also showed how inhabitants of smaller ports on the Irish coast banded together to buy a supply of coal, which would be carried to each port by De Wadden and the like. The ship was also featured in the museum's tall ships exhibition in the Pilot Office in at least 1985.[15][20] The wheelhouse was finally removed in 1986.[4]

Movement into Canning Graving Dock No. 2

- In late 1987, the vessel was moved into No.2 Canning Graving Dock to enable the Ship Keeping Department at the museum to carry out a major programme for further maintenance and restoration. It was at this time that the museum decided to convert the ship back into its 1922 - 1961 configuration, for that role was of primary significance. This began the process of reversing alterations made during her life since she was sold off by Richard Hall, including removing the changes made to her hatches done by Kenneth to make dredging for sand easier during his tenure of ownership. The ship's level of originality is somewhat high, with 90% of frames, 70-75% of hull plates and deck beams, and 60% of deck plating all being original. Her internal bulkheads are also predominantly sound.[3][19] The process also involved replicating parts of the ship that were damaged and/or missing, including plating, masts, and rigging. For example, the starboard bulwark that the mast's standing rigging was attached to was heavily damaged so it was replaced by a new bulwark built using the original as a reference. The bulwark stanchions also had to be replaced. The ship's bowsprit box was corroded, so a new one was built using the correct techniques exactly to the original's specifications. The original box was kept for display but remains in storage. The masts themselves were not original and were rife with rot and had to be replaced. Interestingly, the mizzen mast was discovered to be from the schooner Cymric, a former fleet mate of De Wadden, which had served as a Q-ship in WW1 and was likely the only mast of its type left. Due to this significance, it was preserved.[18][19] For a brief time in the 1990s the vessel was open for tours and educational sessions, though she was closed for further conservation work,[5] including the replacement of her poop deck coamings,[3] extensive work on her hull, and the making and fitting of new masts and a bowsprit. According to the Irish Independent, Victor Hall funded the purchase of the materials that would form the new masts and bowsprit.[6] The ship was placed on the National Register for Historic Vessels collected by National Historic Ships despite being Dutch-built, as the ship had 'demonstrable UK significance'.[14]

On March 26th, 2014, the ship was opened for a special visit by John Kearon, the museum shipwright and ship-keeper, for the ROMEOs (Retired Old Men Eating Out). This was one of the rare occasions where the ship was opened for non-museum employees since it was closed in the 1990s.[16] Another occasion was on December 20th, 2023, of which the photographs taken on this day are on this website.[17]

Scrapping Saga

- In March 2022 a working group was formed to consult stakeholders who would have an interest in the preservation and conservation of the ship in an engagement programme. The list of organisations contacted was the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, Museums Association, National Historic Ships, Arts Council England, the International Congress of Maritime Museums, UK Maritime Heritage Network, and various museums across the country as well as in Europe.[24] This was done in advance of a feasibility study that was announced and launched in June 2022 by National Museums Liverpool (NML) on De Wadden's future and was considering disposing of the vessel,[7] which had confirmed that the costs of ongoing repairs and maintenance to the vessel were unsustainable.[8] Several options were formed by NML as to what could be done to De Wadden, including moving the vessel to another location within NML's estate, such as moving her into Graving Dock no. 1, however, this option was discounted due to the significance of the costs involved[7]. This left her owners with two options, either disposal by deconstruction, or disposal by transfer to another organisation.[9] So, in October 2022, NML's board of trustees agreed to the disposal of De Wadden, and between December 2022 and February 2023, a notice of intent to deconstruct was posted to the National Historic Ships website. Even after the declaration of intent to deconstruct was made, the museum continued to welcome potential transfer options up until February 2023, however, no suitable buyer was discovered, so it was agreed that disposal by transfer was not a realistic option.[8] Following this, the final recommendation was made to NML's board of trustees in March 2023 and the decision to dispose of De Wadden via deconstruction was made, with the process to begin towards the end of 2023.[9][10] The museum has committed itself to preserving as much of De Wadden as possible, including a 3D video model of the ship, keeping certain parts of the ship,[9] and photogrammetry.[3]

On November 2, 2023, NML posted a Tender for the Appointment of Contractor to Dismantle and Dispose of the Vessel 'De Wadden'. The description states the contract will last three months, specifically between January 1st, 2024, and March 31, 2024, and will cost between £150,000 - £200,000. The contract demands that the dismantling of the ship must be completed by March 2024. Applications are open until December 6, at 10 am. According to NML 'The procurement documents detail the steps that the appointed contractor must comply with to ensure we remove the vessel safely and compliantly and gives a detailed plan of the methodology for the sectioning and removal of the vessel.'[11][12] 

As of 9 November 2023, NML's board of trustees approved the commencement of the digital recording of the ship, with a 3D digital cutaway scan of the ship already being produced. Lakeland Arts, a registered charity assisting in this effort stated that 'Comprising more than 3,500 photographs and accompanied by high-resolution panoramas this 3D scan will capture as much data as possible to produce a comprehensive digital twin/record of the ship, suitable for contemporary museum interpretation and research, and production of a scale model if this were to be needed at a future date'. As seen in this scan, the current dilapidated condition of De Wadden is clear. Her keel is rife with corrosion, she is entirely gutted and covered in rust, and the entire ship is sagging.[13]

As of March 22nd, 2024, De Wadden no longer exists in her full form, with the major parts of her deconstruction finally complete. For insight into the deconstruction/scrapping process itself, please see the deconstruction section on this website.

References

1.  Sweetnam, G. L. G.; Scarth, A. (1984). Pugh, N. R. (ed.). Liverpool Nautical Research Society, Volume 28. Retrieved 2023-12-16.

2.  "Canning Half-tide Dock, Liverpool". National Museums Liverpool. Retrieved 2023-12-16.

3.   "De Wadden | National Historic Ships". www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-16.

4.  "Canning Half-tide dock, Liverpool". National Museums Liverpool. Retrieved 2023-12-16.

5.  "Historic 1917 Irish Sea Schooner to be Scrapped". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 2023-12-16.

6.  "Boats make history". Independent.ie. 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2023-12-16.

7. "National Museums Liverpool consults on ship disposal". Museums Association. 2022-06-22. Retrieved 2023-12-16.

8.  "De Wadden". National Museums Liverpool. Retrieved 2023-12-16.

9.  "Disposal: embracing openness and transparency". Museums Association. 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2023-12-16.

10. Anna (2023-05-11). "Classic schooner De Wadden scrapped". Marine Industry News. Retrieved 2023-12-16.

11.  "Appointment of Contractor to Dismantle and Dispose of the Vessel 'De Wadden', South Dry Dock, Canning… [Notice]". bidstats.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-16.

12.   "Tender for the Appointment of Contractor to Dismantle and Dispose of the Vessel 'De Wadden', South Dry Dock, Canning Dock (Liverpool Waterfront) - Contracts Finder". www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-16.

13.  Hine, Lauren. "Using digital technology to innovate in heritage, research and museums – Lakeland Arts". Retrieved 2023-12-16.

14.https://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/sites/default/files/data/files/NHS_Review_INNERS.pdf Retrieved 2023-12-22.

15. https://liverpoolnauticalresearchsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Bulletin-Vol-29-1985.pdf Retrieved 2023-12-22.

16. https://hyc.ie/news/134-romeos-plan-next-outing Retrieved 2023-12-22.

17. https://websites.secureserver.net/photographic-tour Retrieved 2023-12-22.

18.https://www.heritagecouncil.ie/content/files/irelands_boating_heritage_seminar_proceedings_2004_746kb.pdf Retrieved 2023-12-22.

19.https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/113028/1/Industrial%20collections%201997.pdf Retrieved 2023-12-22.

20. https://snr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Topmasts-15.pdf Retrieved 2023-12-22.

21. https://liverpoolnauticalresearchsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Bulletin-Vol-27-1983.pdf Retrieved 2023-12-22.

22. http://snap.waterfordcoco.ie/collections/ebooks/95152/95152.pdf Retrieved 2023-12-22.

23. https://www.arklowmaritimeheritage.ie/about.php Retrieved 2023-12-22.

24. https://marineindustrynews.co.uk/nl/classic-1917-schooner-de-wadden-scrapped/ Retrieved 2024-01-06.