Arctic Corsair arrives at new home

Hull's famous trawler, the Arctic Corsair, has arrived at its final home.

The city's last remaining sidewinder vessel left Albert Dock at about 06:20 BST.

After travelling along the Humber Estuary, it headed up the River Hull to the newly renovated North End Shipyard in the city centre, where it is expected to become a popular visitor attraction.

From dawn, crowds gathered to watch the spectacle, which had been years in the planning.

Robin Diaper, curator of social and maritime history at Hull Maritime Museum, said: "It's a really satisfying moment and really exciting.

"A lot of people have turned out at this early hour to see it."

He said the purpose of turning the redundant trawler into an attraction was so people can "get a sense of what a huge industry trawling is".

"When you step onboard, it will be like the crew has just left and it's still the 1960s," he added.

John Monasta, associate director at maritime civil engineering specialist Beckett Rankine, has been involved with the Arctic Consair for about eight years, managing the repair and restoration work.

He said: "It's a blueprint for many other historic ships or maritime city centres to build upon."

The move involved the coordinated openings of multiple bridges as well as precise manoeuvring into the dock during a narrow high-tide window, officials said.

To allow the trawler and accompanying tugs to pass, Millennium Footbridge, Myton Bridge, Scale Lane Footbridge and Drypool Bridge were opened temporarily.

The Hull Tidal Surge Barrier also supported the operation.

Hull Maritime planned the move following consideration of tidal patterns, weather forecasts, river conditions, bridge operations and navigational safety.

Speaking from the new home, BBC Look North's Phillip Norton said: "Well before dawn, people began lining the Humber- from the Humber Quays, to Hull Marina, around the Deep and vantage points along the river Hull.

"As the sun rose, one passer-by joked, 'You're a bit late for the eclipse', but those here had gathered to witness another once-in-a-lifetime moment - the final journey of Hull's last remaining sidewinder trawler, a symbol of the fishing industry past, but more importantly, a memorial to the thousands of fishermen who lost their lives at sea."

As the lock gates opened at 05:45 and the sun began to rise, Norton said the Arctic Corsair began to "slowly but surely" be pushed, pulled and "encouraged back out into the Humber one last time".

"The tugs with the honour of helping her final voyage - the beautifully, aptly-named Lashette at the bow, and Shovette at her stern," he said.

"Hundreds of people lined the route, with ripples of applause and cheers breaking out as the project team navigated pinch points - leaving the dock, turning into the river Hull, and the delicate inch by inch manoeuvre into her new home, the North End Shipyard.

"After years of planning, painstaking restoration, and a heart-in-mouth operation to turn a much-loved trawler into her final resting place, the Arctic Corsair is home."

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