RRS Discovery is an iconic vessel in the UK’s historic ships collection, described as ‘the jewel in the crown of Dundee’s historic waterfront’.
Beckett Rankine is project manager and supervisor of Discovery’s restoration. We have conducted detailed investigations and option studies to assess the ship’s condition. In the latest phase of work, we have produced a long-term conservation plan that will ensure a high standard of maintenance and preservation.
RRS Discovery is an auxiliary barque built in Dundee and the first ship designed specifically for Antarctic research. The voyages of her colourful career significantly advanced scientific knowledge, including her first mission where Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton chartered Antarctica’s land mass for the first time.
In addition to further Antarctic expeditions throughout her active service, Discovery also became the first Royal Research Ship, carrying out oceanographic surveys that led to the creation of the National Oceanographic Center (NOC).
At over 120 years old, Discovery is one of the UK’s last surviving three-masted wooden ships and one of the last surviving ships from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. The vessel was unique in design, featuring a lifting propeller and rudder and the ability for the ship to still be steered and steamed if the rudder post was lost.
RRS Discovery returned to Dundee in 1986, where she rests afloat in a dock purpose-built in 1992 and has remained on public display ever since.
Now over 120 years old, RRS Discovery is showing signs of her age with some deterioration that needed urgent assessment.
Dundee Heritage Trust appointed Beckett Rankine to perform a comprehensive structural inspection. This included the integrity of the hull and deck, with special attention to the stern timbers, portside timbers and bulwarks, and stem of the vessel. Although there were some areas needing attention, the ship was found to be in good condition overall.
The inspection was then used as a foundation for an optioneering study for conservation and interpretation options. Options included plans that ranged from permanently drydocking the vessel, creating a permanent climate-controlled environment, or repairing and re-floating the vessel using her own hull.
We worked closely with the client and key stakeholders to produce a conservation plan that would restore RRS Discovery sympathetically, balancing costs, safety, and the evolution of the ship’s role in Dundee’s maritime museum.
The project is supported by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, thanks to a £1.4 million funding grant for urgent repairs and to safeguard the ship from further deterioration.
A key aspect of the long-term conservation plan includes comprehensive training and support for all those who maintain Discovery¸ ensuring the relevant skills are available to keep the ship in good condition.
As the last ship of her kind in the UK, Discovery requires a specialist approach at every step of the restoration – a challenging ask when shipbuilding methods have drastically changed in the century since her launch. Shipwrights with the necessary skills and experience to work on large timber ships are extremely rare.
Beckett Rankine carried out a thorough tendering process to onboard contractor Industrial Heritage Consulting Ltd and bring Discovery back to her former glory.
The RRS Discovery is currently kept in a permanent dry-dock, where the hull is preserved semi-wetted.
The dock is drained to allow for any major remedial works, with the intention to re-float the vessel once all repairs and restoration are complete. Keeping this vessel immersed in saltwater can help preserve the timber and, therefore, reduce the frequency of works needed.
In order to safely repair the vessel, Industrial Heritage Consulting Ltd are taking an innovative approach to support the stern with a large steel structure. This unusual method will increase the amount of original fabric that can be retained for a more sympathetic restoration.
In 2024, a historic moment occurred when Discovery’s rudder was lifted so that its well can be used to support the steel structure. Made from oak, the rudder was lifted in a single piece by JPS Restoration, ready to be carefully repaired and preserved until it can be reinstated.
RRS Discovery’s rudder being carefully lifted by JPS Restoration
