Spurn Lightship: Floating lighthouse returns to Hull Marina

The Spurn Lightship restoration scheme promises to protect the vessel for another century

An historical Hull ship which acted as a floating lighthouse has returned to the city's marina after a 14-month restoration project.

The Spurn Lightship, built in 1927, guided mariners in the Humber estuary for almost 50 years.

Following the recent works, the craft is due to reopen as a floating museum this summer.

The vessel left Dunston Ship Repairs on William Wright Dock just before 06:30 GMT and arrived about an hour later.

Works to construct a permanent berth for the vessel, also part of Hull's £30m maritime regeneration project, are expected to be complete by June.

The restoration, promised to protect the vessel for 100 years, included painting, restoring the deck, cabin and below deck, removing rotten wood and replacing corroded steel and cracked glass.

The vessel was towed by tugboats from William Wright Dock to Hull Marina early on Thursday

The lightship, which was transported to the marina using tugboats, was decommissioned in 1975 and purchased by Hull City Council in 1983.

Restoration work was funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with the £30m scheme also refurbishing Hull Maritime Museum, the Dock Office Chambers, a new attraction at North End Shipyard and a new home for the restored Arctic Corsair.

The renovated Spurn Lightship will reopen to the public as a floating museum in summer 2023

Richard Bourne, Dunston Ship Repairs managing director, said: "We are honoured to have restored the lightship and we hope we have done the city proud - restored by the city on behalf of the city.

"It is not every day a ship repairs company restores a vessel to become a museum again, so naturally it has been a very different type of job for us."

The lightship - also known as Goole Shipbuilding, Light Vessel 12 - got its name from its mooring point off Spurn, an East Yorkshire sand spit.

Councillor Mike Ross, Hull City Council leader, said: "This restoration will protect the lightship for the next 100 years, retaining its charm, integrity, and authenticity for everyone to appreciate and enjoy."