Daniel Adamson: Historic tug-tender pulls in £3.8m funding

Daniel Adamson was built by Tranmere Bay Development Company as a working vessel

A project to restore the last remaining steam tug-tender ship moored in Merseyside has been awarded £3.8m.

The Daniel Adamson, built in 1903, carried people and livestock between Ellesmere Port and Liverpool before being decommissioned in 1985.

A campaign by the Daniel Adamson Preservation Society (DAPS) saved the vessel from being scrapped in 2004.

The Heritage Lottery Fund awarded the money three years after rejecting a £2.8m bid by DAPS over cost concerns.

The society said the ship is one of two tug-tenders left in the UK and is the only steam-powered one.

The ship, originally called the Ralph Brocklebank, was renamed the Daniel Adamson after the first chairman of Manchester Ship Canal Company

Dan Cross, chairman and founder of DAPS, said: "This wonderful ship occupies a unique place as part of the UK's national historic fleet.

"This huge vote of support also acknowledges the massive effort put in by literally hundreds of volunteers and supporters over the last eleven years, without which the vessel would have been consigned to history years ago."

Daniel Adamson, which initially towed barges, was refitted with Art Deco saloons and an elevated promenade deck in 1936.

The ship, originally called the Ralph Brocklebank, was renamed Daniel Adamson after the first chairman of Manchester Ship Canal Company following the refurbishment.

Manchester Ship Canal Company bought the ship in 1921 and later carried out an Art Deco-style refurbishment

Owners Manchester Ship Canal Company planned to scrap the vessel but it was sold for £1 in 2004.

Sara Hilton, head of the North West Heritage Lottery Fund, said: "This is a vessel with a remarkable and important story to tell.

"This exciting project will bring exciting benefits to Liverpool and across the region, offering a valuable addition to what the area has to offer and delivering fantastic learning and training opportunities."

DAPS plan to restore the ship over five years so it can carry passengers across the North West.

Daniel Adamson is moored behind the Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool's Albert Dock.