Vital repair work is being undertaken on two historic boats which have become familiar sights on Liverpool’s waterfront.

Launched in 1964, tugboat Brocklebank – which is now owned by National Museums Liverpool (NML) – was used for ship handling in the city. The 61-year-old vessel which has been chartered on long term agreement by the Brocklebank Preservation Society is now berthed at Cammell Laird on the Wirral to undergo specialist works to preserve it for future generations. An inspection of the tug identified serious corrosion across the steel hull of the vessel.

In Canning’s north dry dock is the Edmund Gardner pilot boat which is also undergoing renovations. As NML’s largest object, it has been in the collection for the past 43 years. As an operational vessel, its role was to act as a base in the Irish Sea for the Pilotage Service guiding the steady stream of ships entering and leaving the Mersey during the 1950s to 1980s.

Having been bought straight from service, the vessel, which is one of only two large pilot boats preserved worldwide, contains many of the original features, including the control and navigation equipment on the bridge.

It has undergone specialist treatment of its wooden deck and caulking, with the 72-year-old Burmese Teak decks only incurring small areas of decay in need of graving. The deck caulking had become severely degraded and required complete replacement.

Jonathan Carr, Lead Conservator, Shipkeeping, said: “Traditional deck caulking using spun oakum and marine glue is a dying art, so having the funds to engage the crew from T. Nielsen’s was exactly the specialist care Edmund Gardner deserves. Not only did we manage to get more than 1200m of deck seams caulked, we also had more than 120 graving pieces fitted to decayed or damaged deck planking.

“We are working to secure more funding in 2026 to continue the caulking programme and to complete other long-standing conservation priorities that will secure the future of this historic boat.”

Edmund Gardner is part of the National Historic Fleet – ships of national importance – and forms part of a UK-wide initiative to list and protect noteworthy vessels. Brocklebank’s crew are looking forward to the ship returning to Liverpool’s docks and waterfront visitors by January 2026. It will undergo a high pressure clean before applying a repair coating to fill all the pitting affecting the ship, and is expected to extend Brocklebank’s seaworthiness for another decade.

Ian Murphy, Head of Maritime Museum, said: “Visitors to Liverpool’s waterfront may already be missing Brocklebank and its enthusiastic crew who all volunteer their time and knowledge so generously.

Brocklebank’s open days and public events are always popular, and demonstrate the interest in Liverpool’s maritime heritage, and why it is so important that this preservation work, required to ensure the boat’s future, is a priority for National Museums Liverpool.

“It is also great to see the work on Edmund Gardner, employing traditional skills and materials to ensure the ship has an exciting future as part of the transformation around Canning Quayside and Dry Docks.”

The £200,000 conservation project across both ships is supported by the Public Bodies Infrastructure Fund (PBIF), a government capital investment programme for the essential maintenance of museum estates.