New home for one of port's last deep-sea trawlers

A new home for one of a port's last surviving deep-sea trawlers is expected to open to visitors next year.

The visitor centre at North End Shipyard in Hull, which is part of a major £65m regeneration project, will host the Arctic Corsair.

With views along the River Hull, the venue will provide a space to explore the area's maritime history and include a learning space for schools.

Mike Ross, leader of Hull City Council, said: "This new visitor centre is not only a place to explore Hull's maritime past – it's a vision for the future."

Built in 1960, Arctic Corsair was involved in the Cod Wars with Iceland in the 1970s and rammed an Icelandic gunboat during the dispute.

The ship, which has been restored, will be the star exhibit at the new maritime museum after it sets sail to the North End Shipyard and is berthed in the dry dock.

Visitors to the building, which is funded by the local authority and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, will be able to learn about the life of a trawlerman, with first-hand stories from former crew members.

Gillian Osgerby, the council's interim assistant director for major projects and infrastructure, said: "The story shouts about what makes Hull really special."

A restored Scotch Derrick crane, which is a survivor of the River Hull shipbuilding that ended in the 1990s, will also return to the site later this year.

The council said the new two-storey facility would be one of the most energy-efficient cultural buildings in the UK.

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