Historic ships - a luxury for enthusiasts?

Photo Credit: SS Robin returns to the Thames / Mike Page / Skyview

The UK's National Register of Historic Vessels contains over 1000 vessels - 20% of which form the UK's National Historic Fleet.

National Historic Fleet vessels are listed for being of 'pre-eminent national or regional significance'. They must span the spectrum of UK maritime history, illustrate changes in construction and technology and merit higher priority for long term preservation. Examples include, SS Great Britain, Cutty Sark, HMS Belfast and SS Robin.

Over 57% of historic vessels are privately owned or commercially operated with 14% operating as museums and charitable trusts.

During Radio Four's 'You and Yours' programme on October 29th, 2010 Martyn Heighton, Director of National Historic Ships, was asked to justify his annual budget of £250,000 pa.  On the surface, it's a seemingly easy target in the 'bonfire of quangos' story however - the total annual budget of National Historic Ships, which currently reports to DCMS on all matters relating to the UK's historic vessels, is negligible in terms of real savings. Even less so when you realise that the money is spread between a total team of four who are effectively responsible for more than 1000 historic vessels located all around the UK.

Further, there is no other specialist department dedicated to our nation's historic ships - the protection of which, unlike listed buildings, remains largely unsupported by statutory process, legislation or core funding.

To state that the UK's historic ships are a luxury for enthusiasts is, at best, a simplistic and uninformed view - one, that unfortunately, the UK's maritime heritage sector comes across frequently.

It overlooks the contribution the country's historic ships make to the UK's economy through tourism, filming, publishing, education and conservation and to society in general.

The current spending review is trying to improve efficiency and cut waste. It is still not entirely clear what the de-classification of National Historic Ships will mean and whether this will equate to more efficient management of the UK's National Historic Fleet long-term.