Historic Leith ship will be preserved after winning £150,000 grant from National Lottery Heritage Fund
A historic ship berthed at Leith docks has been awarded more than £150,000 of National Lottery funding for her preservation.
The SS Explorer was Scotland's first purpose-built Fisheries Research Vessel when she was launched in 1955. And in her 28 years of service she advanced the development of fishing technology and made significant contributions in marine biology, pollution monitoring and the study of climate change.
Now volunteers are aiming to fully restore the vessel and establish it as a floating museum, marine education centre and venue.
The SS Explorer Preservation Society said it was “absolutely delighted” to receive a grant of £157,115 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to protect and preserve the ship.
Society chair Richard Morrison said: “Our volunteers and supporters work incredibly hard and share a vision of Explorer playing a role that goes beyond being a historic ship and heritage attraction. Fascinating and important as her history is this project is just as much about her future as an asset to Leith. A learning resource, an opportunity for people to get involved, to learn new skills, and to make new community connections.”
The SS Explorer was the last vessel with a riveted steel hull built by Alexander Hall & Co’s shipyard in Aberdeen and had one of the last triple-expansion steam engines built in Scotland. She is listed on the National Register of Historic Ships.
Decommissioned in 1984, she was sent to Inverkeithing to be demolished before being rescued by Aberdeen Maritime Museum and returned to the North East. But she was then moored in the Cromarty Firth awaiting suitable berth in Aberdeen and remained there for a decade, slowly deteriorating. The ship was vandalised, components were stolen and her interior spaces were open to nesting seabirds. Eventually she was sold to a shipbreaker in Invergordon for scrap.
But the SS Explorer Preservation Society was formed in 1994 and bought the vessel back from the breakers, then began work to conserve her.
She was towed to Leith in 1996 and for the last 30 years has been cared for by a volunteers from the society who have maintained and preserved her.
The society says its vision is to see the SS Explorer fully restored and moored at a publicly accessible berth in Leith, together with a shoreside interpretation centre, serving as a maritime museum and marine science educational resource, a visitor attraction and an attractive venue contributing to the economic regeneration of Leith and North Edinburgh.
The ship is already due to welcome visitors as part of the 2026 Edinburgh Science Festival, which runs from April 4 to Arpil 19.
Caroline Clark, Scotland director for the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: "Through four decades the SS Explorer, as the first purpose built Scottish Fisheries Research Vessel, collected data that now gives us invaluable information about our seas and underlines its significance to Scotland's maritime and scientific heritage.
"Thanks to National Lottery players this funding will support the Preservation Society to help save the SS Explorer, tackling immediate repair needs while moving forward their plans to bring SS Explorer back into service once again, this time as a significant heritage attraction in Leith and a valuable community resource."
The society said the grant would make it possible to continue to preserve SS Explorer, protect the vessel against further deterioration, expand community outreach and strengthen the organisation for the major works programme required.
It said it would also commission a feasibility study addressing the sustainability of the ship in its future role as a museum ship and visitor destination. Then the ship would move to a new publicly accessible berth in the Edinburgh Dock.
Edinburgh Northern and Leith SNP MP Ben Macpherson said: “I am extremely pleased that the National Lottery Heritage Fund has chosen to allocate this grant.
“This funding brings timely support to the SS Explorer Preservation Society’s sustained efforts to ensure the future of one of Scotland’s unique historic ships and convert it into a local visitor attraction. Using this funding award, in the near future Leith can look forward to the implementation of the next crucial stage in the process of turning the SS Explorer into an accessible, engaging heritage landmark in its home port.
“I have been proud to support the SS Explorer Preservation Society’s ambitions for several years, and congratulate and thank all of those involved in achieving this recent success in driving the project forward.”