Dundee Heritage Trust (DHT), the guardian of Captain Scott’s pioneering Antarctic ship, the Royal Research Ship Discovery in Dundee, has announced the beginning of the second phase of a major repair and conservation project aboard the ship. This next phase, coinciding with the 125th anniversary of the Dundee-built polar research ship, will involve extensive repairs to the weather-beaten bulwark and stanchions, and create a fully supportive habitat for the vessel for the very first time. The works are expected to cost in excess of £2M and are generously supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Tay Cities Region Deal, the Northwood Charitable Trust, the Headley Trust, amongst others. Discovery Point and RRS Discovery will remain open as usual to visitors throughout the works, a rare opportunity to observe both traditional shipwrighting skills and modern conservation methods in action, as tales are uncovered from within the ship’s historic timbers.
The first phase of the major works project took place from 2023 to 2025 and focused on £1.4M of urgent structural repairs to the most vulnerable stern section of the ship. This included conserved areas of the ship’s deck and stern, involving traditional shipwrighting methods such as caulking, steam bending, and blacking—endangered skills at risk of being lost to over 1,000 historic ships across the UK, including 6 operated as visitor attractions in Scotland. Through the project, these traditional techniques are being preserved, documented, and shared for future generations.
125 years of Discovery
The announcement of the next phase of conservation work comes as the RRS Discovery approaches its 125th anniversary on March 21st. The Royal Research Ship (RRS) Discovery was built in Dundee and launched in 1901. It was the first ship in the world purpose built for scientific research in ice-packed Antarctica, providing the ideal vessel for the first official British exploration of the region since the voyage of James Clark Ross sixty years earlier (1839–1843). The 1901 expedition launched the careers of some of the leading figures in what was to become known as the ‘Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration’, including Robert Falcon Scott (who led the expedition), Ernest Shackleton, Edward Wilson, Frank Wild, Tom Crean and William Lashly. The RRS Discovery is the sole surviving UK ship from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, which lasted between the end of the 19th century and the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition of 1921–1922.
The expedition carried out scientific research and geographical exploration in what was then largely an untouched continent. It was seen as a trailblazer for later ventures and a landmark in British Antarctic exploration history, with many notable discoveries including the Cape Crozier emperor penguin colony; snow-free dry valleys in the western mountains; the Antarctic plateau (upon which the South Pole is located); evidence that the Ice Barrier was a floating ice shelf; and the discovery of many new marine species.
Following further Antarctic expeditions in 1925 and 1929, as well as an extended period as a Sea Scout training ship based in London between 1931-1979, RRS Discovery returned to Dundee in 1986, where it has resided as a multi-award-winning visitor attraction operated by Dundee Heritage Trust, attracting over 80,000 visitors a year.
Returned to its home city by Dundee Heritage Trust in 1986, RRS Discovery is today at the geographic, economic and cultural heart of Dundee, explored by tens of thousands of visitors from across the globe each year. Part of the UK’s National Historic Fleet, she is officially recognised as one of the UK’s most important historic ships. Formed in 1985 with a mission to preserve the ship for future generations, the Trust also has responsibility for Discovery Point, an Accredited museum and one of the region’s most popular visitor attractions telling the story of Discovery and her groundbreaking scientific expeditions. The current project aboard the ship is a part of the Trust’s wider transformation project at DiscoveryPoint, which hopes to transform the museum for the next generation.
Emma Halford-Forbes, Heritage Director at Dundee Heritage Trust said: “We’re thrilled to be moving on to the next phase of works aboard the internationally significant RRS Discovery. We’ve formed an excellent team, who have guided us through the first phase of works and shared so much knowledge and skill with our team and volunteers. We’re delighted to be working with them for the next two years.”
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