Survey Report starts race against time to salvage the Viola
The Viola Trust which is working to bring an historic steam trawler back to her home in the Humber is to step up its fund-raising efforts buoyed by a positive survey into the condition of the Viola.
But the people leading the campaign warn that they are battling against time and the elements as the ship which was built in Beverley more than 100 years ago continues to rust on a beach which it shares with seals and penguins.
Paul Escreet, chair of the trustees, said: “The results of the survey which has been carried out into the condition of the Viola were very encouraging and they demonstrated to us that the project is still possible.
“But they also indicated that the salvage operation has to be done within a relatively short time scale. We can’t leave this for another five years because by then things will have gone too far. It is essential that we act now.
“We are appealing to businesses and to individuals – particularly to anyone with a maritime connection, a link to Hull’s remarkable heritage and an interest in supporting engineering and education – to support our campaign. We will be organising a wide range of opportunities to raise funds and will publicise our progress through the Trust’s website at www.ViolaTrawler.net”
Solis Marine Consultants have now completed their survey of the vessel, having spent two days inspecting the Viola in Grytviken Harbour, South Georgia.
John Simpson, a partner in Solis Marine, worked on the project with his colleague, Rosalind Spink. He said: “One of the things we had to try and establish was the curvature and shape of the hull because we’ll need to bring in a cradle to lift her. Parts of the hull lie in the beach and parts in the seabed. We were able to use plumb lines and a tape measure to calculate the curvature around the stern.
“We could then prepare a computer model which will greatly assist when it comes to looking at salvage methods and transport. We now know a lot more about the ship and are much more confident. Ros was able to get much of the information she needed about the structural condition to make an assessment and give the salvage companies the information they need.”
The Viola Trust is grateful for the support of the Royal Navy and in particular the company and crew of HMS Clyde, the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the British Antarctic Survey team based at King Edward Point.
The Viola, which is also known as the Dias, was built in 1906 and sailed off to war in September 1914 with a crew of fishermen after being requisitioned by the Admiralty. She was in the maritime front line throughout the Great War and involved in sinking two U-boats but has yet to return to Hull from that wartime voyage – working around the world as a trawler, a whaler and a sealer.
In 1982 the Viola was one of the vessels targeted by Argentine scrap metal merchants in the landing which sparked the Falklands War. In 2015 she was featured in a set of stamps which were released in South Georgia.
The Viola Trust has appointed a funding expert and set up a website as it campaigns to raise an initial £1.5 million to lift the ship off the beach and onto a project cargo ship before making the 7,000-mile trip back to the Humber.
The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands has given its approval for the Viola to take a starring role in Hull City Council’s proposed new maritime heritage displays. Once the ship is back in UK waters, the Trust’s target plans to raise a further £1.5 million to set up an innovative apprenticeship scheme, giving people the skills to restore Viola as an education centre and as a lasting memorial to those who lost their lives in the war at sea.