National Historic Ships UK (NHS-UK) has appointed four historic vessels from around the country to act as its Flagships of the Year for 2025 and ‘fly the flag’ for maritime heritage.
The 2025 Flagships are:
Barnabas – 1881 Cornish fishing vessel, now teaching the unique skills of sailing and preserving traditional boats to the local community
Sir Walter Scott – Victorian passenger steamship celebrating 125 years of steaming on Loch Katrine in the Scottish Highlands
Llanthony – 1930s Gentleman’s Motor Yacht which saved 280 lives at Dunkirk and recently completed an award-winning restoration
Dane – 1947 Narrowboat which carried cargo in the Potteries and is now a vital part of the educational offering at the Middleport Pottery heritage site
The 2025 Flagships will receive a special broad pennant to fly at the masthead and a brass plaque for their vessel. Each Flagship will hold a flag-hoisting ceremony during May and June to celebrate its new status.
NHS-UK’s annual Flagship Awards have been running since 2009. The Awards provide an opportunity to demonstrate and celebrate the value of historic vessels to the wider public. This can be through a variety of online activities, special events, open days, workshops and tours.
Competition was particularly strong for the coveted accolade this year. Applications were received from a range of operational and static vessels on the National Registers based on their seasonal programmes and planned level of outreach. NHS-UK has awarded four very different craft the status of Flagship of the Year 2025; this year they are all operational vessels.
Flagships promote the role of National Historic Ships UK by publicising its annual Photo Competition, Excellence in Maritime Conservation and Marsh Volunteer Awards. They will also be flying the flag as ambassadors for the UK’s maritime heritage sector. NHS-UK will work closely with each of the Flagships to promote their vessel and offer support and advice.
NHS-UK is a government funded, independent organisation which gives objective advice to UK governments and local authorities, funding bodies, and the historic ships sector on all matters relating to historic vessels in the UK.
It maintains the National Register of Historic Vessels, which lists over 1,500 historic craft. It also manages the Shipshape Network, which was set up to promote the regeneration of traditional maritime skills around the UK. www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk
Flagships of the Year 2025:
Barnabas (1881 Fishing Vessel – Newlyn, Cornwall)
Awarded in recognition of her plans for an exciting sailing season incorporating the Semaine Du Golfe de Morbihan, Falmouth Classics, Looe Luggers and a visit to the Isles of Scilly, as well as opportunities to promote lug rig in conjunction with other historic craft.
Built as a dipping lug-rigged pilchard driver by Henry Trevorrow of St Ives, Barnabas fished until 1954, when sold and converted to a yacht. By 1980, she was in the hands of the Maritime Trust, who carried out her first restoration. In 1994 the Cornish Maritime Trust bought her for £1, and, following a further restoration, she was relaunched in July 2006.
She has since taken part in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant, attended traditional festivals in Cornwall and Brittany, completed a round-Britain circumnavigation, and transported sail cargo on the last leg of a voyage from Portugal and the Caribbean to raise awareness of the possibilities of sail transport.
In 2024, as part of a Preservation, Education and Community project, she sailed over 1400 nautical miles to replace her masts in NW Scotland. Last week Barnabas was awarded the prestigious Gstaad Yacht Club Centenarian of the Year Award at the 2025 Classic Boat Awards. Barnabas is looked after by Cornish Maritime Trust volunteers and sails from Newlyn’s Old Harbour.
Sir Walter Scott (1900 Passenger Vessel – Loch Katrine, The Highlands)
Awarded in recognition of plans to celebrate her 125th anniversary year by hosting a Steamboat Festival with accompanying promotional activity, in addition to Christmas events and three sailings per day from March to October.
Built by William Denny of Dumbarton and named after the famous Scottish writer, Sir Walter Scott has graced the inland waters of Loch Katrine in the Scottish Highlands since 1900. She still has her original triple-expansion steam engine. Her first owners were two local hotel owners, who formed the Loch Katrine Steamboat Co.
From 1952 to 2005 she was owned by the Water Department, City of Glasgow Corporation (Loch Katrine being a source of drinking water for Glasgow), and three further water companies. In 2005, The Steamship Sir Walter Scott Trust was formed to own, operate and preserve the vessel.
A multi-year restoration was carried out, and in 2008, her coal-fired boilers were replaced with two new boilers which run on biofuel. Sir Walter Scott still operates as a pleasure steamer on Loch Katrine and celebrates her 125th birthday this year.
Llanthony (1934 Motor Yacht – Chertsey, Surrey)
Awarded in recognition of her planned attendance at the Return to Dunkirk, where she will commemorate 85 years since Operation Dynamo as part of the UK’s Anniversary Fleet, followed by a South Coast cruise and attendance at the St Katharine Dock Classic Boat Festival in September.
Built by Camper & Nicholson for a Welsh MP, and later owned by Lord Astor, whom, it is rumoured, helped the romance of Lady Simpson and King Edward VIII onboard. In 1940 she took part in the Dunkirk evacuation, rescuing 280 troops from the beaches while under heavy fire. The boat was badly damaged, and five crew members were killed. Her commander, Sub Lieutenant Robert Timbrell of the Royal Canadian Navy, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
After the war she returned to private ownership and later cruised the Mediterranean as a charter yacht, but eventually the years caught up with her. Under present ownership, a full restoration was undertaken by Dennetts Boatyard, Chertsey, with the goal to regain her original beautiful lines and replace her iconic Camper & Nicholson superstructure. Llanthony is now a sophisticated gentleman’s motor yacht, with an interior inspired by the elegant art deco steamships of the era. Last week Llanthony won the Powered Vessel over 40ft category at the 2025 Classic Boat Awards.
Dane (1947 Narrowboat – Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire)
Awarded in recognition of her planned participation in the Etruria Canals Festival and Stoke-on-Trent Boat Club Festival, as well as regular trips, workshops and the opening of a new Learning Centre on site.
Built by the Mersey Weaver Ship and Canal Carrying Company by Charles Stanyer of Burslem, Staffordshire, Dane navigated the Trent & Mersey waterways until around 1957. She transported clay slip from Liverpool to the potteries, with return trips often involving the shipment of finished crates of pottery for onward shipment across the world.
In 2012 Dane was purchased by the Narrow Boat Heritage Foundation and underwent a major restoration. She was then gifted to Re-Form Heritage and is now based at the Middleport Pottery heritage site. Students and visitors can learn about the history of the vessel and the Pottery, as well as the lives and challenges faced by workers transporting goods to Liverpool and Hull docks.
