National Register of Historic Vessels (NRHV) - Your Help Required
OAKDALE is listed on the website of National Historic Ships UK (NHSUK, whose website is: http://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/) as one of more than a thousand vessels of significance considered worthy of being on the Register. Her near-sister, MOSSDALE, has also made that grade. This is good news for both vessels in terms of raising awareness and encouraging buy-in into any maintenance and preservation work. Indeed, a recent (early 2015) boost to the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port has come about due to the high profile that has been raised about MOSSDALE. A Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant of just under £800K will be split between exhibitions and displays (including work based around the old patent slipway), and restoration of MOSSDALE and a short-boat named GEORGE. Furthermore, a Woflson Foundation grant of just over £50K has been bestowed upon the former vessel and thus, her future seems assured.
But what of OAKDALE?
Her inclusion on the NRHV seems not to have garnered sufficient interest in her to guarantee her any funding or support, but perhaps raising her profile yet further might help...
To that end, I have contacted NHSUK to submit an application to have OAKDALE and MOSSDALE considered for inclusion in the National Historic Fleet (NHF): A sub-group of some 200 vessels considered to be of the highest importance. There are four criteria that are asked by NHSUK to be met in order to be of the right calibre for this honour. Below, I lay out each individual criterion with my answer to it:
1. Are they of pre-eminent national or regional importance?
Yes, they are the last examples of a local type once prevalent for two centuries or so, and developed from earlier types that have their roots in the Middle Ages. OAKDALE is the last of the sea-going, registered merchant vessels of this class, and MOSSDALE is the last survivor of the many canal-based craft of this type.
2. Do they span the spectrum of UK maritime industry?
Yes, they represent the skills and physical embodiment of the shipbuilding industry of the Northwest region, representing the traditional Mersey Flats that were built not only in the Mersey area and English Northwest, but also as far afield as North Wales and Southern Scotland. They therefore represent builders from across Great Britain. OAKDALE was launched in 1951, but built to the designs continued by her builder, Richard Abel & Sons of Runcorn, for the hundred years they had then been in business. MOSSDALE was built to traditional designs too, in 1860 by William Speakman of Chester, but rebuilt in the 1900s by Abel's and thus demonstrating the continuation of skills and methods in an industry now disappeared. Chester and Runcorn were important ship and boat building centres for many years, but both have now lost that status. There are no longer any commercial yards in these places and only a small leisure craft industry survives there. These two mersey Flats represent not just that style of vessel but, also, the last remaining examples of shipyard output from Runcorn and Chester.
3. Do they illustrate changes in construction and technology?
Yes, as well as being true to traditional means of construction, these Mersey Flats represent changes in technology over the historic period of the existence of such craft. MOSSDALE demonstrates change in that her rebuild lengthened and improved her in accordance with more modern ideals in Flat building. OAKDALE, perhaps more significantly, represents not only traditional Mersey Flat technologies, but also the composite shipbuilding art of a hundred-plus years ago. This is because she is the last surviving Composite Flat, of steel frames and wooden planking. This makes her one of only five surviving Composite Vessels in the world, the others being CITY OF ADELAIDE, CUTTY SARK, AMBASSADOR, and HMS GANNET.
4. Do they merit a higher priority for long term preservation?
Yes, I feel they do as swift action to preserve these vessels is vital in order that they survive. MOSSDALE is being preserved by the Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port, and OAKDALE is being maintained by her owner, Dave Keenan. The former is the recipient of HLF money as well as other financial rewards granted on the understanding of her significance in maritime history. She is served by a dedicated team of preservation experts and volunteers working on her at the museum, and this is fantastic news. OAKDALE, however, suffers from being less famous and as a result of this, MORS was established to foster the understanding of her importance and value and to gather together like-minded volunteers eager to see her saved. As a means to further bolster the position of OAKDALE and, to a lesser extent (due to her grip on the public imagination already), MOSSDALE in the hearts and minds of the populace and better safeguard their futures, inclusion in the NHF is second-to-none. In regards to the worthiness of these vessels for such an accolade, it is my opinion that they meet all of the criteria set-out by NHSUK.
Acceptance as amember of the NRHV gives each such ship or boat the right to wear a defaced Red Ensign with the badge of the NHSUK in the fly. Promotion or elevation to the NHF grants the right to the same, but with a gold coronet surmounted on the badge. Details of these can be seen on the Flags of the World website, http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb_nrhv.html. A picture paints a thousand words, they say, and display of this mark of character and embodiment of national status will undoubtedly gain the right sort of attention for OAKDALE and MOSSDALE, particularly for the former as she lies at Askam, eager for appreciative eyes to recognise her for all her patent worth.
If anyone feels the same way I do over this matter, please let the team at NHSUK know and get them thinking about this plea of mine. I am convinced that a higher profile and standing within their organisation will fix these two surviving Mersey Flats in the psyche of so many people as to make the chance of their deterioration unthinkable.
Thanks in advance for your continued support.