SS Explorer, Research vessel in Leith, Scotland
SS Explorer is a research vessel built in 1955 with a triple expansion steam engine, steel hull, and aluminum superstructure that represent advanced shipbuilding of its era. The ship sits at Edinburgh Dock in Leith as a floating museum that visitors can board and explore.
Built in Aberdeen in 1955, this vessel spent its working years conducting research expeditions around Scottish waters, the Barents Sea, and Irish coasts before being withdrawn from service in 1984. Its preservation began years later as efforts to safeguard Scotland's maritime engineering heritage gained momentum.
This vessel carries the heritage of Scotland's fishing and research traditions, with stories of crew members who worked aboard reflected in the ship's preserved spaces. The community of maritime enthusiasts and former seafarers who gather here keeps alive the memory of Scotland's working relationship with the sea.
The vessel is moored at a central location in Leith docks where restoration work is ongoing, giving visitors insight into traditional maritime construction techniques and the mechanics of steam engines. Boarding allows close-up views of the cramped crew quarters and the engine room where the ship's power originated.
This was Scotland's first purpose-built fisheries research ship and remains the only one of its kind still afloat today. Few visitors realize they are stepping aboard a vessel that once pioneered modern marine science work along Scotland's coasts.
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