Restoring the ship to its previous state will be a very long process, especially given that three cabins were totally destroyed and some fire/smoke damaged areas will be a long-term restoration project.

Every area of the ship suffered heat and smoke damage, some more so than others. Getting the studio back in operation in time for Easter was a priority, as well as the galley and mess room – both of which were largely spared from serious damage.

Duke Anthony in the studio at Easter 2024

At the time of the fire, the forward compartment was mostly cleared because of filming that had taken place just before Christmas 2023. This, fortunately, meant that many exhibits were behind a watertight door and will only need a light clean.

In mid May we were able to empty the forward compartment completely for more cleaning then painting. On 15th May 2024 this meant we could paint the floor ready to reinstall the exhibition.

Work has now shifted to the companionway (gangway) that runs the length of the ship. That is has now been cleaned & painted, after suffering extreme heat and smoke damage. Just visible at the top end of this companionway is the watertight door into the worst fire-hit area of the ship.

The recent dry weather enabled some tasks on the outside decks.

Paint, more paint, hoovers, mops, carpet cleaners …. we’ve used them all this past week but … we re-open on Saturday 25th May!

The displays are going back ….

Of course, some areas are still unavailable and much more restoration will be needed to be done before the aft section can be opened.

If you can, please contribute to our restoration fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/lv18-restoration-fund