Preserving the Skylark IX

The Skylark IX is now safely housed on dry land

In 2021, AOC worked with the Skylark IX Recovery Trust to preserve the Skylark IX,  a historic vessel believed to be one of only two ‘Dunkirk Little Ships’ from World War II’s Operation Dynamo surviving in Scotland.

The Skylark IX was built in Poole, Dorset, in 1934 and initially operated as a shallow water pleasure craft.

During the Second World War, Skylark IX was, like many other vessels, called up for service in Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of allied forces from Dunkirk in 1940. She subsequently served as a shallow water minesweeper and harbour support vessel in 1941.

At the end of the Second World War, Skylark IX was sold off and slowly progressed northwards, being used as a daytrip/pleasure craft, first at Morecambe in Lancashire and later as both a ferry and a daytrip/pleasure craft at Burntisland in Fife. Skylark IX was then relocated to Portobello Pier, Edinburgh, and finally to Loch Lomond, northwest of Glasgow, where the vessel was operated as a trip boat by Sweeney’s Cruise Co. Loch Lomond (hereafter “Sweeney’s Cruise Co.”) for 30 years. Skylark IX was retired from cruising service and put up for sale in 2005 due to the increasing cost and time it took to maintain the ageing hull.

In 2010 Skylark IX sank at its mooring in the River Leven, likely following a collision which created a hole in the vessel’s stern.

Two years later, a salvage operation was undertaken and divers from Faslane Naval Base (HMNB Clyde) succeeded in refloating the vessel. In 2013, Dumbarton charity Alternatives purchased the vessel and the Skylark IX Recovery Trust was formed and acquired the vessel.

Despite its many alterations, repairs, and damage caused by the sinking and subsequent period underwater, the vessel retains its initial shape and lines, allowing the vessel’s primary function as a day trip pleasure boat to be understood and appreciated. Later adaptations including the addition of seating and a passenger cabin attest to the Skylark IX’s post-war activities as a pleasure boat in numerous locations across Britain, and are important features relating to the vessel’s use following her wartime activities.

AOC’s consultancy team drew up a Conservation Management Plan, assessing the vessel’s condition and setting out a clear pathway of conservation work and repairs that will ensure the Skylark IX’s longer-term survival. The Skylark IX will never be refloated, but with appropriate intervention, the vessel can be stabilised for years to come and will hopefully form the focus of a purpose-built visitor centre.

Following the creation of the Conservation Management Plan, AOC undertook initial conservation work focussed on preserving the vessel’s name, a highly significant feature which was in danger of being lost. Conservator Rowan Gillis spent several days stabilising the flaking paint and timbers.

Due to being submerged for a period of time, the boat is in poor condition with some timbers lost from decay, others weakened due to rot. The timber substrate on which the name is painted was severley degraded in places and needed consolidation prior to stabilising the paint layers which hold the name. The paint layers were lifting, flaking and actively delaminating, threatening to lose the legibility of ‘Skylark IX’. After strengthening the wood substrate, loose and flaking paint was consolidated and, where possible, lifting paint was gently pushed back and secured to the wooden vessel. To add further protection from the elements, the whole area has been covered with heavy duty polythene, while the vessel remains in storage under the canopy at the Maritime Museum.

In addition to conservation of the vessel’s painted name, AOC’s conservators have undertaken work on a lifebuoy recovered with the ship in 2012. The lifebuoy is painted in classic white and orange/red colours with Skylark painted on the front. There are two bands of reflective tape wrapped around the ring and the brand name ‘Perry Bouy’ is moulded in the surface of the lifebuoy.  However, extensive overpainting had made the brand name almost indecipherable. Perry Buoy® lifebuoys are still manufactured today. Most modern lifebuoys are made of polyethylene, while the Skylark IX’s lifebuoy appears to be made of a hard white rubber or plastic. Research has found similar lifebuoys dating to boats from around 1950s and 1960s. Tied to the outer edge of the lifebuoy is a plastic rope grabline. 

Conservator Simeon works on the lifebuoy, delicately cleaning surface soiling and consolidating flaking paintwork

The surfaces of the lifebuoy are now clean and more stable

The lifebuoy was in need of a some gentle cleaning and consolidation to prevent further damage. The paint layers had become unstable, with cracking and crazing resulting in extensive areas of loss. The surface of the lifebuoy and the grabline were in need of a good clean, and the grabline had become frayed.

Surface soiling was removed using lightly dampened cotton swabs and Vulpex® spirit soap, followed by swabbing with deionised water to rinse the surface. Loose paint flakes were then consolidated using a PH-neutral adhesive. The grabline was gently cleaned, the frayed ends were retwisted and tied using undyed cotton thread. Lastly, a custom-made storage box was created to house the lifebuoy safely.  

The Skylark IX Recovery Project is now finalising a schedule of further work to ensure that, eventually, the Skylark IX will be stable enough to be transported by road on a custom-built cradle from her temporary home at the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine to the grounds of the Museum’s Denny Tank in Dumbarton. There, it is hoped, funding allowing, she will sit at the heart of a new £3m Spirit of Skylark Centre.

Find out more about the project at https://skylarkix.co.uk/. 

Conservation work on the Skylark IX was made possible with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.