Impressive 120-year old ship surprising visitors at Gloucester Docks
A Gloucestershire Live reader has shared their own impressive photograph of a ship that is currently moored at Gloucester Docks for visitors to see. Martin Turner has captured the Bessie Ellen with his own snap, describing it as the Bessie Ellen "drying its sails in the docks after a UK tour."
A unique sight to see at the city's docks the Bessie Ellen is celebrating a 120th anniversary for 2024 after being constructed in Plymouth in 1904. Already this year the ship has embarked on its own anniversary tour travelling along waterways and across seas to many places linked to its old working life such as Sharpness and Barnstaple in North Devon, her official port of Registry.
The ship is one of Britain's last wooden coasting ketches still under sail, and below deck the former cargo-hold has been transformed to provide a large saloon and dining area.
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Being docked in Gloucester comes at a special time for the Docks as the location was recently recognised as a Heritage Harbour, marking a significant milestone in the city's rich maritime history.
Speaking previously, Tony Conder, Chair of Gloucester Docks Bicentenary Working Team, described the recognition as a "fantastic opportunity for all the current partners engaged within the historic Port of Gloucester to celebrate the Bicentenary in 2027 and to go on to strengthen the Gloucester Docks businesses and enhance the enjoyment of visitors to this maritime heritage site into the future."