A HISTORIC cruise ship about to launch its new season has returned to Southampton after being given a major facelift.

SS Shieldhall, which is staging its first cruises on May 26-27, has had a fresh coat of paint applied to its hull and anchors.

Other maintenance work carried out in dry dock in Falmouth included anti-fouling and the installation of new foremast lights.

Shieldhall’s return to her home port comes just weeks after National Historic Ships UK made the vessel one of its regional flagships.

Chief engineer Graham Mackenzie said: "There are about 200 on the National Historic Ships Register, all distinguished by being of national or regional significance.

"They span the spectrum of UK maritime history, illustrating changes in construction and technology.

"Our humble vessel stands alongside such famous ships as the SS Great Britain, the Royal Yacht Britannia, HMS Victory and the Cutty Sark.

"What Shieldhall offers is the opportunity to go to sea in a steamship and get up close to her triple-expansion engines.

"It's a credit to our volunteers that Shieldhall is still introducing new generations to the experience of steam at sea some 63 years after she was constructed."

Shieldhall is thought to be the largest working steamship in Northern Europe.

She was built at Renfrew in 1955 and was used by Glasgow Corporation to take sludge to dumping grounds near the Firth of Clyde.

She performed a similar task for Southern Water between 1980-1985, transporting material from Marchwood, Millbrook and Woolston to an area off the Isle of Wight, before being withdrawn from service because of rising fuel costs.

Shieldhall has completed more than 500 voyages since she was bought by the Solent Steam Packet charity 30 years ago.

The vessel's first cruise of 2018 will be a two-hour tour of Southampton docks.

That will be followed by a three-hour Titanic-themed cruise the next day, when guest speaker Ann Victoria Roberts will give a talk on the captain of the ill-fated liner.

Other sailings will coincide with events such as the Round the Island Yacht, Bournemouth Air Festival and Southampton Boat Show.