A HISTORIC Hampshire steamship will be getting more than £1m worth of “upgrades” this winter to help the vessel stay afloat.

SS Shieldhall, which is the oldest cargo-passenger steamship still active in Europe, will have work funded to the tune of £1.4m from the Heritage Lottery Fund Grant to keep her on the water.

The ship, launched in 1955 – and which celebrated 25 years of sailing the Solent this year run by a team of volunteers – will have a range of technical upgrades and support which will be carried out by the Marine Division of Shield Environmental Services.

The work will be sympathetic to the vessel’s original look – but it will take into consideration new legislation on environmental issues and maritime regulations.

These include the removal of lagging from SS Shieldhall’s distinctive yellow funnel and engine room.

The volunteers who help keep SS Shieldhall sailing are delighted that the work has started. One of them, Graham Mackenzie, said: “After a busy sailing season we are now on schedule with our project plans and we can see the progress that Shield are making.”

As well as the technical upgrades – SS Shieldhall will reach out to the community by appointing a Learning and Participation Consultant to work with schools, youth groups and voluntary agencies.

Graham added: “We want more people to be aware of and support Shieldhall – she is a unique heritage asset that is being saved for everyone.”