Unicorn shivers her timbers to stay afloat

IT COULD soon be a thing of the past unless a mysterious ghost from the days of Nelson can save one of Scotland's maritime treasures.

The oldest naval ship afloat in the UK, the HM Frigate Unicorn, has welcomed ghost hunters aboard in a desperate bid to save it from being lost forever due to a lack of funding.

While paranormal buffs have welcomed the chance to spend a night with the spooky inhabitant of the Dundee-berthed vessel, maritime campaigners say they are saddened such measures are needed to save what is an internationally recognised ship.

The 183-year-old, 150ft-long vessel is funded solely by revenue from admissions and donations and receives no government or local authority funding. The city's more famous nautical attraction, the RRS Discovery, is secured by public subsidy.

Urgent work to preserve the Unicorn's ageing wooden hull is now required and the situation is so serious that the ship has been added to National Historic Ships Committee 'Vessel At Risk' list.

But the trust that protects the frigate has realised that the ship's eerie ambience and resident spooks could throw them a much-needed cash lifeline.

Manager Bob Hovell said: "The ship has a fascinating history and like many old structures we appear to have at least one former resident who appears reluctant to leave. Over the years I have had visitors reporting hearing and seeing things. I'm a sceptic, but I have seen and heard a couple of things that are quite difficult to explain."

The nautical spectre has been named George after George Bishop, a particularly dedicated former custodian of the vessel.

The bizarre happenings attracted the attention of the makers of TV show Most Haunted, who dispatched a film crew and team of supernatural experts to the ship last year.

The vessel's owners have now teamed up with a group of professional Scottish ghost hunters to offer the public a chance to take part in onboard paranormal investigations.

"Everybody likes a good ghost story, and if it is raising money for a good cause then that has got to be a good thing," said Hovell.

Ship historian Roderick Stewart has an open mind on the issue of ghosts. "Thousands of people have been on board the ship over the decades and they are bound to have left some sort of trace behind," he said.

The ghost vigils are part of a wider campaign to raise funds to allow the vessel to be moved from Victoria Dock to a dry dock nearer to the city centre, where its fragile hull could be shielded by a canopy.

But the Clyde Maritime Trust was saddened that the vessel's trustees were being forced to go to such unusual lengths to secure funding.

Chairman Dr Christopher Mason said: "We need a national maritime conservation policy that recognises the importance of all ships in the National Register of Historic Vessels."

Paranormal investigators Ghost Finders Scotland are in no doubt the Unicorn is haunted. Members have reported unexplained lights, voices, a shadowy face on the vessel.

My sleepless night on the ghost ship with George EERIE shadows flickered across the deck as I cowered in a hammock,

cursing myself for agreeing to spend the night in Scotland's most haunted ship.

But the figure that floated into view was not the spectre of a long-dead mariner, but Bob Hovell, the manager of the HM Frigate Unicorn.

Bob is a die-hard sceptic when it comes to matters supernatural, but he reluctantly reveals he has had a chilling encounter with the resident spook, George Bishop, a particularly devoted past custodian of the vessel, who died shortly before the Second World War.

One night, while cleaning the vessel's top deck, he saw a figure glide across the room before disappearing. "I put it down to being overworked and underpaid," said Bob.

Countless others have reported similar sightings, and George even has his own trademark smell - the vessel's pungent oakum rope.

Come morning, I'd avoided any other encounters, but as the photographer attempts to record the visit, his equipment fails, as does my trusty digital tape recorder.

Bob gives a knowing laugh: "Ah, it looks like George has paid us a visit after all."