LV12 Spurn Lightship

LV12 Spurn Lightship was built in 1927 by Goole Shipbuilding, and served tirelessly off Spurn Point, guiding ships through the notoriously hazardous Humber Estuary until her decommission in 1975. 

Between 1927 – 1939 she served on the Spurn station, then from 1939 – 1945 on Middle Humber station during the Second World War. She returned to the Spurn station from 1945 – 1959. In 1975 the lightvessel was painted red and transferred to Bull Shallows.

LV12 was decommissioned in 1975. Purchased by Hull City Council in 1983, she became a floating museum in Hull Marina by 1987.

As part of Hull Maritime — a £27–30 million regeneration initiative funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the city council — the lightship underwent a 14-month restoration by Dunston Ship Repairs, returning to Hull Marina in March 2023 and moving into a permanent berth by February 2024 near Murdoch’s Connection footbridge.

Work continues to create an immersive interpretative experience with films, soundscapes and graphics that reveal life aboard, the trials of navigating the Humber, and the lightvessel’s wartime roles. 

Hull Maritime Museum

A short walk from the marina, housed in the magnificent former Dock Offices building (built in 1871 and converted into a museum in 1975), the Hull Maritime Museum has long celebrated Yorkshire’s deep connection with the sea.  Closed from around 2022 for conservation and modernisation, the museum is now entering its final phase of transformation, featuring immersive new displays and technology installations, with reopening planned for spring 2026.

Inside, visitors will eventually encounter galleries featuring artefacts ranging from scrimshaw and ship models to oceanic trade relics, whale skeletons, and a polar bear named Erik.

When the museum reopens, LV12 Spurn Lightship will form part of a trail of seven restored maritime landmarks in the city, including the Arctic Corsair and North End Shipyard.