The Sir Winston Churchill was a 135ft, 300-ton three-masted topsail schooner, built at the Richard Dunston shipyard in Hessle for the Sail Training Association.
It provided young people (but originally boys) with a taste of adventure by providing two-week cruises where they would be part of the crew, learning seamanship along with teamwork, self-resilience and a structured working environment – as well as fun. The vessel was named and dedicated on Monday, March 14, 1966, after the late statesman Sir Winston Churchill, who had died the previous year.
The ceremony was held at King George Dock with a reception held afterwards at the Guildhall in Hull. The construction of the schooner was hit with a crisis when the hull toppled over in the shipyard in November 1965, smashing all three masts.
It occurred approximately a year after she was first laid down. The disaster struck just a week before she was due to be launched by Princess Alexandra – the launch eventually took place on February 5 1966.
STS Sir Winston Churchill left service in December 2000, when she left the ownership of the Tall Ships Youth Trust and was replaced by the Prince William. The schooner carried 36 trainees for three watches of four people, fore, main and mizzen.
Now a privately owned yacht, the schooner will surely bring back memories for lots of people from across the county and beyond.
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