Bank boat renovation to be marked

August 19, 2013 at 11:13 am

The Otter Bank, which brought banking services to the North Isles.

The renovation of the former Orkney bank boat Otter Bank is due to be marked place in Hoy next month.

The National Commercial Bank/Royal Bank of Scotland ran a bank boat service to the North Isles between 1962 and 1970, using MV Otter Bank.

The boat was sold in 1970, and rediscovered at a boatyard on the River Mersey in the early 1990s. When the owner decided to sell the boat, he offered her back to Orkney.

The Heritage Lottery Fund and the National Fund for Acquisitions, managed by the National Museums of Scotland, along with the Friends of Orkney Boat Museum and NorthLink Ferries provided support to purchase the boat for the Orkney Arts, Museums and Heritage collection.

In 2011, Orkney Arts, Museums and Heritage, Friends of the Orkney Boat Museum and Voluntary Action Orkney started a project to restore the outward appearance of the vessel, which had been laid up for a number of years.

Otter Bank has been on display at Scapa Flow Visitor Centre & Museum since 2009, where on September 27, the event will take place marking the renovation of the vessel.