Working as a heritage conservator on HMS Victory

What is a typical day like working as a digital archaeologist?

As the team’s digital archaeologist, most of what I do is related to capturing information about the ship, especially in 3D. I can be found wandering the decks of the HMS Victory with measurement tools of every description.

One of my main responsibilities is the upkeep of the Victory Information Model, which is a large 3D model that tracks every timber of the ship. Using this model, I can create measurements and diagrams that would be difficult and time-consuming to carry out in-person, or even model new parts of the ship. This is especially useful when helping other members of the Conservation team examine the ship, or scoping out new phases of work like the mast lift. Aside from 3D models, I also use many photographs, drawings, and laser scans to help us document our own work on HMS Victory.

What is the best part of working as part of the team on The Big Repair?

While my career in archaeology has always been exciting, my time at NMRN has given me the unique opportunity to work with many experts outside of my field, from conservation scientists to historic shipwrights. It is always thrilling to watch other members of the team undertake their trade. I am constantly impressed by the wide range of skills involved in the Big Repair, especially when they all come together for a complex, specific task like the mast lifts. It’s downright multi-disciplinary!

What are you working on at the moment?

I am one of the team members working with HMS Victory’s mast wedges. Mast wedges are wooden shaped blocks that fill the spaces between the masts and the ship’s decks. They serve an important structural role and each wedge has a unique shape and position. As a result, we need to be very careful about how we handle them during their removal, prior to the mast lift. Both their structural and historic value must be preserved. 
My role in this process is to give the shipwrights as much information as possible about the mast wedges’ positions. I like to cover my bases, so I use all the techniques I can. I have taken traditional measurements using a pencil and tape measure. I have also used lasers producing millions of laser points.  

Please could you describe the scanning work for the mast lift

Our laser scanner works by repeatedly taking measurements in all surrounding directions. It measures the distance the laser travels and uses that distance to draw a point in space. A single scan can collect up to two million of these points per second, assembling a 3D picture of its surroundings. By scanning all around the masts, I can reconstruct the mast wedges using millions of accurate coordinates. Those reconstructions tell us exactly where each and every wedge sits and can even be measured and examined in the same way one would [examine] the real thing.

What challenges have you experienced while undertaking this task? What have you learnt?

While the laser scanner is an impressive device, it doesn’t do all the work for me. The device has its own strengths and weaknesses, and I have to make the most of them. I want to make the most of my time and make the best end product. That takes careful, considerate action.  

I am also learning that my work needs to meet the demands of the team. For example,  a 100,000,000-point scan can look impressive, but how does that impressiveness actually help the team? How is it better than tracing the wedges out on paper? To make those judgements, I have started speaking far more than I normally would. “How can my work help you?” “What do you need from me?” These are questions I always need to start with to ensure the end result has long term benefits for various teams. 

Want to see The Big Repair take place in real time?

HMS Victory remains open to the public during The Big Repair, where visitors can continue to get on board the ship, with the added opportunity to watch the conservation project take place in real time from a three-storey viewing platform.  

To find out more about HMS Victory: The Big Repair, visit our dedicated information hub, where we share the latest project updates, milestones, and stories.