BRITAIN’S largest working steamship was anchored in Swanage yesterday.

SS Shieldhall sailed from its base in Southampton to carry out an in water survey in Poole.

It was then spotted in Swanage where it is believed the crew were carrying out a hull inspection. SS Shieldhall is a working example of steamship machinery both above and below deck, typical of the cargo and passenger ships that sailed the seas from the 1870s until the mid-1960s.

Its design is based on a 1920s steamer with a traditional wheelhouse.

It first launched in 1955 and was operated by Glasgow Corporation to transport treated sewage sludge down the River Clyde to be dumped at sea.

SS Shieldhall was suddenly withdrawn from service in 1985, and a society was set up in 1988 to preserve the heritage steamship.