The life beneath the waves of Buccleuch Dock in Barrow was brought into focus by an underwater drone at the town’s Tall Ship Festival 2026 last weekend (August 15 and 16).
The drone was deployed from the TS Pelican of London, a UK-based sail training ship, and captured footage of seaweed, sponges, shrimp, crabs and other marine life clinging to the dock walls and seabed.
The drone revealed reefs forming on snagged fishing lines (Image: Pelican of London)
The Pelican of London team said: “Our amazing head of science Charly Braungardt, deployed an underwater drone from our tall ship Pelican of London, and was delighted at the interest of so many visitors and children of all ages.”
The footage also revealed a less pristine side of the dock with debris, supermarket trolleys and snagged fishing lines forming makeshift reefs for marine creatures.
The team said the water was ‘less clear’ than when they filmed last in 2024.
Buccleuch Dock is one of four in the Royal Port of Barrow and was constructed between 1863 and 1872.
Covering 125,000 square metres, it is named after the 5th Duke of Buccleuch and is owned by Associated British Ports.
The Pelican of London, originally built in 1948, began life as an Arctic trawler before later serving as a coastal trading vessel under the name Kadett until 1995.
Today, the ship offers sail training and ocean science voyages for young people, aiming to develop confidence, resilience, and teamwork through hands-on experience at sea.
It also showed how supermarket trolleys had become a basis for marine life (Image: Pelican of London)
The organisation behind the ship strives to remove barriers to developing essential life and career skills, saying they want to “inspire the next generation of leaders, innovators, and ocean stewards”.
Ms Braungardt is also planning a science voyage from Plymouth, in partnership with the university, and said there is great excitement about the marine discoveries that could be made there.
The exploration served as a reminder of the dock’s history and its changing role, once home to the iconic 50-metre yellow hammerhead crane that stood as a Barrow landmark for more than 60 years until its demolition in 2011.