A FORMER deckhand will be giving guided tours to a unique museum piece at the Albert Dock in Liverpool.

The Brocklebank is the only seagoing vessel in a national museum collection in Britain.

The vessel dates back to 1962 and is open to the general public.

It is behind the Merseyside Maritime Museum, on the Albert Dock.

Visitors to the museum on Monday will have the chance to tour the tugboat with Dave Brown, who served as a deckhand for the Alexandra Towing Company for eight years.

The Brocklebank still plays an active and vital role in the way the Mersey operates.

Tugs are predominantly used to manoeuvre large ships into harbours, but they also pull barges or disabled ships.

Mr Brown started work as a deckhand on tugboats at the age of 16 before he joined the Maritime Museum as a role player.

He has also played a number of roles, including a reporter on the Titanic and a medieval peasant, before his latest role that has taken him back to his roots.

Mr Brown will tell visitors the skills required to work as a deckhand on tugboats and the tour of the Brocklebank will include how to tie the ropes and where they are stowed.

The Brocklebank is viewed as a "floating ambassador" for the museum, as it regularly visits other areas, including the Lake District.

Tours will take place from the Maritime Museum at 10-11am on Monday, August 11.