The Titanic’s little sister has joined an elite list of the finest historical ships in the UK to have survived to the present day.

The SS Nomadic (pictured above) joins the likes of the Cutty Sark, the Mary Rose and the Royal Yacht Britannia on a list of just 61 ships that form the Core Collection of the National Register of Historic Vessels (NRHV). The 96-year-old, Belfast-built ship was tender to many of the great transatlantic liners and also served in two world wars.

It is best known for carrying first class passengers to the Titanic at Cherbourg on the liner’s ill-fated maiden voyage. She was built alongside Titanic at Harland & Wolff and features much of the same craftsmanship.

She spent years as a floating restaurant on the Seine in Paris but was destined for the scrapyard when she was bought by the Department for Social Development and returned to Belfast.

Nomadic is undergoing a major restoration project that will see her transformed into Belfast’s newest tourist attraction. It is expected her new status as part of the Core Collection could be a boost to her chances of funding.