Mars Training Ship, Dundee - Ref: WC2145
In this photograph of the Mars Training Ship the Tay Rail Bridge can be seen in the background. The Mars could accommodate up to 400 delinquent or disadvantaged boys.
The Mars started out as a man-of war built at Chatham in the 1840s. She saw service in the Crimean War, was later converted into a steam screwship. Having become obsolete she was converted into a training ship. The Mars was anchored in the River Tay from 1869 until 1929.
Alexander Wilson who took this photograph, was a supervisor in a Dundee jute mill for over 20 years. He bequeathed much of his collection and £50, to cover the costs involved, to the Free Library Committee of Dundee in 1923.