The museum holds an important collection of historic vessels and artefacts

Sailing vessels have been referred to as female for centuries, but the Scottish Maritime Museum is bringing in a “gender neutral interpretation”. Director David Mann said the attraction, in Irvine, Ayrshire, was forced into the move after the words “she” and “her” on a sign explaining the history of a vessel were scratched out. He said: “We are a charity, which works hard to preserve our country’s maritime heritage.

“For the second time this year, the museum has been targeted by a vandal, who has destroyed one of the interpretation signs which follow the centuries-old maritime tradition of referring to vessels as female.