The tall ship Minerva will be the flagship attraction at the 15th Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival.

The Dutch three-masted schooner will sail in for the annual festival, which centres on South Quay, on Saturday, September 6 and Sunday, September 7.

Guests can celebrate the town’s proud maritime past and maritime future with visiting ships, live shanty music, street entertainment, arts, crafts and children’s activities.

Greater Yarmouth Tourist Authority has organised the extravaganza, which runs from 10am to 6pm on the Saturday and 10am to 5pm on the Sunday.

The Minerva will be one of the main attractions.

She was built in 1935 in Germany as a steel sailing cargo vessel with an auxiliary engine.

Her first name was Uwe Ursula and she and her four sister ships were among the last sailing cargo ships to be built.

Based at Hamburg she worked the coastal waters of North West Europe until the mid 1980s.

Her masts were removed in the 1960s and a new more powerful engine installed to make her more competitive.

Rescued by a Dutch enthusiast in 1987, she was restored as a sailing vessel at the Minerva Shipyard in Amsterdam.

She was the last ship to be converted at the yard and was renamed Minerva in its honour.

The ship had another refit in 2010 and more recently, the main engine was overhauled for the 2014 season.

The Minerva is based at Scheveningen.

Aileen Mobbs, Festival Chairman and GYTA Honorary President said: “We are very pleased to have secured Tall Ship Minerva as the flagship for our 15th Maritime Festival.

“The three-masted Minerva will provide a superb opportunity for both local residents and visitors to Great Yarmouth to experience the thrill of a tall ship under sail.”

The Minerva will be offering five passenger sailing trips between Thursday, September 4 and Sunday, September 7.

Booking for sailing trips opens on Friday, June 13 from the online shop at www.maritime-festival.co.uk

Tickets can also be bought from Great Yarmouth Tourist Information Centre on 01493 332200.

The Minerva sailings are as follows: September 4 at 1pm, tickets £33 and 6pm for £33; September 5 at 6pm for £36; September 6 at 6.30pm for £39; September 7 at 7pm for £39.

Sailing duration depends on the tide, but will last from 2.5 to 3.5 hours.