A new exhibition about the infamous Mars training ship is set to go on display in Dundee.
The former Royal Navy gunship was anchored in the Tay for more than 60 years.
She is estimated to have helped transform the lives of more than 6,000 homeless and destitute boys during that time.
Despite enjoying boom periods as a result of the jute industry, Dundee was blighted by poverty and disease and many children were forced into a life of crime.
Amid the squalor and deprivation were those determined to help turn the lives of those impacted by crime around.
Researchers from St Andrews University believe the ship helped to steer young people away from criminality, rather than the long-held view that it served as a place solely for punishment.
Now, a tribute to the boys who lived and worked on the boat will go on show at a new exhibition entitled Sons of the Mars.
St Andrews students Matthew Rice and Yohan Mainguy will co-curate the temporary exhibition which will go on display on the Frigate Unicorn in March.
The pair have been combing through original newspaper archives – including the Tele – and written testimonies of people who were on board the Mars.
The exhibition will run until October and focus on the lives of nine lads who served time on the ship.
Many of the children confined to the Mars were sent there by the courts for petty crimes, committed when they were between the ages of 11 and 16.
Speaking today, Matthew said the exhibition would go some way to help change the reputation of the Mars being solely a ship for “bad boys”.
During their research, the pair discovered that one of the prisoners had gone on to receive a distinguished conduct medal during the First World War.
“Before starting this project, we knew nothing about the work that had happened on HMS Mars,” he said.
“Given its time, it was fairly advanced for the work that was done in transforming the youngsters’ lives.
“Children from as far away as Brighton would be sent to the ship, along with local lads and boys from Edinburgh.
“They committed crimes to get on board the ship.”
Matthew said he had spoken to Dundee-born writer and historian Gordon Douglas, who has written two books about the vessel.
He added: “Gordon was great in providing us with information on the ship’s past. He’s been writing about its history for the past 15 years.
“Part of our project was really to show how much of a positive time on the ship was for these boys.
“A lot of the children who were on board went on to serve in the Navy or the Army.
“One of the lads got a medal for his actions during the First World War.
“Even after the teenagers left the ship at 16, the officers would still follow up with them for three years to see how they were getting on.
“There were letters back to the captains thanking them for their help in turning their lives around.”
The Mars was moored in the Tay from 1869-1929. She was scrapped in Inverkeithing.
Sons of the Mars is set to run from March 22 until October.