The Government has stepped in to save a rusting boat which once ferried passengers on to the Titanic - following a campaign by a Coventry man.

Titanic enthusiast Howard Nelson recently launched the world's only Titanic Heritage Trust in a bid to raise the money needed to save the SS Nomadic, the last remaining vessel with direct links to the ill-fated ship.

Yesterday the Government's bid of £170,000 was accepted at a Paris auction and the ship will now be taken back to Belfast's Harland and Wolff shipyard, where it was originally built in 1912, to be renovated, the cost of which must now be raised by the charitable trust set up by Mr Nelson.

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David Hanson, Minister at the Department for Social Development (DSD) in Belfast, announced his department had been working behind the scenes since before Christmas to acquire the boat.

He said: "It was necessary to maintain confidentiality round this work to ensure that Government's bidding for the Nomadic at open auction was not compromised."

However, with millions of pounds needed to carry out a full restoration, Mr Hanson warned the Nomadic would be sold in 18 months if the trust does not succeed in its fundraising efforts.

The Nomadic, which was sold for scrap 56 years after the sinking of the Titanic, was later used as a restaurant.

The 221-foot long ferry has been in dry dock in Le Havre, northwest France, since April 2002.

It failed to sell at an earlier auction held in November.

After service in both world wars, the Nomadic was sold off and turned into a floating restaurant on the Seine, close to the Eiffel Tower.

But its part in the Titanic story captured the imagination of the Belfast public and fuelled a campaign for the ship to become a tourist attraction.

The City Council has pledged £100,000 to boost the £40,000 already raised in private donations to help with transportation fees.

The costs of buying it and bringing it back to Belfast docks has been estimated at £750,000.