Edmund Gardner was ordered by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board in July 1951 as a replacement for the pre-war steam powered cutters which were nearing the end of their usefulness.

Her function was to serve as a floating base for pilots guiding ships into and out of the Mersey.

While on station her function was to meet ships entering the Mersey en route to the Liverpool Docks or the Manchester Ship Canal, and transfer the pilot for the transit of the waterway, or to collect pilots from outgoing vessels.

[2] In 2014 Edmund Gardner was selected for use as a "dazzle ship", an art installation organized by the Imperial War Museum's 14-18 NOW project.

In conjunction with Liverpool Biennial and Tate Liverpool, Edmund Gardner was re-painted with a design by artist Carlos Cruz-Diez entitled Induction Chromatique à Double Fréquence, and inspired by the dazzle camouflage developed and used during the First World War.