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[Bob K]

HMS Caroline, possible reprieve

HMS Caroline (1914) was until decommissioning last year the second oldest Royal Navy ship after HMS Victory.  A C Class light cruiser, she fought at Jutland.  Her pre-geared Parsons turbines are still fitted.  Britain's last remaing WW1 surface warship.
Currently moored in Belfast alongside the new Titanic Museum her future was at risk as the deadline for bids to secure her preservation loomed. 
It now looks likely she will be restored, although whether she will remain in Belfast or join HMS Warrior at Portsmouth has not been decided.

BBC News:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19077647


I took this photo of her this week.

[Colin Bishop]

Britain's last remaing WW1 surface warship.

Don't forget Monitor M33 curently at Portsmouth - she served at Gallipoli.

Colin

[bikerdude999]

I read about hms Caroline sometime last year and I really did like the look of her, and for selfish reasons would like her to be in Portsmouth with Warrior etc, but I'd possibly even visit Belfast just to see her. Good news there may be hope for her yet!

[raflaunches]

I would love to see her for real too. Love to see her at Portsmouth even better if it was possible to move her to Chatham where so many of her sisters were built!
I know Deans Marine do a 1/96 scale GRP hull as I have built one of her sister ships the Coventry a Ceres Class cruiser but converted to an AA cruiser in WW2.
I think if I am right the modification required would be the flare the bows out which is not a huge job at the end of the day.

She is also the only survivor of the biggest navy battle in history- Jutland, so her preservation is vital in my opinion.

[Bob K]

but I'd possibly even visit Belfast just to see her.

Belfast is well worth a visit.  The recently opened Titanic Museum is truly fascinating. 
See http://www.titanicbelfast.com/Home.aspx

HMS Caroline is being taken over by the National Museum of the Royal Navy after the 1 August deadline that could have seen her going to the breakers.  Personally I believe that Portsmouth might be the ideal location as a lot of ongoing funding will be needed to refit and maintain a relatively large ship.  Had she been built at H&W . . .
80% of her fabric is original, and still afloat.  We have lost too much of our naval hertitage

[Colin Bishop]

There is no obvious place to berth her at Portsmouth in the area of the Historic Dockyard except possibly in the basin adjacent to HMS Victory which is currently part of the military dockyard. This would be a good location if a section of quayside could be zoned off as it would be next to M33.

Colin

[justboatonic]

I would love to see her for real too. Love to see her at Portsmouth even better if it was possible to move her to Chatham where so many of her sisters were built!
I know Deans Marine do a 1/96 scale GRP hull as I have built one of her sister ships the Coventry a Ceres Class cruiser but converted to an AA cruiser in WW2.
I think if I am right the modification required would be the flare the bows out which is not a huge job at the end of the day.

She is also the only survivor of the biggest navy battle in history- Jutland, so her preservation is vital in my opinion.

This is reason enough why this ship must be saved. This 'piece' of history just shouldnt be made into razor blades or tin cans!

[Colin Bishop]

This is reason enough why this ship must be saved. This 'piece' of history just shouldnt be made into razor blades or tin cans!

Quite agree but where is the money coming from to restore and maintain her? I doubt if the David Camerons of this world are even aware of the Battle of Jutland so they really couldn't care less.

We have just seem the complete closure of the model ships gallery of the London Science Museum, basically because hardly anybody ever visited it which is unfortunately true. Most people just live in the present these days with no real understanding of the historical significance of key historical items. I suspect most of the visitors to HMS Victory do so because the ship seems 'quaint' rather than from any real understanding of her place in our history.

No real answer to this I fear.

Colin

[Bob K]

Just to show that I cannot stay away from boating lakes even when on holiday with family, this photo is sailing on Lough Neagh.  There is much more to discover in N Ireland than the Giant’s Causeway and the Rope Bridge.