HMS Caroline, the last surviving warship of the Battle of Jutland, will be preserved for the nation as a result of an agreement to gift the ship to the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN).
Following negotiations between the Ministry of Defence, the Northern Ireland Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment and the NMRN, the Minister of State for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, Mark Francois, has today announced the gifting of HMS Caroline to the NMRN.
The move will allow the Museum to bid for external funding for her restoration and preservation.
HMS Caroline, which decommissioned as the Headquarters of the Ulster Division of the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) on 31 March last year (2011), will remain in Belfast where she has been berthed since 1924.
Her continued presence in the city, at Alexandra Dock, will provide a welcome addition to the maritime heritage of the Province, providing Belfast’s Titanic Quarter with another world attraction.
The following statement has been issued by the Minister of State for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, the Right Honourable Mark Francois:
“We are very pleased and relieved that HMS Caroline has been secured for future generations.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff,October 18, 2012; Image: Royal Navy