Post by Administrator on May 31, 2016 14:13:54 GMT
Last Battle of Jutland ship to be focus of commemorations
Refurbished HMS ‘Caroline’ is last of 250 ships from first World War conflict in existence
Intervened
The Royal Navy announced it was going to decommission the ship, but the Northern Ireland Executive and the people of Belfast intervened to save it for the city.
It has since received a £15.4 million (€19 million) refit, mostly with UK National Lottery money, and will open tomorrow as the city’s latest tourism project, a companion attraction to the nearly Titanic Centre.
HMS Caroline is not only the only extant battleship of the 250 that participated in the Battle of Jutland, but it is one of only two left from the first World War, the other being the USS Texas.
“Caroline is a very iconic ship,” said National Museum of the Royal Navy chief of staff Captain John Reese, who has been in charge of its refurbishment. “This ship is as important as HMS Victory (the flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar now in Portsmouth).
“This is a world-class heritage asset and the only ship remaining from the Grand [British] and High Seas Fleet [German] of some 250 vessels,” says Captain Rees.
LINK
Refurbished HMS ‘Caroline’ is last of 250 ships from first World War conflict in existence
Intervened
The Royal Navy announced it was going to decommission the ship, but the Northern Ireland Executive and the people of Belfast intervened to save it for the city.
It has since received a £15.4 million (€19 million) refit, mostly with UK National Lottery money, and will open tomorrow as the city’s latest tourism project, a companion attraction to the nearly Titanic Centre.
HMS Caroline is not only the only extant battleship of the 250 that participated in the Battle of Jutland, but it is one of only two left from the first World War, the other being the USS Texas.
“Caroline is a very iconic ship,” said National Museum of the Royal Navy chief of staff Captain John Reese, who has been in charge of its refurbishment. “This ship is as important as HMS Victory (the flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar now in Portsmouth).
“This is a world-class heritage asset and the only ship remaining from the Grand [British] and High Seas Fleet [German] of some 250 vessels,” says Captain Rees.
LINK