HMS Monitor - A World War I warship is to be turned into a visitor attraction

Taken from Newspaper clipping

WWI HMS Monitor M33 to become Portsmouth tourist attraction

on October 1, 2013 at 13:45

A World War I warship is to be turned into a visitor attraction after winning Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) backing. The £1.79m grant will see the interior of HMS Monitor M33, a coastal bombardment vessel which served in the Gallipoli campaign, refurbished. The work on the ship, built in 1915, will be done at Portsmouth’s National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN).

Minister for Tourism Hugh Robertson said the vessel provided a “tangible and compelling” link to WWI. The ship initially saw action during the Gallipoli campaign in 1915, supporting allied troops attempting to land on the coast of Turkey. The 180 ft (55m) ship’s role was to provide cover for troops landing on beaches using a pair of 125mm guns on board. It returned to Portsmouth Harbour after being involved in the Russian Civil War in 1919 and was acquired by Hampshire County Council in 1990.

The NMRN’s Professor Dominic Tweddle said the institution, where the vessel has been held since it ceased being seaworthy, was “absolutely thrilled”. “We’ve long seen M33 as both culturally and historically important, and this symbolises the start of a new era for her.” The restoration work, funded by the HLF alongside a £250,000 grant from the county council, will see the rusting interior turned into a visitor attraction, which will illustrate what life was life for sailors on board.

HMVS Cerberus Steam Powered Australian Turret Ship 1868

This ironclad, HMVS (V for Victoria in Australia) was an old Victorian turret ship with muzzle loaders and was built before HMS Devastation. The first sea going turret battleship with no sail rigging - just steam power. Well the ship in the Australian news clip above is older and was powered also by just steam. It was a coastal defense vessel but still went out into the open sea.

It was built in the late 1860s and saw many years of service. It was scuttled off of the Australian coast in 1926, but is still visible today. Now corrosion is beginning to make its mark upon the partially submerged vessel. There is a friends of the Cerberus organisation, which aims to preserve the old ironclad. It is a pity they cannot raise the ship, but I think the aim is to try and preserve it partially submerged.

Maybe, the corrosion will accelerate if the ship is brought out of the water. This is a shame, because it is a wonderful piece of history from a bygone age.