 Caroline in 1917 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Caroline |
| Builder | Cammell Laird |
| Laid down | 28 January 1914 |
| Launched | 29 September 1914 |
| Completed | December 1914 |
| Commissioned | 4 December 1914 |
| Decommissioned | February 1922 |
| Recommissioned | February 1924 |
| Decommissioned | 31 March 2011 |
| Identification | Pennant number: 87 (1914); 30 (Jan 18);[1] 44 (Apr 18); 69 (Nov 19)[2] |
| Motto | Tenax Propositi ("Tenacious of Purpose") |
| Honours & awards | Battle honour forJutland 1916 |
| Status | Museum ship inBelfast,Northern Ireland |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | C-classlight cruiser |
| Displacement | 4,219long tons (4,287 t) |
| Length | 446 ft 9 in (136.2 m) (o/a) |
| Beam | 41 ft 6 in (12.6 m) |
| Draught | 16 ft (4.9 m) (mean) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 × shafts; 2 ×steam turbines |
| Speed | 28.5knots (52.8 km/h; 32.8 mph) |
| Complement | 301 |
| Armament |
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| Armour |
|
HMSCaroline is adecommissionedC-classlight cruiser of theRoyal Navy that was thelead ship of hersub-class. Completed in 1914, she saw combat service during theFirst World War and served as an administrative centre in theSecond World War. The ship served as a static headquarters andtraining ship for theRoyal Naval Reserve, based inAlexandra Dock,Belfast,Northern Ireland, for the later stages of her career. At the time of her decommissioning in 2011, she was the second-oldest ship in Royal Navy service, after theship-of-the-lineHMS Victory.Caroline was converted into amuseum ship after she was decommissioned. From October 2016, she underwent inspection and repairs to her hull at Harland and Wolff and opened to the public on 1 July 2017 at Alexandra Dock in theTitanic Quarter inBelfast.[3]
Caroline was the last remaining British First World War light cruiser in service, and she is the last survivor of theBattle of Jutland still afloat. She is also one of only three surviving Royal Navy warships of the First World War, along with the 1915monitorHMS M33 (inPortsmouth dockyard), and theFlower-class sloopHMS President, (formerly HMSSaxifrage) usually moored on the Thames at Blackfriars but as from February 2016, in Number 3 Basin, Chatham.
The C-class cruisers were intended to escort the fleet and defend it against enemy destroyers attempting to close within torpedo range.[4] Ordered in July–August 1913[5] as part of the 1913–14 Naval Programme,[6] theCarolines were enlarged and improved versions of the precedingArethusa-classcruisers.[7]Caroline is 446 feet 9 inches (136.2 m)long overall,[8] with abeam of 41 feet 6 inches (12.6 m) and a meandraught of 16 feet (4.9 m). The shipdisplaced 4,219long tons (4,287 t) at normal load as built[7] and 4,715 long tons (4,791 t) atdeep load. She had ametacentric height of 2.78 ft (0.85 m) at deep load[8]
Caroline is powered by fourdirect-driveParsonssteam turbines, each driving onepropeller shaft using steam generated by eightYarrow boilers. The turbines produced a total of 40,000shaft horsepower (30,000 kW) which gave her a designed speed of 28.5knots (52.8 km/h; 32.8 mph).[7] During hersea trials in late 1914,Caroline reached a speed of 29.1 kn (53.9 km/h; 33.5 mph) from 41,020 shp (30,590 kW). The ships carried enoughfuel oil to give them a range of 3,680nautical miles (6,820 km; 4,230 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph).[8] They had a crew of 301 officers andratings.[7]
The main armament of theCarolines consisted of twoBL six-inch (152 mm) Mk XII guns that were mounted on the centreline in the stern, with one gunsuperfiring over the rearmost gun. Theirsecondary armament consisted of eightQF four-inch (102 mm) Mk IV guns, four on each side, one pair forward of thebridge, another pairabaft it on theforecastle deck and the other two pairs one deck loweramidships.[7] Foranti-aircraft defence, she was fitted with oneQF 13-pounder (3-inch (76.2 mm)) gun. The ships also mounted two twin, above-water mounts for21-inch (533 mm)torpedoes, one on eachbroadside. TheCarolines were protected by awaterline belt amidships that ranged in thickness from 1–3 inches (25–76 mm) and a 1-inch (25 mm)deck. The walls of theirconning tower were 6 inches thick.[7]
In February 1917,Caroline was refitted atFairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering inGovan. At this time the poleforemast was replaced by atripod mast and the two forward four-inch guns were removed in exchange for another six-inch gun mounted on thecentreline.
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HMSCaroline was built byCammell Laird ofBirkenhead. She waslaid down on 28 January 1914,launched on 29 September 1914 and completed in December 1914.[7]Caroline was part of the early group of C-class light cruisers built without geared turbines[9] and subsequent comparisons with later vessels of the same class demonstrated the superiority of geared propulsion.
Caroline was commissioned on 4 December 1914 and served in theNorth Sea throughout the First World War. Upon commissioning, she joined theGrand Fleet based atScapa Flow in theOrkney Islands, serving as leader of the4th Destroyer Flotilla. She was part of the Grand Fleet's1st Light Cruiser Squadron from February to November 1915. In early 1916 she joined the Grand Fleet's 4th Light CruiserSquadron and remained with it, fighting as part of it at theBattle of Jutland on 31 May – 1 June 1916 under the command ofCaptainHenry R. Crooke, through to the end of the war in November 1918.[10] From 1917 until late 1918, she carried aflying-off platform for the launching ofRoyal Naval Air Service and laterRoyal Air Force fighters to intercept Germanairships operating over the North Sea.[7]
Caroline remained in the 4th Light Cruiser Squadron after World War I and in June 1919 went with the rest of the squadron to serve on theEast Indies Station.[11] In February 1922 she paid off into dockyard control and was placed inreserve. She came out of reserve in February 1924 to become a headquarters andtraining ship for theRoyal Naval Volunteer Reserve'sUlster Division atBelfast,Northern Ireland,[10] officially beginning those duties on 1 April 1924.[12]Harland and Wolff of Belfast removed her weaponry and some of her boilers around 1924, after her arrival in Belfast. Her guns were pooled with those of other decommissioned cruisers and used to reinforce the coastal defences of theTreaty Ports.[citation needed]
From 1939 until 1945, during the Second World War,Caroline served as the Royal Navy's headquarters inBelfast Harbour,[10] which was used as a home base by many of the warships escortingAtlantic andArcticconvoys, includingCaptain-classfrigates of the 3rd Escort Group.
As Belfast developed into a major naval base during the Second World War, its headquarters outgrew the confines of HMSCaroline herself and occupied different establishments in various parts of the city. Eventually several thousandratings were wearingCarolinecap tallies. The first such establishment was set up in the Belfast Custom House. Later,Belfast Castle was taken over and included a radio station. There weredepth charge pistol andHedgehog repair workshops associated with HMSCaroline, some of which would have been on thequays beside her berth in Milewater Basin.
During the early part of the Second World War whenRAF Belfast occupied Sydenham (Belfast harbour) airfield,Fleet Air Arm personnel based there were lodged under HMSCaroline. In 1943, the airfield was transferred to theAdmiralty and commissioned asHMS Gadwall.
After the Second World War, the Royal Navy returnedCaroline to the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, and she served as its last afloat training establishment. She underwent a refit at Harland and Wolff in Belfast in 1951.[10]
The Royal Naval Reserve Unit decommissioned from the ship in December 2009, moved ashore, and recommissioned as the "stone frigate" (i.e., shore establishment)HMS Hibernia.Caroline herself was decommissioned on 31 March 2011 in a traditional ceremony. Herensign was laid up inSt Anne's Cathedral in Belfast.[13]
Caroline is listed as part of theNational Historic Fleet. On her decommissioning, she was placed into the care of theNational Museum of the Royal Navy[14] atPortsmouth, though remaining moored in her position in Alexandra Dock in Belfast. Although no longer capable of making way under her own power,Caroline remains afloat and in excellent condition. Buffeting from waves and high winds have caused the ship to almost come away from her moorings several times. In 2005, during a storm, she ripped several huge bollards out of the jetty concrete, but failed to break free entirely. She was not normally open to tourists, although entrance was gained during the annualRMS Titanic celebrations.
UponCaroline's decommissioning in 2011, her future was uncertain. Proposals were made to return the ship to her First World War appearance, which among other things would have involved sourcing and installing 6-inch (152.4 mm) and 4-inch (102 mm) guns of that era and removing the largedeckhouse from her midships deck. One proposal considered was to remain in Belfast as amuseum ship within theTitanic Quarter development alongsideSS Nomadic. Another proposal was a move to Portsmouth, with many of her original fittings restored to return her as much as possible to her First World War appearance.[15]
In June 2012 plans to moveCaroline to Portsmouth were announced, subject to the availability of funding.[16] However, in October 2012 the Northern Ireland government announced that the ship would remain in Belfast and that theNational Heritage Memorial Fund had pledged £1,000,000 to help to restore her.[17] In May 2013 theHeritage Lottery Fund announced an £845,600 grant to support conversion work as a museum.[18]
In October 2014, the Heritage Lottery Fund announced a £12 million lottery funding boost to enable theNational Museum of the Royal Navy to turnCaroline into a visitor attraction in time for centenary commemorations of the 1916Battle of Jutland.[19]Caroline remains moored in the Alexandra Dock in theTitanic Quarter inBelfast. During the restoration the steam turbines which were left in place after her active service life ended were conserved. The Parson turbines were stripped of asbestos and preserved for those visiting to see.
In June 2016, HMSCaroline was opened to the public as a museum ship and forms part of the National Museum of the Royal Navy.[20]
HMSCaroline was dry docked in late 2016 she was towed a short distance into Dry Dock to have hull inspection, clean and repaint. She returned to the Alexandra Dock on completion of the works and was placed into the dock stern first. In April 2019, she was one of five finalists on the shortlist for the Art Fund Museum of the Year award.[21] She was also shortlisted on two categories for the RICS awards 2019.[22]
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Along with other tourist attractions, HMSCaroline closed her doors to the public on 17 March 2020, owing to theCOVID-19 pandemic. The funding package from theDepartment for the Economy for the ship, to cover any shortfall in meeting costs, was in place until June 2020. The resultant funding gap threatened the continuation of HMSCaroline as a going concern in Belfast.[23] Talks over a new funding agreement between the DfE and the NMRN were ongoing.[24] A new funding package was announced, that would allow HMSCaroline to reopen,[25] in order to keep her in Belfast until at least 2038.[26] The reopening ofCaroline to the general public from 1 April 2023 was announced by the NMRN.[27] A year after reopening, the museum has revised its operating model and thereby reduced its times of opening, in order that the budget meets increased operating costs, as a consequence of the2021–present United Kingdom cost-of-living crisis.[28] The phenomena of fewer fee-paying visitors coupled with rising overheads is a common experience for museums in the UK.[29]
At her decommissioning in 2011,Caroline held the title of the second-oldest ship in Royal Navy service (behind HMSVictory), as well as being the last First World War British light cruiser in service. She is the last survivor of theBattle of Jutland.[30]
54°36′50″N5°54′09″W / 54.6139°N 5.9026°W /54.6139; -5.9026