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Wellington moored in London on theThames.
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMSWellington
Builder	Devonport Dockyard
Launched	29 May 1934
Out of service	1947
Identification	Pennant number: U65
Fate	Sold as headquarters ship
United Kingdom
Name	HMSWellington
Owner	1947-2005Honourable Company of Master Mariners from 2005 The Wellington Trust
Status	Headquarters ship on RiverThames
General characteristics (World War II)
Displacement	990 long tons (1,006 t) standard 1,480–1,510 long tons (1,504–1,534 t)
Length	266 ft 3 in (81.15 m)o/a
Beam	36 ft (11.0 m)
Draught	RN ships : 9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) – 10 ft 1 in (3.07 m)
Propulsion	Parsons gearedsteam turbines 2 Admiralty 3-drumwater-tube boilers 2 shafts 2,000 shp (1,500 kW)
Speed	16.5knots (19.0 mph; 30.6 km/h)
Complement	100
Armament	2 ×4.7 in (120 mm) Mark IX guns 1 ×QF 3 inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft gun 4 × 3-pounder guns 15-90Depth charges

HMSWellington (launchedDevonport, 1934) is aGrimsby-classsloop, formerly of theRoyal Navy. During theSecond World War, she served as aconvoy escort ship in theNorth Atlantic. She is now moored alongside theVictoria Embankment, atTemple Pier, on theRiver Thames inLondon,England. From 1948 to 2023 she was the headquarters ship of theHonourable Company of Master Mariners, known asHQSWellington. In 2024, she returned to her prefix of HMSWellington.^[1]

Built at Devonport in 1934, HMSWellington served in the Pacific mainly on station inNew Zealand and China before the Second World War. As built,Wellington mounted two4.7-inch guns and one 3-inch gun. Additionally, anti-aircraft guns were fitted for self-defence.Depth charges for use against submarines were carried.Wellington served primarily in the North Atlantic on convoy escort duties. She shared in the destruction of one enemyU-boat and was involved inOperation Cycle, the evacuation ofAllied troops from Le Havre. During 1943 she was briefly commanded by CaptainJohn Treasure Jones, at that time a lieutenant commander in theRoyal Navy Reserve, who would later be the last captain ofRMS Queen Mary.

TheGrimsby-class anti-submarine sloops of 1933-36, which included HMSWellington, were the predecessors of theBlack Swan class of 1939.

It was always the ambition of the founding members of theHonourable Company of Master Mariners to have alivery hall.^[2] Up to the outbreak of war in 1939, various proposals were examined, including the purchase of a sailing ship,Archibald Russell.^[2] However, after the Second World War, it became apparent that building a hall in theCity of London would be costly and it was realised that the large number of ships available following the end of the war could provide a better way of housing the company.^[2] In 1947, theGrimsby-class sloopWellington was made available by theAdmiralty.^[2] She was then converted to a floating livery hall, an appropriate home for a company of seafarers.^[2] She was converted to Headquarters Ship (HQS)Wellington atChatham Dockyard.^[2]

The cost of this purchase and conversion was met by an appeal to which Masters, members,Lloyd's, shipping companies,livery companies and other benefactors contributed.^[2] It included the installation of a grand wooden staircase taken from the 1906Isle of Man ferrySSViper, which was being broken up at the same time.^[2] The engine room was removed to provide a grand hall for dinners and ceremonies.^[2]Wellington arrived at her Victoria Embankment berth in December 1948 to continue service as the floating livery hall of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners.^[2]

In 1991, HQSWellington wasdry-docked atSheerness Dockyard for three months during which, apart from extensive steelwork repairs and complete external painting, she received a major refurbishment which included the refitting of all toilet facilities, offices and accommodation areas.^[2]Wellington was fitted with carpet, and displays were installed of the Company’s marine paintings and artefacts, gold and silver plate, ship models and newly discovered early 18th-century charts.^[2]

From 2014,Wellington also served as the London postal address of theFlag Institute.^[3][4]

In 2005, The Wellington Trust was set up as aregistered charity to assist with the long-term preservation of the ship.^[5] Ownership of theWellington was then transferred to the Wellington Trust, while it remained the headquarters of the HCMM.^[6][2]

In April 2023, safety concerns forced the Honourable Company to leave the ship, though they were developing plans for a new floating livery hall.^[7][8] After a period of maintenance and compliance work, the Wellington Trust announced the ship was safe for public use and met all statutory legal requirements and licences to operate. The first phase of reopening the ship to the public began in October 2023.Wellington will continue to be a floating classroom and venue for events.^[9] In June 2024, it was reported that the ship was seeking £150,000 for repairs to the ship to continue her preservation.^[10] In September 2024, KingCharles III approved the name change from HQS Wellington back to HMS Wellington.^[11]

In February 2025, the Trust received a National Lottery Heritage grant of £220,000 to maintain and preserve the ship.^[12][13]

• HMS Duke of Wellington

• Campbell, N. J. M. (1980). "Great Britain (including Empire Forces)". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 2–85.ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben & Bush, Steve (2020).Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present (5th revised and updated ed.). Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing.ISBN 978-1-5267-9327-0.
• Hague, Arnold (1993).Sloops: A History of the 71 Sloops Built in Britain and Australia for the British, Australian and Indian Navies 1926–1946. Kendal, UK: World Ship Society.ISBN 0-905617-67-3.
• Tramp to Queen autobiography by Capt. John Treasure Jones, The History Press (2008)ISBN 978 0 7524 4625 7
• Lenton, H. T. (1998).British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 1-55750-048-7.
• Munro, A. D. (2006).HMS/HQS Wellington. Wellington Trust.ISBN 978-0-9553405-0-5.
• Rohwer, Jürgen (2005).Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 1-59114-119-2.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toHMS Wellington (ship, 1934).

• The Honourable Company of Master Mariners
• The Wellington Trust website

51°30′38″N0°6′45″W / 51.51056°N 0.11250°W /51.51056; -0.11250

• 1934 ships
• Grimsby-class sloops
• Sloops of the United Kingdom
• World War II sloops of the United Kingdom
• Ships and vessels of the National Historic Fleet
• 1948 establishments in England
• Museum ships in the United Kingdom
• Tourist attractions in the City of Westminster
• Buildings and structures on the River Thames
• Livery halls
• Victoria Embankment
• Ships moored on the River Thames

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