HMS Warrior

H.M.S. Warrior
1860

H.M.S. Warrior is one of the world’s most significant historic warships. The ship has now been moored at Portsmouth since 1983, prior to which she was at Hartlepool for 8 years undergoing restoration. The ship is the responsibility of the Warrior Preservation Trust H.M.S. Warrior

The Society had the pleasure of singing on board this fine ship just before restoration completion, Monday 3rd May 1982.

The society supported

Angela Jenkins, John Noble

and members of the Doyle Carte,

performing H.M.S. Pinafore

They have also supported Angela and John on a number of occasions at the Hartlepool Town Hall

The pride of Queen Victoria, Warrior revolutionized warship construction. Powered by steam and sail, she was the largest and fastest ship of her day. Her most radical innovation was her citadel - an armoured box housing her guns.

The Hartlepool Maritime Trust took charge of Warrior in 1979 after lengthy negotiations and feasibility studies. Its vision was to restore a well-preserved hulk into a national treasure. Home for the project was Grays Shipyard in Hartlepool, the total cost was £8m.
In August 1979, the 120 year old hulk began her journey to Hartlepool around 800 miles of coastline she once defended so successfully. Restoration started with the removal of 80 tons of rubbish and a thick layer of concrete, plus lamp-posts and huts from the upper deck. Two hundred tons of concrete, broken up by pneumatic drills, revealed the deck's original, albeit rotting timbers and rusting iron.
Warrior has masts because her engines were not sufficiently fuel efficient to do without them. She burned 11 tonnes of coal an hour at full speed.