HMS Wellington has been at her current berth on Victoria Embankment since 1948 (Picture: The Wellington Trust)
HMS Wellington, the last surviving Royal Navy vessel from the Battle of the Atlantic – the longest continuous military campaign of the Second World War – requires essential repairs or risks being scrapped.
To avoid the 1,200-ton ship potentially being broken up, the Wellington Trust has launched a fundraising campaign to save the well-known landmark on the River Thames.
HMS Wellington was built in 1934 and served as a convoy escort ship during the Second World War, guarding more than 100 convoys of merchant ships.
The Wellington Trust says it is “determined that, unlike many other historic vessels and heritage sites, this unique ship will not be permitted to fall into any kind of disrepair”.
It aims to continue the restoration and maintenance to preserve the ship as well as fund its mission to educate and celebrate the history and traditions of the British Merchant Navy.
The Wellington Trust also aims to welcome more people on board to enjoy the legacy and soak up the atmosphere of the past, learning from guides and browsing through its history.
The Wellington Trust said: “All funds raised will both support Wellington’s conservation and preservation and develop a new business plan to make her more accessible to the public as a visitor attraction.”
You can donate by either contributing to the GoFundMe campaign here or by visiting the website by clicking here.
Built at Devonport in 1934, HMS Wellington served in the Pacific mainly on station in New Zealand and China before the Second World War. As built, Wellington mounted two 4.7-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 enemy U-boat and was involved in Operation Cycle, the evacuation of Allied troops from Le Havre. During 1943 she was briefly commanded by Captain John Treasure Jones, at that time a lieutenant commander in the Royal Navy Reserve, who would later be the last captain of RMS Queen Mary.
The Grimsby-class anti-submarine sloops of 1933-36, which included HMS Wellington, were the predecessors of the Black Swan class of 1939.
It was always the ambition of the founding members of the company to have a livery hall. Up to the outbreak of war in 1939, various proposals were examined, including the purchase of a sailing ship, Archibald Russell.[citation needed] After the Second World War, it became apparent that the possibility of building a hall in the City of London had been rendered very remote. In 1947, the Grimsby-class sloop Wellington was made available by the Admiralty. The company decided to buy her with money subscribed by the members and convert her to a floating livery hall, an appropriate home for a company of seafarers. She was converted to Headquarters Ship (HQS) Wellington at Chatham Dockyard.
The cost of this conversion was met by an appeal to which Lloyd’s, shipping companies, livery companies and other benefactors contributed. It included the installation of a grand wooden staircase taken from the 1906 Isle of Man ferry SS Viper, which was being broken up at the same time. 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.
In 1991, HQS Wellington was dry-docked at Sheerness 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. 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 very early 18th-century charts.
Since 2014, Wellington has also served as the London postal address of the Flag Institute.[1][2]
In 2005, The Wellington Trust was set up as a registered charity under English law.[3] Ownership of the Wellington was then transferred to the Wellington Trust, while remaining the headquarters of the HCMM.[4] On 12 April 2023, due to safety concerns, the Honourable Company left the ship, though they were developing plans for a new floating livery hall.[5][6] After a period of maintenance and compliance work, the Wellington Trust announced the ship is safe for public use and meets all statutory legal requirements and licences to operate. The first phase of the reopening of the ship to the public began on 2 October 2023. Wellington will continue to be a floating classroom and venue for events
