HMS Caroline and Battle of Jutland Commemoration, Belfast

[spider]

So the long road to having HMS Caroline restored to her original condition and opened to the public is finally here.

http://www.nmrn.org.uk/exhibitions-projects/hms-caroline

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-36343879

She opens up next Tuesday.

The Irish Navy will be represented by LE Ciara.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/commemoration-to-honour-irish-sailors-who-lost-their-lives-at-sea-in-the-great-war-34750044.html

I'll be taking my Mum along...she served in the Belfast RNR as a Wren SA in the early 1960's...Caroline was their training base.

[Galloglass]

Caroline restoration.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Utun7OhjnyI

[spider]

So I took my Mum up yesterday...her first time on board in over 50 years.

A lot of people in NI have been saying that this will be a white elephant etc.

I disagree...I thought it was really, really well done.

They have taken the names of key crew members who were present at the Battle of Jutland...and used them as the basis to re-tell the ships story.

The video at the beginning of the tour was very realistic...my Mrs said she found it quite emotional.

HMS Caroline is looking great.

I'd happily go back again...we spent two hours on board.

There was a fair amount of people on board yesterday...but shes a big ship...so it didn't seem crowded.

One thing I do wonder...in the programme posted by Gallowglass above, they mention that the ship was to be towed around to the shipyard and have her bottom cleaned.

I don't believe that has happened...so she may be temporarily off site after the whole Jutland 1916 thing has passed to get that done.

I did take a few photos...if I can figure out how to get them off my phone...onto my laptop...then onto here I'll post them up.

[spider]

Sorry these are in links...I don't know how to make them open on the page...and these are the only pics I have without family members etc in them.

[hptmurphy]

[ATTACH]8257[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]8258[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]8259[/ATTACH]

Sorry these are in links...I don't know how to make them open on the page...and these are the only pics I have without family members etc in them.

Links no work

Up load them to something like google images and copy the URL to this page, uncheck the box in the left hand corner.