Can anyone provide the true status and condition of HMS CAROLINE, the First
World War cruiser that for many years has served as a Naval Reserve training
ship in Belfast? I have always found it puzzling that she receives so little
attention from naval historians and enthusiasts. CAROLINE is the last
survivor of the Grand Fleet and of the Battle of Jutland, but she is mentioned
only cursorily in books on preserved ships, and she has never been featured
(or, as far as I can remember, even mentioned) in “Warship” or “Warship
International.” I have never seen a photograph of the ship in her preserved
state. All this leads me to suspect that CAROLINE is more or less a gutted
hulk, and that there is a polite silence about her. I hope I am wrong.
Regards,
Keith Allen