HMS Caroline to Return to Service
The last of her class of 28 Great War-era Royal Navy light cruisers, HMS Caroline was built by Cammell Laird inside of a year: laid down on 28 January 1914, launched on 29 September 1914, and completed in December.
HMS Caroline was decommissioned for the first time and reduced to ‘Care and Maintenance’ on 6 February 1919. Since December 1914 the ship had steamed an estimated 80,000 nautical miles, more than three times around the world. Here, she is seen in India just after the Armistice
After her war service, she was retained as a drill ship for the RNVR from 1924 until– amazingly– 2011 when she was finally decommissioned.
Following an £845,600 grant to support her conversion to a museum ship, the last survivor of the Battle of Jutland still afloat opened to the public in 2016 but sadly closed her gangway in early 2020 due to COVID.
Well, after a three-year hiatus, and a new funding package in place, the last First World War British light cruiser is welcoming guests once again and will be reopening daily for tours from Saturday 1st April.
laststandonzombieisland 