Places of Interest - Historic Warships

The Warship Preservation Trust was based in the East Float of the Wallasey / Birkenhead Dock.


The exhibits were:
Tank Landing Craft Landing craft from WWII
HMS Onyx Submarine that saw service in the Falklands Conflict
HMS Plymouth A type 12 Frigate
BAR lightship The light ship formerly based at the entrance to the River Mersey
HMS Bronington A wooden mine detector
U534 A "U" boat recovered from off the coast of Denmark

Background

February (2006)

The lease ran out in February (2006) and the warships have been moved. Unfortunately the trust don't have the money to hire a floating crane to lift U534 from the quayside and even if they did there isn't currently space available to display it locally.

May (2006)

I saw that the warships had been moved to Vittoria Dock. I guess they were towed there by tugs.


U534 moved to a new position on the quayside.

The sign below made it pretty clear that the warships were no longer open to the public.

June 2nd (2006)

I heard that HMS Onyx had been sold.

June 14th (2006)

I saw HMS Onyx being towed away to Barrow despite the protesters.

Exhibits

Tank Landing Craft

The tank landing craft is in a rather poor condition. In the background is the bow of HMS Plymouth.

HMS Onyx & HMS Plymouth

The submarine HMS Onyx was the last submarine built at the Cammel Laird shipyard.
HMS Onyx and HMS Plymouth - both saw action in the Falklands Conflict.
During the Falklands conflict HMS Onyx hit an underwater outcropping, crushing a torpedo in its forward tubes. Fortunately this didn't lead to a detonation.
The Argentinan garrison at South Georgia surrender was signed on HMS Plymouth - a type 12 frigate that was built in Plymouth 1959.


Friday 2nd June
I heard that the submarine HMS Onyx had been sold and will be towed to Barrow in Cumbria to be part of a tourist attaction. I guess it is better than the scrap yard, but I would have preferred it be remain open to the public in a dock on the Mersey.

Tuesday 13th June 2006
I heard a rumour that HMS Onyx may be leaving today! I drove down to the docks to see what was happening. As I approached Twelve Quays the bridge went up and I got stuck in the traffic. A police car went past on the wrong side of the road. I later discovered that several protestors were at the bridge wearing "Save Our Ships" T shirts and I spotted a banner on the railings. What happened to the protesters? Read on and find out.


Once the submarine had been towed past by the tugs Bramley Moore and Canada, the bridge closed enabling me to park. The tanker Stolt Avocet was also in the basin waiting for Alfred Lock to open to the River Mersey.


I drove to the Seacombe ferry terminal and saw the submarine emerge from Birkenhead/Wallasey Docks.


The tugs towed the submarine past the Liver Building. The two people on the rear of the submarine look rather like the figures that Lowri painted and I recalled the missing Lowri painting that was recently found with the Liver Building in the background.


I saw some of the protesters talking to the local press and one of the women was describing how she narrowly avoided being arrested. The submarine was slowly towed into the distance. Will it ever return to the Mersey?


BAR lightship

A Light Ship - a floating lighthouse (yes I know this isn't a warship but it was still based at the museum). The light ship has "bar" written on the side as when it was in service it was anchored there to warn shipping of the sand bank. Long before the light ship was built Ellan Vannin sank near the bar sandbank.
Behind the lightship is the stern of hms plymouth and hms onyx. Part of the Liverpool skyline can also be seen - the Roman Catholic Cathedral and the Port of Liverpool Building.


HMS Bronington

The wooden minesweeper, HMS Bronington in 1976 was commanded Prince Charles.

U534

The 'U' Boat that was sunk at the end of the Second World War off the coast of Denmark.

Compare the size of the car to the 'U' boat. The corn warehouses in the background are soon to be developed into luxury apartments so u534 will have to move in the near future.



I saw that U534 had been moved to a new temporary location so that the grain warehouses can be converted into apartments. Note that the submarine has also turned around (May 2006)




In March 2008 I saw that the submarine had been cut into sections so that it can be moved to Woodside.
Stern Mid section Bow


US Historic Warships
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