HMS CAROLINE IN BELFAST TITANIC QUARTER
WWI Cruiser from the Battle of Jutland
A new historic ship in Belfast opens on the 100th anniversary year of her glory days in the Titanic Quarter district. The war ship with the rather sweet name, the HMS Caroline, a Light Battle Cruiser for WWI, is the last surviving ship from the Battle of Jutland in 1916. After a long extensive restoration, a new visitor experience allows a look at a collection of areas on the ship including the Captain’s Cabin, the engine room, sick bay and galley kitchen. State-of-the-art special effects and hands-on interactive exhibits add to the historic restoration, presenting a look at what life was like at sea for the crew of more than 300 seamen and the importance of the Battle of Jutland.
HMS Caroline was one of eight C-class light-cruisers that were ordered under the Admiralty’s 1913-1914 construction program for the war effort, launched on the September 21st of 1914 and commissioned on 4th of December. During her career, the Caroline guarded trade convoys on regular patrols of North Sea patrols in World War 1. The Battle of Jutland, fought between the British Royal Navy under Admiral Sir John Jellicoe and the Imperial German Navy under Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer from May 31 to June 1st 1916 in the North Sea near the coast of Denmark's Jutland Peninsula remains controversial as the outcome of who actually won the largest sea battle of the Great War, the Germans or the British is still debated by historians.
The Royal Navy lost more men and ships and the Kaiser declared a great victory, proclaiming “the spell of Trafalgar has been broken”, but the British blockade of Germany brought such severe hardship to the population it forced Germany into a disastrous submarine campaign which helped bring the United States into the war, and eventually caused a mutiny by disillusioned German sailors in 1918.
With the end of the First World War Caroline was recommissioned for service on the East Indies Station and in 1924 was moved to Belfast as the headquarters of the newly formed Ulster Division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. When the Second World War broke out 1939 she was refitted as a depot ship for anti-submarine patrols.. HMS Caroline provided signal and cypher facilities and became a vital player in the Battle of the Atlantic, like her cousin HMS Belfast which can also be visited in London (see HMS Belfast)..In 1943, HMS Caroline became the strategic operations base for a fleet of Destroyer and Frigate escort groups protecting convoys in the northern sea lanes.
One of the prime roles of the Caroline in the years between the wars as floating headquarters for the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve was signals and communications. The Signal School on board offers visitors hands-on multimedia exhibits to try their hand at WW1 communication methods as Signalman and Wireless Telegraphists with signal lanterns, signal flags and Morse code. Communication at sea during the Battle of the Atlantic is explored with innovative displays and interactive exhibits.
In the Torpedo School, visitors can explore the role of naval weaponry, then and now, with a range of hands-on tactile displays and activities involving replica equipment, models and interactive displays. Visitors can design a “Dazzle” paint scheme for their ship, explore the insides of a torpedo and learn about the various roles of crew when in battle.
HMS Caroline's virtual access suite is a comfortable, contemporary space where all visitors, including those unable to visit the lower decks, can explore the ship. A variety of virtual techniques are available for visitors to access hard to reach parts of the ship, such as remote cameras and augmented reality interactivity as well as multi-sensory, tactile models and displays.
Visiting HMS Caroline Belfast
The HMS Caroline is among the docks located in the Titanic Quarter, down the quay from the Titanic Experience and near the Titanic Dry Dock. Open times are daily Monday to Sunday 10 am to 5 pm. Prices are for adults £12.00, Student s and Seniors £7.50, Children £5.00 and under 5 free. Advance tickets can be ordered online at Ticket Belfast. © Bargain
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SEE ALSO:
ULSTER TRANSPORT & FOLK MUSEUM BELFAST
GAME OF THRONES LOCATIONS TOUR
