Shakespeare Performances on an unlikely stage!
The final video blog of the HMS M.33 restoration project shows how far the small ship with a big story has come since work began last autumn.
Comedian and writer Hugh Dennis visits HMS M.33 as she nears her opening date. He experiences the audio visual recreation of the Gallipoli Campaign that visitors will be able to see, and talks about his Great Uncle, who served and died in the campaign.
The tenting has been removed and HMS M.33 has been partially revealed. The ship repair is now almost complete and work is now focussed on the interior of the ship, the final bits of conservation work are being done and the exhibition fit out will be beginning very soon.
The visitor access is also being installed, with emphasis of minimum impact for the dock, with maximum impact for visitors.
The latest update shows M33 under wraps, as she is protected by tenting to keep her secure while conservation steps up on board.
Conservation specialists and volunteers are involved in stabilisation work on historic corrosion and the fabric of the ship, including her guns. The volunteers from Explosion Museum have been particularly involved in the gun restoration.
This work will create the canvas for us to tell the story of the ship and her involvement with the Gallipoli Campaign.
The ship is due to open to the public in August 2015.
Work is now well underway to conserve HMS M.33, the only Royal Navy ship to survive the Gallipoli campaign. When she opens to the public in summer 2015, it will be for the first time and she will be the only First World War veteran that people can climb aboard and experience a little of what life was like for the sailors who served 100 years ago.
M.33 was built in just 7 weeks in Spring 1915, laid down on 1st April and launched on 22nd May. Despite being a Royal Navy ship, she was not built to fight at sea, but was instead designed as a coastal bombardment vessel, to bring her close in to shore to land troops and attack coastal targets. Now she is the only one of her kind remaining, a significant piece of naval history.
The project team will have many issues to deal with throughout the restoration, including the challenges posed by the riveted construction, the location of the ship in a very old dock which is itself a listed structure, and considerations such as access for disabled visitors and young children. Above all, the ship must retain character and authenticity, and conservation, rather than replacing old with new, is key. The video above shows her progress so far.
Excerpts from the diaries of men who served on M.33 will be used to help us to tell the story of the ship and her sailors. Moving images, sounds and graphics will recreate life on board for visitors. She will be alive with the stories of her past, as they are told again for us.
There is a unique opportunity for volunteers to get involved in all areas of the project, from Conservation, Exhibition and Interpretation Research to Learning and Outreach.