Maritime nations don’t abandon ship
I SYMPATHISE with the view that we should have saved at least one of our heritage aircraft carriers for preservation (Letters). As the former chairman and founder of the HMS Cavalier Association, I am proud I was involved in saving this ship for the nation. Launched in 1944, HMS Cavalier is a CA-class destroyer that saw service in the Arctic, Western Approaches and British Pacific Fleet. She is preserved as the National Destroyer Memorial commemorating the 11,000 lives and 142 Royal Navy destroyers lost during World War II. The ‘easy’ bit, if I can say that, was bringing her home. The hard bit was finding somewhere to berth her and then the continued funding and maintenance. After HMS Cavalier was given funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund, this support for ships was virtually stopped. Only those attached to maritime museums can get grant aid from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Despite being a maritime nation, there is little or no support, or indeed understanding, for historic ships from the powers that be. At the same time, billions have been given to sport, the arts, Churches and libraries. Historic ships remain the poor man of our heritage. Fortunately, HMS Cavalier is at Chatham Historic Dockyard in Kent, where dedicated volunteers give much of their support for free, ably supported by the Dockyard Trust. But even then it’s a struggle because repairing historic ships is not cheap and funding relies a great deal on footfall from the public.
SID ANNING, Rochester, Kent. WHATEVER the merits of HMS Hermes, Britain’s flagship during the Falklands War, I submit there is a former Royal Navy vessel that is even more worthy of preservation. The Black
Swan class sloop HMS Whimbrel was an Atlantic escort, Arctic convoy escort and was present at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay in 1945. For many years, as Tariq, she was a warship of the Egyptian navy and survives in Alexandria harbour. She would make a wonderful centrepiece to a Battle of the Atlantic museum if only the will existed to bring her home.
GEOFF HEWITT, Preston, Lancs.