The Princess Royal has reopened HMSCaroline following three years of closure due to the pandemic
The Princess Royal, with Kerry Rooney from HMS Caroline at the reopening of the First World War vessel and the Pumphouse at Belfast's Alexandra Dock
She also paid tribute to the condition of the ship and the fact it was "still afloat" more than 100 years after it was built, humorously comparing it to "other famous ships from the area that are not so much afloat" - an apparent reference to the Titanic.The vessel, the sole surviving ship from the 1916 Battle of Jutland, had been due to reopen last summer but was pushed back to April 2023.
"You have the Titanic museum further on up the road and people don't realise we are sitting here," he told BBC News NI. "If it wasn't for Caroline I don't know where I would be. I met my wife on board the ship - she was a serving wren," he said.He said that while HMS Caroline's role in World War One is well known "a lot of people don't realise that in the Second World War she was a great communication ship".According to the National Museum of the Royal Navy, more than 90% of the ship's original structures and fittings have been saved.
The restored ship is considered one of Northern Ireland's most historically important visitor attractions and is now open to the public.
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