National Museum of the Royal Navy


The National Museum of the Royal Navy was created in early 2009 to act as a single non-departmental public body for the museums of the Royal Navy. With venues across the United Kingdom, the museums detail the history of the Royal Navy operating on and under the sea, on land and in the air.

Museums

The National Museum of the Royal Navy Museums:
MuseumLocation
National Museum of the Royal Navy, HartlepoolJackson Dock, Hartlepool
National Museum of the Royal Navy, PortsmouthPortsmouth Dockyard, Hampshire
Royal Marines MuseumClosed April 2017
Royal Navy Submarine MuseumGosport, Hampshire
Fleet Air Arm MuseumRNAS Yeovilton, Ilchester, Somerset
Explosion! Museum of Naval FirepowerGosport, Hampshire

Historic Ships

Ships of the National Museum of the Royal Navy include:
MuseumLocation
HMS VictoryPortsmouth Dockyard
Hampshire
HMS TrincomaleeHartlepool
HMS WarriorPortsmouth Dockyard
Hampshire
HMS CarolineBelfast
Northern Ireland
HMS M.33Portsmouth Dockyard
Hampshire
HMS AlliancePortsmouth Dockyard
Hampshire

Background

In the financial year starting 1 April 2009, the NMRN co-ordinated Grants in Aid from the UK Ministry of Defence and the four original museums became integral parts of the NMRN.
The NMRN is also the custodian of HMS Victory, Admiral Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
HMS Alliance, the only surviving British second world war submarine, re-opened following a £7 million conservation and restoration project, in 2014.
On 3 April 2014, The Babcock Galleries opened at the NMRN's Portsmouth Museum. The £4.5M project created HMS - Hear My Story exhibition, which tells the story of the 20th and 21st Century Royal Navy and its people, and a special exhibition space.
In October 2014, the Museum received funding to restore D-Day Landing Craft LCT 7074. The craft was raised from where it had sunk at moorings in Birkenhead, and was transported to Portsmouth for conservation.
In August 2015, first world war Monitor HMS M.33, currently undergoing restoration, opened to the public. In December the same year, the museum acquired RML 497, a second world war motor launch.
HMS Caroline, Belfast, joined the museum on 31 May 2016, on the centenary of the Battle of Jutland.
HMS Warrior Was transferred to the museum in 2017 from the Warrior Preservation Trust, and has helped finish ongoing HLF Works as well as undertaking a further restoration of the ship including new paintwork on the ships hull.