Ulster Unionist Peer Lord Empey has asked the Government what plans it has for the future of HMS Caroline, the last surviving commissioned light cruiser that participated in the Battle of Jutland in 1916 and which has been berthed in Belfast since 1924.
Lord Empey said:
‘HMS Caroline is a very important piece of British Maritime history, the last link with the Grand Fleet and a veteran of the First World War’s key Naval engagement, the Battle of Jutland.
At Question Time in the House of Lords yesterday Lord Gardiner of Kimble confirmed the news that the National Heritage Memorial Fund is to provide £1 million to help restore HMS Caroline, referred to the vessel’s role in the Battle of Jutland and expressed his wish that it “will be an important part of Northern Ireland and indeed Ireland’s commemoration of the many gallant men and women who served in that war”.
I share Lord Gardiner’s sentiments and in addition to forming a real asset to the local tourist industry, especially in Titanic Quarter, I believe it should form the centerpiece of Northern Ireland’s commemoration of the Naval aspects of the Great War once we come to remember the Centenary of its outbreak in 2014.”