Thought it best to start a new thread about the warship trust rather than keep hijacking 506’s thread!

Birkenhead warship trust

HMS Plymouth a frigate built in 1959

Plymouth was one of the first Royal navy ships to arrive in the south Atlantic following the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Plymouth alongside HMS Brilliant and HMS Endurance took part in the recapturing of South Georgia on April 28 . Plymouth landed Royal marines from her Westland helicopters and bombarded Argentine troop positions on the island. Later her Wasp helicopter took part in an attack on the ARA Santa fe, which was badly damaged and later captured by Royal Marines

The HMS Onyx was an Oberon class submarine of the Royal Navy launched on August 1966.

HMS Onyx was the only non-nuclear submarine of the Royal Navy to take part in the Falklands War. The smaller displacement of Onyx compared to the nuclear submarines made her ideal for landing SAS and SBS troops close to the islands in shallow waters

In May 2006 HMS Onyx was sold to the Barrow-in-Furness businessman Joe Mullen, for a reported £100,000 as a 'gift to the people of Barrow'. It is set to form the centrepiece of a new heritage museum in Cumbria, and will leave Birkenhead to arrive in its new home in mid June

HMS Bronington (M1115)

HMS Bronington (M1115) is a Ton-class minesweeper of the Royal Navy, launched on 1953-03-19, the former command of Charles, Prince of Wales. This mahogany-hulled minesweeper is one of the last of the "wooden walls" (wooden-hulled naval vessels). It was berthed in the historic Manchester Ship Canal at Trafford Park, Greater Manchester, England for some time but is now located in the Birkenhead Docks, near Liverpool, where she is moored alongside ships of the Warship Preservation Trust. The ship was purchased in January 1989 by the Bronington Trust, a registered charity (patron Prince Charles).

LCT 7074, the last surviving landing craft tank that took part in D-Day.

Unterseeboot 534 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of the Kriegsmarine and was built in 1942 in Hamburg-Finkenwerder by Deutsche Werft AG. She was sunk on 5 May 1945 by depth charges launched from a British Liberator aircraft. She sank in the waters of Kattegat, off the North-West Danish coast. She was raised by a Danish company in 1993. In 1996 she was transported to Birkenhead, UK and forms part of the Warship Preservation Trust's collection in the Birkenhead docks.

Do they also own HDML 1422 currently called TSR according to the medusa website, google earth suggests it is only about 200 yards away?

P.S post coppied from 506 thread but now deleted to declog the 506 thread

northeastuser wrote: I am emailing them to ask about the HDML I’l let you guys know the answer.The list on the medus website just says she is at Birkenhead.

If you look at the photos on the Medusa wesbite, the large warehouse just behind the main ships they've got is in the background behind TSR, go accross to google earth (sorry I would put a pic up but don't know how to), go to the location below and about 20 yards south I believe is TSR?

 53°24'18.79"N   3° 1'49.59"W

Hi NE User.

Any luck with the Birkenhead Trust. It would be such a shame if the boats were scraped or allowed to rot just for want of a home. There must be somewhere they can go. Does anyone know the history of TSR or what state she is in?

“The Mersey Docks & Harbour Company have announced that the submarine Onyx, one of the vessels which were owned by the Warship Trust in Birkenhead, will be going to Barrow in Furness as the focal point for the Submarine Heritage Centre there.”

I am going to try and give the dock company a ring shortly. I have around of calls to make this afternoon and I normally sit down and do them all together!

Perhaps a email to the medusa trust will turn up her owners? Or at least who they believe owns her. Who here has the best relationship with the medusa trust?

Ok I have spoken to the dock company. As far as the gentleman who I spoke to knows the receivers have been called in and the Warship Trust no longer exists.

The HMS Plymouth and the HMS Bronington are still there. The U-boat will be moved further down the quay.

I asked who owned the vessels no and he replied that he thought the they ( the Dock company ) did now. However this is just his opinion and perhaps he is not aware of any legal circumstances.( we were just having a ’casual’ chat) I imagine if the receivers have been called in then they have some say in the ownership. Though I suppose they may have just passed the vessels to the dock company to avoid further bills.

He did not know if the HDML was owned by the trust. So further enquires are needed .

I suspect the Trust may have been offering free berths to interesting vessels that compliment their collection, hence the HDML in the vicinity.

If you look at the pics of the HDML, she isn't very original and unless you had a prior interest wouldn't mean anything, I was tempted to think that it was annother exhibit awaiting sorting out for display?

http://www.trinitystar.co.uk/medusa/page29.html - http://www.trinitystar.co.uk/medusa/page29.html

that's a link for TSR and for good measure a picture too!

Perhaps other peoplke may like to give thier opinion on this but on the other photo (below) her back end seems a long way down in the water?

Is tsr for sale then? cant be much if she is.Looks down at the tail so assuming nobody checking up on her(or pumping her out if they do)

 Good to hear the U534 isnt getting scapped just yet, bad guys are part of our history too. If we rewrite history we're condemmed to repeat the past.

 Sounds like Onyx has a good home to go to. Keep us informed on the rest of them

Hi All,

Just got Ship's Monthly yesterday, piece on HMS Plymouth saying that ABP ports have withdrawn the offer of a berth at Millbay Docks at the last minuet and they had planned to have her there by Easter for the commeration of the Falklands war. What a great pity, the charity has raised some 150,000 towards the costs. You wonder sometimes why bother trying to save our heritage, I guess we could say just for ourselves who are interested in a way. but then when the hard work is done, people come out of the woodwork saying how great it is!

John    

Its a sad fact that there will always be idiots pretending they'r doing something john. There are however people out there who roll up thier sleeves & dig in (they know who they are whichever project they'r helping) Wether its financial or physical support there are the do'ers, then there are the talkers.

 Most people who mean well but cant help should not be confused with the beancounters who just want to practice thier personal politics & drag everyone else down with them. Keep the faith old chap & while we will lose battles we may just win the war!

Hi Jimmy,

Thanks for the above, quiet agree, it seems that there is a good movement with regard to our coastal craft, things are at least being looked at with a view to hanging on to them, even if perhaps eventually they have to be let go. Said before, we often say "if only we had...."! Saw post from Sentley re 506, understand completely the position, same with MQ etc, people asking why nothing happening, but working like mad behind the scenes to make things "happen" as if by magic. All the best to you all, forum really interesting on coastal forces etc,

John

Like i always say John.

We go in ready to fight to the last man but when the cause is lost, we withdraw & regroup ready for the next battle.

506 is far from a lost cause but at the very worst, We lick our wounds, then stand up & be counted once more.

Keep the faith with Medway Queen, If you dont then who will??

Still think a great idea would be securing somewhere that can be used as a homebase for all these historic boats!

 Bought, donated, landclaim, whatever. It could be an elephants graveyard for the unloved ones until funds are found & a homebase without mooring fees for the ones that are actively being saved. Pay for itself in the 'longview'

 That said like most of us i cant put up the cash so it may just be a pipedream. Certainly be something if it happened though

Hi there,

Quite agree, PERHAPS if I may be so bold, the new site at Poole for the BMPT could be a candidate? I appreciate it really has not much to do with me, albeit I am a life member, and perhaps they and those around might not want a load of craft just laying about! but if at least painted up and looking respectable, who knows, await news of Poole with great interest, also heads up and mentioned before repeat of the documentary on the St Naziare raid tonight at 0825 hrs on BBC 2.

John