<![CDATA[Six years ago, Prince William became the patron of
the multi-million pound appeal to conserve Her Majesty's
Ship Alliance. Now, he is going back to see the
result of the efforts to restore the British submarine.
In one of his first official engagements following the Royal Tour,
the Duke of Cambridge travelled to Gosport, Hampshire on Monday. He
attended a service of rededication for HMS Alliance,
before touring the craft and accepting a tot of rum.
NEWS: Prince William is given a traditional tot of rum as he
leaves #HMSAlliance @RNSubMuseum in #Gosport. pic.twitter.com/u7OqJ1Etgq
— Wave 105 (@wave105radio) May 12, 2014
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The director of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Chris Munns, said
“We are delighted to be able to show him the finished project when
he comes to visit the museum. We are going to rededicate the
submarine, which is something you do to operational submarines when
they have come out of a refit. It will be a pleasure to welcome
Prince William to it.”
HMS Alliance is the last surviving British submarine from
the era of the Second World War. Alliance was designed for battle
in the Far East, and launched in July 1945, but the war was over
before she could be put into action. Since 1947,
Alliance had been a part of the Royal Navy, and
spent more than 28 years in service. She went on display in
1981 as a museum ship, but soon began to rust and was in need of
urgent restoration.
In 2008, Prince William became the royal patron of the HMS
Alliance appeal, to raise funds for her restoration and
maintenance. The appeal was launched in October 2007, and lasted
for two years. At the time, William paid a visit to the site
of the submarine, opening a memorial dedicated to those men who
lost their lives defending the country in submarines.
The Prince, who is the Commodore-in-Chief, Submarines, said that he
was “delighted and honoured” to be a part of the appeal. He also
added: “It is of great importance that such heritage is safeguarded
to help future generations to understand the past heroism and
sacrifice of British submariners.”
NEWS: The Duke of Cambridge attends the rededication ceremony
for #HMSAlliance @RNSubMuseum. pic.twitter.com/IVjPBEjfUV
— Wave 105 (@wave105radio) May 12, 2014
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Over £7,00,000 were raised, and Alliance was reopened
to the public last month after extensive
conservation. The submrine is currently the centrepiece of the
Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
Photo credit: Government House, New Zealand]]>
Wish they’d saved the HMS Warspite which served both WW I and WW II.