HMS Unicorn: 'National treasure' receives million-pound donation

The HMS Unicorn, a 19th Century frigate harboured in Dundee, has received its biggest ever donation.

L-R: Matthew Bellhouse-Moran, Museum Director at HMS Unicorn, and Ray Macfarlane, Deputy Chair and Scotland Trustee of the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) in front of HMS Unicorn.

Scotland’s oldest ship, the HMS Unicorn, has received a million-pound lifeline to help preserve the national treasure for future generations.

First launched in 1824, HMS Unicorn is the third oldest ship in the world and has been under the care of the Unicorn Preservation Society since 1968.

The Unicorn Preservation Society, the charitable trust behind HMS Unicorn, has received £1,110,930 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) - the biggest single donation to date.

The society says the money will go towards the “necessary and urgent work required” for the continued preservation of Scotland’s oldest ship and “much-loved” Dundee Museum and visitor attraction.

The grant from NHMF, which provides financial assistance towards the acquisition, preservation, and maintenance of some of the UK’s most important objects and landscapes, has provided 95.69 per cent of the total financial investment needed for immediate conservation repairs to HMS Unicorn.

Ray Macfarlane, deputy chair and Scotland trustee of NHMF, said HMS Unicorn is a “spectacular surviving relic of our maritime heritage”.

“Holding nearly 200 years of history within its hull, it is not only the oldest ship in Scotland but one of the oldest in the world, and incredibly one of the last remaining warships from the age of sail, still afloat,” said Mr Macfarlane.

“The NHMF is proud to support the Unicorn Preservation Trust with a grant of over £1m to sustain this great ship for public display.”

Following consultation with engineers Fenton Holloway and shipwrights T. Neilsen and Company, the works will secure the future of the vessel in-line with National Historic Ship’s advice on historic ship preservation.

The preservation work will look to restore strength and robustness to HMS Unicorn’s hull and thereby improve her resilience at her current berth and ready her for her projected move to the nearby East Graving Dock.

The work will range from the targeted enhancement of key parts of the structure through to replacement of rotten modern timbers in the hull of the ship.

As the most original old ship in the world, the focus is to retain as much of the 1824 fabric as possible. The project looks to improve the long-term durability of the ship in a robust way, one that does not carry a complicated or expensive future maintenance burden. This work follows recently completed repairs to the ship’s unusual original roof to the value of £100,000 to help prevent rainwater causing further internal damage.

Museum director Matthew Bellhouse Moran said he is “absolutely delighted” with the grant.

“This is an absolute game changer for us as a charity as it allows us to press on with the critical preservation work which desperately needs to take place and is long overdue,” said Mr Moran.

“This work is essential to preserve the historic fabric of this much-loved ship, replacing rotten and missing timbers which is causing rapidly accelerating structural damage and strain on the ship.

“We have employed leading experts in their field who have worked on some of the UK’s most historic ships to ensure the ship remains safe and floating for the immediate future.”