I 1st remember seeing HMS Warrior as a hulk from the bridge at Pembroke Dock in Wales. That was back in the 1970s. She was towed there on 13 March 1929, where she served as a floating oil jetty. For the next fifty years, the ship lay just offshore from an oil depot at Llanion Cove. In August 1979, Warrior began her 800-mile journey to a temporary home in the Coal Dock at Hartlepool, where the £9 million restoration project, largely funded by the Manifold Trust, commenced.

Launched in 1860, HMS Warrior was Britain’s first iron-hulled, armoured battleship. She was the pride of Queen Victoria’s fleet and the largest and fastest ship of her time

This innovative ship signalled a significant evolution in the Royal Navy, being powered by steam and marking the first departure from traditional wooden ships.

Today, she is open to the public at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

HMS Warrior is a real mix between modern and old.