Conservation in Action

Conservation in Action. . , HMS M.33 stayed in service for almost 70 years and went through many changes. Therefore, the team working on her faced hard choices: which parts of the ship to restore and which to leave alone? Should anything original ever be removed to allow public access? Should original paintwork be re-covered? , , After in-depth research, we have balanced conservation and restoration. Inside the hull we preserved and stabilised , so the engines which were lifted out in 1943 have not been replaced. Instead, the conservation team has spent many hours expertly cleaning and coating every exposed surface by hand , so you will see the ship in the raw, with every plate, every rivet and every layer of history exposed. , , It has taken 3,600 hours to apply 275 litres of ‘waxoyl’ preservative to interior. , , The Upper Deck we restored, putting back the guns that were removed in 1924, as they are so important to understanding her role. The cabins, Mess Deck and Wheelhouse now give an impression of how they looked in 1915. , , Our staff and volunteers on board can help explain just whet is original and what is new. , , ( photo captions ) , Below: Research included analysis of the many layers of paint on board. Tis has helped us date the different colours shown. , Right: M.33’s guns were removed in 1924. We have restored guns which survive from other First World War ships , the aft gun was mounted on HMS Canada and came all the way from Chile. , Above: The rusted hull in 1997 when M.33 came into the dock. A project using electrolysis stabilised the ship, by removing 9 tonnes of corrosion from the hull.