HMS "Warrior"

HC Deb 12 June 1979 vol 968 cc158-9W

Mr. Wall

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the future of HMS "Warrior" now lying at Milford Haven.

Mr. Speed

Both the Maritime Trust and the "Warrior" Consultative Group of the London borough of Newham submitted to the Ministry of Defence, earlier this year, proposals for the preservation of the "Warrior". The dedication with which two such highly responsible preservation groups approached this task has been greatly appreciated by the Royal Navy.

After careful consideration by the Admiralty Board it has been decided to offer the "Warrior" to the Maritime Trust. The trust's intention is that the "Warrior", after a lengthy process of restoration elsewhere, should be put on public display in Portsmouth. Portsmouth is the area recommended for further development of exhibits of historic significance to the Royal Navy, in a report by a working party of the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries published in November 1978—(HMSO ISBN 0 11 290323 1).