Sell The Victory A Silly Idea or Not

As Rough As It May Seem,It's Still Steady As You Go...


HMS Victory will remain part of the Royal Navy. We will not be giving her away or decommissioning the ship. It is currently run by the Navy and retired Navy personnel show the public around the ship.

The consultation is designed to produce a relationship between the RN and any of the options below which secures the necessary funding and the long term good health of the vessel, without the Royal Navy and the public losing control of the ship.

We are committed to securing her future and want to make sure that she is as well looked after as possible in her old age. That is why we are looking at a range of funding options for the continued support and ongoing maintenance of the ship.

Considerable expenditure will be required over the coming years to maintain her material state, and we will consider options that will secure these funds. These will include: maintaining the current status quo; alternative public ownership by another Government Department or Non Departmental Public Body; a new independent Charitable Organisation, either a company limited by guarantee or a charitable trust; or an existing Charitable Organisation.

In her 243rd year, HMS VICTORY is the oldest commissioned warship in the world and as such has numerous and complex maintenance requirements. The review will seek an arrangement which guarantees this future material support. Contributing to the development of Naval Heritage in Portsmouth , continuing access for the public and maintaining her status as flagship to the Second Sea Lord are all important conditions of all the options under review.

Defence Minister Baroness Ann Taylor said:

HMS Victory will remain part of the Royal Navy. Nothing will change in that respect. The objective for this study is the sustainability of HMS VICTORY as a museum ship and commissioned Royal Navy warship. Continued access depends on extensive works being carried out over the coming years. An examination of the full range of options will seek to ensure that HMS VICTORY is preserved in a sound condition in her home port of Portsmouth for generations to come.

Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Alan Massey said:

The review will openly and equally examine all the options available to us to ensure that HMS Victory continues her distinguished Naval career in the best possible state. We are consulting across the full spectrum of stakeholders and interested parties and their views will play an important part in the recommendations that flow from the review.


A veteran of the Battle of Trafalgar, HMS VICTORY is a vital part of our heritage, not only for the Navy and the people of Portsmouth but to the country as a whole and the MOD is committed to securing her future. The review will be aim to identify the option that best secures the long term material, financial and cultural viability of this much-loved ship.