The foremast from HMS Victory has been safely removed in the first of a three-night operation, marking the latest stage of a £42 million conservation project. A 750-tonne crane was used last night to lift the front mast from the 18th-century warship and lay it down by her side at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
The mizzen (rear) and bowsprit (bow) will be removed over the next two days from Victory, which served as Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar. Nelson led the British fleet to victory against the French and Spanish from Victory but was fatally shot by a French sniper on its quarterdeck on October 21, 1805.
Victory was first floated out at Chatham in Kent in 1765. By the 1920s, she was in poor condition and was moved to dry dock in Portsmouth in 1922, where she remains today.
Patrizia Pierazzo, HMS Victory deputy project director, said: 'Tonight was a great start; the team worked through some initial challenges with the mast wedges. But overall, the lift process was undertaken safely, and we now have the foremast securely removed from the ship.'
This week's removals come after the main mast was removed in 2021 as part of the project to restore Victory, the world's oldest commissioned warship. The scheme will next involve a scaffolding structure enclosing the ship, which will remain in place until the conservation work is completed in 2033.
Andrew Baines, executive director of museum operations for the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN), said: 'This is a key moment for The Big Repair project, being the first time Victory will have been without all her masts since the early 1890s. Our team has planned this step in meticulous detail, but we still have to work around factors like the weather. That's why we will carry out the lifts overnight, so we can work safely and without interruption for several hours at a time.'
He added: 'The operation itself will be impressive, with a 750-tonne crane rigged on site for a week. We have learned a huge amount from the removal of the main lower mast in 2021, and once all masts are removed and safely stored, we can begin the critical work of conserving them before their eventual return to the ship in 2033.'
Stuart Sheldon, NMRN lead rigger, said: 'HMS Victory matters to people in a way few objects do. That brings real pressure, and it should. This lift is complex and needs absolute precision. Putting the plan into action on the night will be a career highlight for the whole team.'
HMS Victory and the wider Historic Dockyard site, which is also home to HMS Warrior and the wreckage of the Mary Rose, will remain open to visitors during the works.
