HMS Unicorn receives ‘incredible’ £796,000 grant

HMS Unicorn, Scotland’s oldest ship, has received a grant of £796,000 towards the cost of moving it into a new dry dock.

The 201-year-old vessel is being relocated as part of the Project Safe Haven restoration scheme, which will see it become the centerpiece of a new maritime heritage centre.

The latest donation comes from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF).

A campaign to raise a further £650,000 by April, which will unlock an additional £10m of grants from other bodies, including the Ty Cities Deal, is currently underway.

HMS Unicorn was moved to Dundee in 1873 to become a training ship for the Royal Navy Reserve.

Structural reinforcement work on the ship’s hull is currently ongoing.

Future work will involve draining Dundee’s East Graving Dock, repairing it with a new watertight chamber, making it structurally sound and refitting it to receive HMS Unicorn, which will be floated on a supporting cradle.

HMS Unicorn is the third oldest ship in the world and has been in the care of the Unicorn Preservation Society since 1968.

The 46-gun frigate was built during peacetime and launched in 1824, spending her early life in reserve, anchored on the River Medway in the south east of England.

£796,00 has been awarded in the first round of development from the NLHF.

Detailed proposals will be considered by the NLHF in a second round, where a final decision will be made on the full funding award of £3.3m later this year.

Matthew Bellhouse Moran, executive director of the Unicorn Preservation Society, said the latest funding was “incredible”, but warned that “the clock is ticking.”

He said: “We urgently need the support of individuals, businesses and organizations to raise the finance needed for the next phase of Project Safe Haven, relocating HMS Unicorn to Dundee’s East Graving Dock, ensuring she remains safe from wear and tear. There is no time for tears.”

The ship received £1.11m from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) in July 2023.