HMS Caroline

This is troubling:

HMS Caroline is a light cruiser, a greyhound of the seas. Built in 1914, she served throughout the First and Second World Wars. She is the last survivor of the Battle of Jutland, and the last major ship to survive from the Grand Fleet. To stand on her bridge, with her tripod mast towering above you, is an unforgettable experience; and it is equally extraordinary to explore her galley, fitted out in 1914, or to sit in the doctor’s surgery, or to walk into her steering flat. She has the only in situ First World War turbines in the world, indeed, 80 percent of HMS Caroline is original. Not only is she the most important warship still unprotected in Britain, she comes close to the top of the list of the world’s ten warships that should be protected at all costs.

So, a cosy retirement for HMS Caroline as a visitor attraction, then? Not so. In the run up to the to the commemoration of the centenary of the First World War, the Navy has decided to decommission HMS Caroline as of 31 March 2024 - and turn her into razor blades. HMS Caroline is the last of her kind, all other venerable ships of her significance are long gone.

The British reluctance to preserve old ships could have certain charm, in the sense that it might represent a steadfast commitment against the sentimentalization of national defense. More often, though, the refusal to save historic vessels seems to be a misguided effort at economy. In any case, HMS Caroline should surely be preserved, although it must be noted that if the British government had seen fit to preserve Warspite, saving Caroline would lack the same urgency.