We have but a few days to prevent the last remaining submarine hunter of WW1 from being scrapped. HMS President has been moored by Blackfriars Bridge since 1922, as a training base and visitor centre.

She is the sole surviving Q ship – an Anchusa flower class frigate disguised as a merchant ship to act as a decoy, taking on German U Boats and the first to use dazzle camouflage.

hms-president-21

© HMS President

She also saw service in the Second World War as an anti-aircraft battery on the Thames, protecting London landmarks such as St Paul’s Cathedral, as well as providing a secret base to the London-based French Resistance and Special Operations Executive.

However, the ship is now under threat, and if funds are not urgently raised, it could see the country’s last remaining submarine hunter of the Atlantic campaign scrapped.

At the moment, the hull is in a critical state and needs urgent repairs. The ship was moved from Blackfriars recently, to a dry dock in Chatham.

A fundraising campaign has secured £20,000, but that is only enough to keep the fundraising campaign going, and most of that could be needed to reinsure the ship next year.

However, unless funds are raised for the full restoration, then the insurance might not be possible anyway.

A meeting is due to be held next week by the trustees of the charity that owns the ship to decide it’s fate. At the moment, the lack of funds to restore, or even maintain the ship could leave the trustees with no choice other than to recommend scrapping it while they can still afford that last act.

The HMS President Preservation Trust is now seeking funding from corporate sponsors, private donations and the wider community to bring her back to being part of London’s Historic Landscape.

The ship has made an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund to pay for its refurbishment and a new mooring in Central London but has to raise matching funds itself equivalent to around 15% of its Lottery application.

Their first target is £100K which will be utlised to secure the new mooring and maintain the ship until its refurbishment can go ahead with the aim of having it back in London in good time for its 2018 WW1 Centenary

There is a fundraising campaign here, and a Parliament petition here.

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9 comments
  1. Arne-Michael Waade says:

    Don’t scrap HMS President! She is an important memento.

  2. Hon. Steven W Lindsey, D-NH, US ( retired ) says:

    It should remain with the other two WW I vessels, the HMS Caroline and the HMS M 33. Not in memory like the Warspite.

  3. Mr Steven Robinson says:

    Please, Please save this ship. FAR TOO MANY WAR SHIPS HAVE GONE TO THE BREAKERS YARDS. THIS SHIP CAN NEVER BE RE-PLACED

  4. Ian Sadler says:

    For over 50 years every officer and rating who worked at the Admiralty was borne on President’s books. If for no other reason, she should be preserved in their memory.

  5. Jon SM ex RN says:

    It’s our history, should be kept in London as part of our heritage, it could become a wartime museum, surely the funds can be found.

  6. Raymond A Lescott says:

    This is a Maritime Nation but successive governments have failed to preserve our heritage.
    Today, another historic aircraft carrier is sent to a Turkish (!) yard. Not one of our WWI or WWII battleships have been saved despite their history exceeding any of the US navy’s preserved ships. The largest survivor is the Belfast ironically in London but HMS London was scrapped! We must act now to preserve what’s left.

  7. Nick Chennells says:

    Sad if that happens..besides being of the of the best spots to watch the Lord Mayors Fireworks display (with a cold beer ) ..my old Dad always used to point out that he did his aircraft spotting / recognition training there as a ww2 Royal Navy gunner.

  8. la says:

    The safest place for these ships is out of the water. Sadley you are up against government and business intrest corruption. If they want to kill her off there is NOTHING you can do to prevent it.

    Good luck.

  9. Mr Steven Robinson says:

    She should be saved just like HMS Belfast is.

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