Historic minesweeper warship once commanded by King Charles will be seaworthy again

HMS Bronington has certainly seen better days – particularly those it spent under the command of King Charles in 1976.

The decommissioned ship, whose final home port was in Portsmouth, spent years berthed in Manchester and then Birkenhead, before sinking at her moorings in 2016.

But now, thanks to an effort by the HMS Bronington Preservation Trust, the former Royal Navy minesweeper is set to be restored to its former glory.

King Charles III’s procession to Lying-in-State of Elizabeth II. Credit: UK Government, CC BY 2.0

The multi-million-pound project will be financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund and other charitable sources. It aims to make the vessel ‘fully seaworthy’ again, opening it up to the public as a museum ship.

King Charles himself wrote to the charity upon hearing the news, saying: “It is truly humbling to learn of the efforts in which you are going to in order to recover this historical naval vessel.”

King Charles III (then the Prince of Wales) commanded the vessel between 9 February and 15 December 1976. Under the command of his successor, Lieutenant A. B. Gough R. N., it ran aground in the River Avon while departing from Bristol.

Former Royal Navy Weapon Engineering Officer Mike McBride is a trustee on the project, which has already raised more than £12,000. He spent time aboard HMS Bronington’s sister ship, the HMS Iveston, while both were in operation.

Mike said: “Support from the public has already been great and interest is huge. Someone gave £1,000 to the appeal. We don’t know who but it shows people care.”

“It would be fitting to start the restoration in the year of the King’s coronation, because she was launched in the year of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.”