How long do you think it will take to paint Hartlepool tourist attraction HMS Trincomalee?

Hartlepool tourist attraction HMS Trincomalee – the oldest warship afloat in Europe - is getting a fresh look this summer thanks to an ambitious repainting project.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The repaint aim is to spruce up the historic vessel and make some small alterations to get her looking even more accurate to when she first launched nearly 205 years ago.

This work will also make the ship less vulnerable to the weather, making it crucial to her preservation.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

HMS Trincomalee which is at the heart of the National Museum of the Royal (NMRN) Hartlepool, at the town’s Marina, was built in India for the Royal Navy in 1817.

HMS Trincomalee is to be repainted this summer.HMS Trincomalee is to be repainted this summer.
HMS Trincomalee is to be repainted this summer.

It will take seven painters five weeks to complete the job – three of them using ropes to hang over the edge to paint the sides of the ship.

The shopping list for their mammoth task includes 600 litres of primer, 115 litres of black, 50 litres of white, 10 litres of green and 10 litres of maroon paint –and 2,500 gold leaves.

The exterior of the ship will be painted in the historically correct shades of black and a creamy white.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Clare Hunt, senior curator at the museum, said: “The aim is to get HMS Trincomalee looking even more magnificent following her paint job but, perhaps even more importantly, her protection from the weather will be improved.”

The work is being done by Industrial Coating Services and included in the painters’ tasks is a significant amount of re-caulking of the ship’s sides – sealing failed seams which are letting in water.

Clare added: “This is just one of the important cycles of maintenance carried out by the National Museum of the Royal Navy in order to preserve this lovely ship”

She added: “This work is part of NMRN’s on-going mission to preserve and celebrate its naval heritage and visitors can watch this transformation take place.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Teams across the site have been hard at work to ensure that all elements of a visit remain Covid safe.

With the school summer holidays approaching, visitors to the museum are urged to buy tickets in advance at https://www.nmrn.org.uk/book-your-visit.