When the supergun was placed onboard the HMS Trincomalee

They rolled out the barrel of a supergun for the first time in almost 100 years in the latest stage of restoration at HMS Trincomalee.

The cannon, made in the exact style of originals, was placed on board the 174-year-old vessel as part of ongoing restoration work at the town’s Historic Ships site.

Project co-ordinators and sponsors watched as the 10-foot cannon, constructed by Cleveland Action Team, was hoisted on to the ship by a crane.

It will be permanently installed later when work to the upper hull structure is complete.

The project to restore the Trincomalee to its original 1817 state is being sponsored by Teesside Development Corporation, Hartlepool Task Force, Safer Cities and Hartlepool Borough Council.

But the vessel, formerly the Royal Navy training ship Foudroyant, is already open to the public.

Tours include talks on the ships’s history from its anti-slavery duties in North America and the West Indies, to when it was rescued from the shipbreakers in 1987.

HMS Trincomalee was brought to Hartlepool by barge in 1986 after serving as a youth training vessel for 90 years.

Do you remember the arrival of the supergun at the Trincomalee? If you were there we would love to hear your memories. Email [email protected]