Get your own taste of British martime history in Hartlepool

HMS Pickle is a replica of a topsail schooner of the Royal Navy, which was at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. She was too small to take part in the battle itself.

But she claimed her place in history by delivering the news of the victory of the British Fleet at Trafalgar and the death of Nelson, to the Admiralty in London.

Today’s HMS Pickle has berthed in Hartlepool Marina.

Owner Mal Nicholson, who bought the vessel in 2014, said it was Pickle’s first visit north of the Humber.

He aims to engage the public with British maritime history of the Napoleonic period, to forge closer links with HMS Trincomalee, and to highlight the need to pass on important restoration skills to future generations.

He said “I am the fourth generation of engineers in my family and I think that I owe it to all those that have gone before me to pass these skills on to future generations.”

The ship is moored at the Marina and is open for guided tours, daily until dusk. She will be in town until Saturday when she leaves to make a guest appearance at the Tall Ships event in Blyth, before returning to Hartlepool next Monday.

Recognising the importance of Mal’s work, the Sailor’s Children’s Society has adopted HMS Pickle and Mal’s earlier restoration, Spider T, as ambassadorial vessels for the society.