Majestic ship is coming to Hartlepool

A beautiful ship is set to grace Hartlepool when she arrives in town next week.
HMS Pickle.HMS Pickle.
HMS Pickle.

HMS Pickle will make her first ever trip north of the Humber when she comes to town for a predicted week-long stay from next Wednesday.

The ship is a replica of the schooner which first brought news of Nelson’s victory at the Battle of Trafalgar back to Great Britain in 1805.

Malcolm Nicholson on HMS Pickle.Malcolm Nicholson on HMS Pickle.
Malcolm Nicholson on HMS Pickle.
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Owner Malcolm Nicholson can’t wait to head north to visit Hartlepool again after first coming to town with another of his ships called Spider T.

He said: “That was a great time and the welcome we got from the people of the town was like we were coming home. I can only imagine what it will be like with Pickle but I expect it will be amplified. There is a lot of interest in the region.”

Mr Nicholson said he was keen to establish links between his ship and Hartlepool’s own iconic vessel, HMS Trincomalee. “It is living history,” he said.

And he told how he wanted the public to feel Pickle was a ship for everyone to enjoy. “Whether it is historians, naval people or just the average guy on the street with an interest, I hope everyone is going to share in her.”

HMS Pickle.HMS Pickle.
HMS Pickle.
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Mr Nicholson sailed the vessel to the UK from Gibraltar, where he bought her in 2014.

Now he’s planning to bring Pickle to her northernmost point in England since her return. She will set off for Hartlepool after first visiting Whitby.

The original HMS Pickle was too small to take part in the fighting at Trafalgar, but delivered news of the victory and Nelson’s death, when she arrived home on November 4, 1805.