HMS Caroline — Attraction in Belfast

HMS Caroline: A Remarkable First World War Ship

HMS Caroline is one of the oldest and most historic ships in the world. She was launched in 1914 and served in the Royal Navy throughout the First World War and beyond. She is the only surviving ship from the Battle of Jutland, the largest naval battle of the war, and the longest-serving warship after HMS Victory. She is now a museum ship in Belfast's Titanic Quarter, where visitors can explore her history and experience life at sea.

What to see

The museum ship offers a self-guided tour that takes you through different areas of the ship, such as the captain's quarters, the engine room, the signal school, and the drill hall. Each area has interactive exhibits, touch screens, audio guides, and original artefacts that tell the story of HMS Caroline and her crew. You can learn about the ship's construction, design, operations, battles, and decommissioning. You can also see how the crew lived, worked, fought, and entertained themselves on board.

The tour is very informative and engaging, with plenty of details and anecdotes. I especially enjoyed the drill hall, where you can watch a film that recreates the Battle of Jutland with stunning visuals and sound effects. You can also try your hand at cracking codes, launching torpedoes, and signalling ships in the signal school and torpedo school. The engine room is also impressive, as you can see the original machinery that powered the ship.

How to get there

HMS Caroline is located in Alexandra Dock, Queens Road, Belfast BT3 9DT. It is easily accessible by public transport or car. You can take a bus or train to Titanic Quarter station, which is a 10-minute walk from the ship. You can also drive to the ship and park in the nearby car park for a small fee.

The museum ship is open from Wednesday to Sunday, from 10am to 4.30pm. It is also open daily during school holidays. You can book your tickets online or buy them at the entrance. The ticket prices are £14 for adults, £7 for children (5-15 years old), £10 for students and seniors (60+), and £35 for a family ticket (2 adults + 3 children). The tickets are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase.

Why visit

HMS Caroline is a unique attraction that offers a fascinating insight into naval history and culture. It is a great place to visit for anyone interested in ships, wars, or stories. It is also a fun and educational experience for families with children, as there are many activities and games to keep them entertained. The museum ship is well-maintained and restored, with friendly and helpful staff.

I highly recommend visiting HMS Caroline if you are in Belfast or nearby. It is a rare opportunity to see a historic ship that has witnessed many events and changes in the world. It is also a tribute to the men who served on her and their bravery...

Amazing tour of the HMS Caroline. When I first saw it was selfguided, I did think it might not be very good - this is definitely not just a walk around a ship. The supplied headphones and MP3 player are activated in a hundred different places by pointing the device at different receivers mounted all over the ship which then plays short, excellently narrated information about where you are standing.

The first inside theatre plays a 5 minute Hollywood style film about the battle of Jutland with amazing special effects, better than a cinema. There are information boards to the rear where you can find out the timeline of events on interactive screens and how the largest naval battle in history was fought.

After this area, the rest of the tour is dedicated to showing you how the HMS Caroline was run and there are many fun interactive sections with a huge 20 foot long touch screen that has an excellent interface to show each section of the ship with short, easy to read paragraphs and photos.

Each room on the ship has an interactive point to play back the narrative and in the bigger rooms there is cinematic sounds of the ship that fool you into thinking there are naval officers eg. eating in the dining room or singing in the stern, twin bathroom etc. The sounds bring the ship to life and are really what make the whole tour worth the entrance fee.

All the cabins and communal rooms are fully restored and furnished with original naval items from the period. The most incredible sound emanates from the engine room and is truly awesome. You really think the massive turbines are starting up and the interactive area above the engine room shows how the turbines work.

There are great interactive signaling and deciphering sections too with a seemingly simple decipher that recodes itself when you complete it - that was cool. Even the light signaling with LCD display, you can write out your own letters with Morse code and it recognises them.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and would highly recommend this to everyone, first class. I definitely enjoyed this far more than my Titanic visit as there were far more things to do and less reading. Highly...

Visited in February with a group from Manchester on a day trip.

Weather was relatively nice when we arrived in the morning, and good enough to take some nice photo's. Pre-paid so no issue with queuing.

Started with the exhibition section in the same building as the ticket office, which was small but full of information on Caroline's timeline and members of the crew etc.

Then it was on to the ship herself. After receiving compact headphones and a laser pointer (explanation later), we proceeded on to the ship - Access was straightforward and there is disabled access throughout the main areas.

The first part of the tour, which is set-up perfectly for groups, or individuals takes place in the Drill Hall, where there is an impressive video of the Battle of Jutland beamed on to the ships massive structure.

You can then go on to explore other areas at your leisure. Important or significant areas have a small sensor placed nearby where you can point your laser at and interesting and relevant information is transmitted to your headphones - It's a really effective way of getting a feel for the different aspects of ship life. Very impressed.

The engine room was brilliant - My ears are still ringing!

Last, but by no means least is the cafe, which had an excellent selection of fabulous food, at a fair price.

Thoroughly enjoyed it and well worth the mad dash over...