HMS Caroline (1914)

HMS Caroline is a C-class light cruiser of the British Royal Navy (RN). She is the second-oldest ship in RN service – the oldest being HMS Victory – and acts as a static headquarters and training ship for the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR), based in Alexandra Dock, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Caroline was built by Cammell Laird of Birkenhead, launched in 1914 and commissioned on 4 December.

She served in the North Sea throughout the First World War. Caroline spent much of the war serving with the 4th Light Cruiser Squadron. As part of the squadron, Caroline fought in the Battle of Jutland in 1916 under the command of Captain H. R. Crooke.

She later served on the East Indies Station before being placed in Reserve and converted to a headquarters and training ship for the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve's (RNVR) Ulster Division in 1924.

Caroline – the last afloat training establishment in the RNR – is expected to be decommissioned by 2011. The Royal Navy intends to replace her by an onshore training establishment (commonly known as a stone frigate). When she is decommissioned, Caroline could possibly be moved to Portsmouth as a museum ship.

The ship is the last remaining British WWI light cruiser in service and the last survivor of the Battle of Jutland still afloat.

References

• Royal Navy - HMS Caroline
• Jane's Fighting Ships for 1919 - Caroline-class (webarchive)
• Warships1.com - Caroline-class (webarchive)