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Our naval heritage must be protected
She played a vital part in the Falklands War. But this week HMS Intrepid will leave Portsmouth Harbour for the final time destined for the scrapheap.
The warship will be the latest in a long line of 20th century vessels to have been scrapped, no matter what their role was in history.
Currently rusting away near the entrance to Fareham Creek, she will be towed out of the harbour on Wednesday and sent to Liverpool to be broken up.
While Nelson's flagship HMS Victory stands proud in the dockyard, others like Intrepid have been lost forever.
Intrepid's former ship's radio operator, George Heron, has now backed calls to change the proposed Heritage Protection Bill, making it possible for ships to be listed like buildings and therefore protected by law.
Martyn Heighton, former head of the Mary Rose Trust and now in charge of the National Historic Ships group, wants the word 'vessel' to be included in the new bill.
If it were passed, it would help campaigners stop vessels being dismantled and so increase the chances of bringing them back to their former glory.
George Heron, 46, who has campaigned for nine years to save HMS Intrepid, said: 'It would have been a big help for us to have protection under a bill like this, so I hope it gets through for future generations.
'But I would imagine there would be opposition from the Ministry of Defence because it would block planned scrappings of other ships.'
Commander Ken Jones, the commanding officer of HMS Warrior, the youngest major warship on display in the dockyard, has backed our campaign.
He said: 'It's certainly true that when you come to Portsmouth we have the Mary Rose, HMS Victory and of course ourselves, which leaves a large gap between the Victorian era and now.
'It would be a fantastic change if we could fill the hole in that timeline, so in principle I would like to see examples of 20th century warships in Portsmouth.'
If the campaign is successful it opens up the possibility of accessing millions of pounds of lottery cash.
While several surface ships in the harbour are at a critical stage for their future, the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport is making a success of restoring the Second World War submarine HMS Alliance.
Even though the submarine isn't listed, museum director Marion Budgett is overseeing a multi-million pound project to conserve and preserve the vessel, with the patronage of Prince William boosting the campaign.
She said: 'With the help of Heritage Lottery funding we are well-placed to start work on Alliance.
'It has been a long battle for our supporters but it is evidence that heritage in the Portsmouth area can be saved.'
>>> Do you think we should be doing more to save our heritage for future generations? The News wants to hear your views on the matter.
Contact defence correspondent Matt Jackson on (023) 9262 2170 or by e-mail.
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Weather for Portsmouth
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North west
