The National Museum of the Royal Navy is celebrating the commissioning of the Royal Navy’s newest aircraft carrier by opening its doors for free at its sites nationwide for one day only on Thursday 7th December.
The free one-day offer is available at The National Museum of the Royal Navy Hartlepool; Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton; HMS Caroline, Belfast and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard including HMS Victory, HMS Warrior 1860 and partner attractions at the Mary Rose and Action Stations. Each site will also feature a live stream of the event in Portsmouth.
Her Majesty The Queen will commission HMS Queen Elizabeth, the newest aircraft carrier class to be welcomed into the fleet in Portsmouth Naval Base. The National Museum has its headquarters alongside in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
John Rawlinson, Director of Visitor Experience for The National Museum of the Royal Navy, said: “Our visitors are fascinated by the new aircraft carrier and her story resonates across our sites, nationwide. In Portsmouth, where we have our head office, we have had a record breaking year with 80,000 extra visitors come view the carrier over the summer from HMS Victory or out on the water on the harbour tour. To mark the momentous occasion of Her Majesty’s commissioning of the first of two carriers, we are delighted to offer free entry for one day only at our museums to highlight the very special relationship we have with the Royal Navy.”