About HMS Trincomalee

HMS Trincomalee is a Royal Navy Leda-class sailing frigate built shortly following the end of the Napoleonic Wars. She was ordered on 30 October 1812, built in Bombay, India and was finally launched on 12 October 1817. After serving as a hulk, she was restored to her original appearance, and now serves as a museum ship. She is the second oldest warship afloat after the USS Constitution.

The Trincomalee is one of two surviving frigates of this era - her sister HMS Unicorn (see entry) is now a museum ship in Dundee. Constructed ou of teak, due to oak shortages in Britain as a result of shipbuilding drives for the Napoleonic Wars, the ship was named Trincomalee after an action in 1782 between the Royal and French navies off the Ceylon (Sri Lanka) port of that name.

Trincomalee finished her Royal Navy service as a training ship, but was 'reduced to reserve' in 1895 and sold for scrap two years later. Purchased by George Wheatley Cobb, it was restored and renamed Foudroyant in honour of HMS Foudroyant, his earlier ship that had been wrecked in 1897. She was used in conjunction with HMS Implacable as an accommodation ship, a training ship, and a holiday ship based in Falmouth and remained in service until 1991 when she was again restored and renamed back to Trincomalee.

The Trincomalee holds the distinction of being the oldest British warship still afloat as HMS Victory, although 52 years her senior, is in dry dock. Following her recent restoration the Trincomalee has become the centrepiece of the historic dockyard museum 'Hartlepool's Maritime Experience'.