HMS ''Unicorn'' is a surviving sailing

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

of the successful ''Leda'' class, although the original design had been modified by the time that the ''Unicorn'' was built, to incorporate a circular stern and "small-timber" system of construction. Listed as part of the

National Historic Fleet The National Historic Fleet is a list of historic ships and vessels located in the United Kingdom, under the National Historic Ships register. National Historic Ships UK is an advisory body which advises the Secretary of State for Culture, Media ...

, ''Unicorn'' is now a

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

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, United Kingdom. She is the oldest ship in Scotland, one of the oldest ships in the world, and one of the last intact

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is used for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the navy branch of the armed forces of a nation, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations. As well as b ...

s from the

age of sail The Age of Sail is a period in European history that lasted at the latest from the mid-16th (or mid-15th) to the mid-19th centuries, in which the dominance of sailing ships in global trade and warfare culminated, particularly marked by the int ...

. As of January 2025, the ship is due to undergo restoration and relocation to a newly restored dry dock (Dundee's East Graving Dock).

History

HMS ''Unicorn'' was built in peacetime at

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham, Kent, Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham; at its most extens ...

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and launched in 1824 This was a transitional period for shipbuilding, as suitable timber was becoming more difficult to obtain, and iron was increasingly available. Under the direction of Sir Robert Seppings, then Surveyor of the Royal Navy, ''Unicorn'' was built with diagonal riders made with iron straps and iron "knees" that strengthened the hull. As ''Unicorn'' was built shortly after the naval wars against

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ended, she was never rigged; a

superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

was built over her main deck and she was laid up "

in ordinary ''In ordinary'' is an English phrase with multiple meanings. In relation to the Royal Household and public officials more generally, it indicates that a position is a permanent one (in contrast to positions that are extraordinary). In naval matt ...

", serving as a

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and a

depot ship A depot ship is an auxiliary ship used as a mobile or fixed base for submarines, destroyers, minesweepers, fast attack craft, landing craft, or other small ships with similarly limited space for maintenance equipment and crew dining, berthing an ...

for most of the next 140 years. In 1857, she was loaned to the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet ...

for use as a floating

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

store at the

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Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...

, returning to her original berth at

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in 1863. Her lack of sea service meant that her hull remained in good condition and in 1873 was selected to be a drill ship for the

Royal Naval Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original ...

at Dundee to replace . ''Unicorn'' was towed on her only sea voyage by the steam sloop, . In 1906 ''Unicorn'' was transferred to the

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, and in both World Wars she was the Area Headquarters of the Senior Naval Officer, Dundee. In 1939 a new aircraft carrier was named and the old frigate became HMS ''Unicorn II'', but in 1941 was renamed HMS ''Cressy'' to avoid confusion. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

she also acted as training centre for the

Women's Royal Naval Service The Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS; popularly and officially known as the Wrens) was the women's branch of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. First formed in 1917 for the World War I, First World War, it was disbanded in 1919, then revived in ...

and more than 1,500 women trained there. On 14 May 1945, ''Unicorn'' accepted the surrender of German submarine U-2326. In 1959, after the aircraft carrier had been scrapped, ''Cressy'' recovered her original name. In 1962, ''Unicorns original berth in the Earl Grey Dock was filled-in for the new Tay Road Bridge and she was moved downstream accordingly, surviving a proposal to have her scrapped after the intervention of her former captain. In 1967, a new shore establishment for the Tay Division reservists was opened, and the ship's future was again brought into question, resulting in the creation of the Unicorn Preservation Society, led by

Lord Dalhousie James Andrew Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie (22 April 1812 – 19 December 1860), known as the Earl of Dalhousie between 1838 and 1849, was a Scottish statesman and colonial administrator in British India. He served as Governor-Ge ...

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accepted ''Unicorn'' on behalf of the society on 26 September 1968. Her lack of active duty left her timbers well preserved, and in the late 1960s steps were initiated to convert her to a museum ship. The roof that covers her upper deck is thought to be original, although portions of it were removed in the 1970s, leading conservators to replace the foc'sle roof. In April 2019 the Unicorn Preservation Society, whose patron is

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, received a

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Resilient Heritage Fund Grant in the amount of £28,900.

21st century

In March 2021 the frigate was surveyed; most of the planking was found to be in a very poor state, with even newer planking (from the 1850s) also deteriorated. However, according to one of the restorers, of all the old ships of this type, "this one is probably the most original, certainly inside ... Virtually all of what you see dates back to the day it was built and it hasn't been largely rebuilt over that time." It was planned to move the ship to the nearby East Graving Dock for conservation work (Operation Safe Haven), and ultimately set up a maritime heritage centre for the ship. The Unicorn Preservation Society was seeking gifts of large oaks to replace the planking and strengthen the hull before moving the ship to dry dock. These donations have included £1.11m in July 2023 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. In January 2025, it was announced that the ship had received approximately £796,000 (USD $1 million) in funding from the UK National Lottery. The funding will form part of what is hoped will be a £10 million (about USD $12 million) restoration project. However, to achieve the full £10 million funding, the preservation society has until an April deadline to raise an additional £650,000 ($820,000 USD) to demonstrate the viability of the ship restoration.

Similar ships

''Unicorns sister ship, , has also been preserved and is the centrepiece of the

National Museum of the Royal Navy The National Museum of the Royal Navy was created in early 2009 to act as a single non-departmental public body for the museums of the Royal Navy. With venues across the United Kingdom, the museums detail the history of the Royal Navy operating ...

based in

Hartlepool Hartlepool ( ) is a seaside resort, seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is governed by a unitary authority borough Borough of Hartlepool, named after the town. The borough is part of the devolved Tees Valley area with an estimat ...

. ''Trincomalee'' and ''Unicorn'' are the second- and third-oldest ships still afloat, the oldest being the of 1797. ''Unicorn'' is believed to be the most original preserved ship of her era, retaining 90 per cent of her original fabric.

Gallery

File:Hms-unicorn-close-up.jpg, Unicorn

figurehead In politics, a figurehead is a practice of who ''de jure'' (in name or by law) appears to hold an important and often supremely powerful title or office, yet '' de facto'' (in reality) exercises little to no actual power. This usually means that ...

below the

bowsprit The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a spar (sailing), spar extending forward from the vessel's prow. The bowsprit is typically held down by a bobstay that counteracts the forces from the forestay, forestays. The bowsprit’s purpose is to create ...

File:HMS Unicorn, Dundee 002.jpg, Side view File:HM Frigate Unicorn, from the stern - geograph.org.uk - 1316939.jpg, Stern view File:Cannons on the Unicorn - geograph.org.uk - 5581442.jpg, The gun deck

References

Footnotes

* David Lyon and Rif Winfield (2004), ''The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815-1889''. Chatham Publishing. .

External links

HMS ''Unicorn'' - official site

HMS ''Unicorn'' - webpage
''

National Historic Ships National Historic Ships UK is a government-funded independent organisation that advises UK governments and others on matters relating to historic ships.

''
The "Leda"-class frigate
{{DEFAULTSORT:Unicorn (1824) Frigates of the Royal Navy Museum ships in the United Kingdom Tall ships of the United Kingdom Ships built in Chatham 1824 ships Leda-class frigates Museums in Dundee Ships and vessels of the National Historic Fleet