HMS Victory mast removal marks next stage in major conservation project

The masts of historical UK-flagged vessel HMS Victory were removed over three nights in April as part of a GBP 42 million (EUR 48.21 million) conservation programme, marking the next stage of the National Museum of the Royal Navy’s ten-year restoration of Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship.
The work forms part of The Big Repair, a ten-year project which marks just over 100 years since HMS Victory entered drydock in Portsmouth in 1922. A 750-tonne crane removed the mizzen mast, foremast and bowsprit. The main mast was removed in 2021. Once the lifts were complete, the masts were laid beside the ship, and a full enclosure will be built around the vessel until work ends in 2033.
Andrew Baines, executive director, National Museum of the Royal Navy, said the operation marked “a key moment for The Big Repair project". He continued: "Our team has planned this step in meticulous detail, but we still have to work around factors like the weather. That's why we will carry out the lifts overnight, so we can work safely and without interruption for several hours at a time."
Stuart Sheldon, lead rigger at the museum, said: "HMS Victory matters to people in a way few objects do. That brings real pressure, and it should. This lift is complex and it needs absolute precision. Putting the plan into action on the night will be a career highlight for the whole team."
It is the first time the UK-flagged HMS Victory had stood without any of its masts since the early 1890s. The ship and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard will remain open throughout the works.