First night of HMS Victory’s mast removal a huge success as £42m Big Repair project reaches major milestone

HMS Victory’s team of conservators, shipwrights and riggers have taken a step forward as part of the latest phase of a £42m project - The Big Repair - to conserve the flagship.

On April 27, a specialist project team started three nights of work to remove Victory’s rear, front and bow masts using a 750-tonne crane. Once removed, the masts will be safely lowered and laid near the ship, ready for careful conservation work to begin.

Patrizia Pierazzo, HMS Victory deputy project director, said: “Tonight (April 27) was a great start, the team worked through some initial challenges with the mast wedges. But overall, the lift process was undertaken safely, and we now have the foremast securely removed from the ship.”

The ship’s main mast was removed in 2021 at the start of the programme, and once the remaining masts and bowsprit come down, the project team can move into the next phase of The Big Repair, including the construction of a huge scaffolding structure that will enclose the ship and remain in place until the conservation project ends in 2033.

Andrew Baines, executive director of museum operations for NMRN, said: “This is a key moment for The Big Repair project - being the first time Victory will have been without all her masts since the early 1890s.

“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.

“The operation itself will be impressive with a 750t crane rigged on site for a week. We have learned a huge amount from the removal of Main Lower Mast in 2021 and once all masts are removed and safely stored, we can begin the critical work of conserving them before their eventual return to the ship in 2033.”

Visitors will be also able to follow this exciting chapter of the project, with the team set to publish behind-the-scenes films, short reels and progress updates across official channels. Where conditions allow, footage will be released after each night of the works so audiences can track the operation step-by-step.

Stuart Sheldon, lead rigger at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, 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.”

HMS Victory and the wider Portsmouth Historic Dockyard site will remain open to visitors as usual throughout the works.