Well I never.....not a single word yet from the "preservationists". I wonder why. Perhaps the realities are sinking in. Even "Britannia" is from some reports looking a bit down at heel these days. But all is not lost!
Let's just look at what a preserved ship needs.....apart from the berthing costs and upkeep and so on.
1. The ship needs to be just part of a wider "entertainment" complex.
Look at the ones that have failed, "Cavalier" on the Tyne, because she was stuffed out of sight and had nothing "going for it" in the way of other attractions.
HMS "Plymouth", stuck in Mill Bay without any outside attractions apart from the drizzle.
2. "Warrior" is just outside the main gate of Portsmouth Dockyard. It is also within a stones throw of "Old Portsmouth", "Mary Rose" and "Victory"...and various other attractions.
3. HMS "Cavalier" is the centrepiece of a re-juvenated Chatham Dockyard. All sorts of other attractions there including aircraft and "how things were done" type exhibits.
Perhaps it is not surprising that all the successful ones are based in the south of England. To a degree, I would suggest that Northern counties take note of what an entrepenour can do, and give support, instead of sitting back and just saying "It'll never work". Beamish did, and does. But then so does Durham Cathedral without any overt support from the politicians. Alnwick Castle (not a million miles away) has prospered. And not just via Harry Potter. There is no logical reason why all our Naval heritage has to be based on the South Coast. With a population of over 60 million not all of them can live in Kent, Surrey or Dorset (etc). Perhaps it just takes a little "push" to get things moving up here again. Maybe. BY.