HMS Monitor M33

1919
Following her return from Russia she became a tender. 1924 The ship became part of the Reserve Fleet at Chatham. 1925 Monitor M33 was converted to a minelaying training ship and based at HMS Vernon, Portsmouth. She was renamed HMS Minerva. 1939 She was used at Portsmouth for a variety of purposes, including that of a fuelling hulk. She was formally hulked the following year and put up for sale.

1943
She was converted to a boom defence workshop.

1944
She was towed to the Clyde where she acted as part of the boom defences on the river.

1946
Monitor M33 returned to Portsmouth Harbour. She became a floating workshop and office, servicing local Fleet Auxiliary craft at the Royal Clarence Yard. She was renamed RMAS Minerva Hulk C23.

M33 as a hulk in the 1970s

1984
RMAS Minerva Hulk C23 was put up for sale.

1987
Purchased by the Hartlepool Ship Preservation Trust, Monitor M33 was transported on a barge to Hartlepool for restoration. In the event only the funnel was restored.

1990
Purchased by Hampshire County Council the vessel was prepared for a tow back to Portsmouth.

1991
Berthed in Portsmouth Naval dockyard. Managed by the Royal Naval Museum on behalf of Hampshire County Council Museums Service. The ship was painted above the waterline and the forward gun installed.

M33 (right) in dry dock next to HMS Victory

1995
Restoration was taken over by Hampshire County Council Museums Service to return the ship to its external 1915-1919 configuration.

1997
With new masts in place she was dry docked in No.1 dry dock to allow extensive works to stabilise hull corrosion to be carried out.

1998
The hull was made watertight and to 2000 an electrolytic technique to remove chlorides from between the riveted joints was employed, the largest artefact to receive this treatment.

2000
Internal structural works and to 2006 external fittings were concentrated upon in this phase. Externally the ship is now as she looked in 1915-1919. Virtually all the fittings, anchors, gun-shields, etc were fabricated from scratch. A few items such as the aft gun are original First World War artefacts. The aft gun was given to the project by the Chilean Navy. It was present, and probably fired, at the Battle of Jutland as one of the aft guns on HMS Canada.

2007
M33 was painted in the dazzle anti-submarine camouflage she wore for most of 1918.