Ramona Adams
BAE Systems has partnered with the national museum of the British navy to help restore the U.K.’s 252-year-old HMS Victory warship.
The company said Monday its engineers will replace HMS Victory’s structural support system as part of a restoration project that began in 2011 and will be completed in 2018.
“The new support system design and the installation process has been painstakingly developed over the past five years,” said Andrew Baines, project director at the National Museum of the Royal Navy.
Baines added that the experience gained from the preservation effort will be used to support other historic ships worldwide.
Engineers will replace HMS Victory’s 22 steel cradles with 134 props to evenly distribute the ship’s load and preserve its wooden hull.
The restoration work also involved the removal of masts and booms to prevent rotting and water damage; refurbishment of the cabins; hull repaint; the addition of a new walkway to provide access to visitors; and the installation of a new fire detection and suppression system.
HMS Victory is the oldest commissioned warship in the world and the U.K. navy’s fleet.
