HMS Caroline

HMS Caroline is a genuine survivor — a light cruiser launched in 1914 that fought at Jutland in 1916 and went on to serve for a century. She is now preserved in the Alexandra Dock in the Titanic Quarter as one of only a handful of Jutland veterans left anywhere.

Below decks you explore the engine rooms, the sick bay, the galley and the cramped living quarters, getting a vivid sense of life aboard a First World War cruiser. Interactive displays set out the story of Jutland — the largest naval battle of the war — and Caroline's long later career as a Belfast-based training and headquarters ship.

Because she stayed in service so long, the ship is a layered time capsule, mixing Edwardian naval fittings with later twentieth-century additions. It is an easy win for families and anyone interested in the mechanical guts of a warship.

Visitor tips

• Steep companionways below decks make it less suited to very young children.
• Allow around ninety minutes.