The city of Dundee played an important role in the ‘Golden Age of Sail.’ It was a great shipbuilding hub and a jumping off point for launching expeditions like Captain Scott’s 1901 journey to Antarctica. As the years have passed, Dundee has also become a kind of ‘old folks home’ for antiquated ships, such as the HMS Unicorn, the central figure of today’s missive.
The HMS Unicorn is quite a unique ship, and as you’ll see I didn’t catch her at her finest hour. In fact, I’m not sure I should’ve even been allowed below deck given her state. Officially one of the six oldest ships in the world, the HMS Unicorn is the last surviving warship of the Age of Sail. Is this ship a world-weary and weather-beaten warrior? I assumed so, given that it was so prestigiously named after Scotland’s national animal.
But, I was wrong. The HMS Unicorn was built in Kent in 1824, just after the Napoleonic Wars, and never rigged. The only time it took to sea was on the journey from Kent to Dundee in 1873, and then by towage. While that might not fill you with awe. Consider this: What Dundee has with the HMS Unicorn is a frigate in amber.
The HMS Unicorn was constructed at the end of the war but also at a transitional period in shipbuilding. As ideal wood became scarce shipwrights turned to iron and metal, and so great bands of iron were placed to strengthen her hull. In lieu of rigging, the HMS Unicorn was roofed over and laid up ‘in ordinary,’ naval parlance for reserve.
Upon coming to Scotland, the HMS Unicorn served as the naval reserve ship for the Tay for almost a century. She also served as the headquarters ship for the senior naval officer in Dundee during both World Wars.
Today the HMS Unicorn is a naval museum with four decks to explore when she’s buttoned up and open to visitors. As you can see from the below deck picture, the HMS Unicorn was a serious warship. Fully loaded, the HMS Unicorn would have had 46 guns and been extremely fast in the water — one of the Royal Navy’s elite warships.
Almost 200 years old. One of the six oldest ships in the world. The last intact warship from the Age of Sail. That’s a lot of accolades for a ship that’s never seen service, but walking around the HMS Unicorn you get the sense they could remove the roof, raise the masts, and set sail, and this old beauty would handle the seas like a champ.
Dundee’s naval heritage is a fascinating look at the Age of Sail, and the HMS Unicorn plays an integral role.