HMS Cavalier, Royal Navy destroyer memorial in Chatham Historic Dockyard, England
HMS Cavalier is a preserved Royal Navy destroyer at Chatham Historic Dockyard in England. The warship displays multiple decks with command bridges, crew living spaces, gun turrets and engine compartments in their original condition.
The destroyer entered service in 1944 and took part in convoy escort missions in the North Atlantic and off the Norwegian coast. After the Second World War, she remained active until 1972 before being preserved as a floating museum.
Serving as the national memorial for all lost destroyers, the ship carries bronze panels naming hundreds of vessels and thousands of crew members. Visitors can walk the decks and see how compact and functional the spaces were for sailors at the time.
Tours of the ship are included with dockyard admission and allow access to all open areas on board. Passageways and ladders are steep and narrow, so sturdy footwear and some mobility are helpful.
The hull was built partly with welding instead of full riveting, which marked a technical innovation in British shipbuilding at the time. This construction method reduced production time and lowered the overall weight of the ship.
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