HMS Warrior

About the museum

HMS Warrior was built for the Royal Navy in 1859 to 1861, after France launched the first ocean-going ironclad warship in 1859. She was the first British warship with an iron hull and armour plating, and at the time she was the largest and fastest warship in the world. With both steam engines and sails, she was a powerful deterrent, and in 1863 she toured Britain to show off the Navy's new strength.

Her active career was short. Newer ships made her obsolete within about a decade, and she was placed in reserve in 1875 and paid off in 1883. She then served as a storeship, a depot ship and a torpedo training ship, and from 1927 she worked as an oil jetty, a role she kept until 1979.

In 1979 the Navy donated the ship to the Maritime Trust, which spent eight years restoring and re-creating her fittings. She came to Portsmouth in 1987, where she has been a museum ship ever since and is part of the National Historic Fleet. Today visitors board her at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, walk the upper deck, the gun deck and the engine rooms, and meet costumed interpreters who show the ship as she was in 1863.

Highlights

• Britain's first iron-hulled, armoured warship
• Restored engine rooms where steam replaced sail
• Gun deck and recreated Victorian interiors
• Costumed interpreters in the roles of the 1863 crew
• Masts and sails that cover the area of 13 tennis courts

Permanent exhibition

• HMS Warrior – Explore the restored decks, gun deck and engine rooms of Britain's first iron-hulled armoured warship, and meet costumed interpreters.

Founded

1987

Operated by

National Museum of the Royal Navy

Admission & discounts

The day ticket covers one ship or museum of your choice; HMS Warrior is one of the Dockyard's ships and has no separate ticket. Tickets with Gift Aid include a voluntary donation. UK serving personnel with a valid MOD90 card enter free, and several other groups receive a 20% discount on walk-up tickets. Art Fund National Art Pass holders receive free entry to the Dockyard attractions.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The ship is boarded by a ramp that suits wheelchairs and small, narrow mobility scooters. Because the ship floats in a wet dock, the slope of the ramp varies with the tide, and a low tide is recommended. Wheelchair users can visit the upper deck, and a stair lift, operated with the help of staff, leads from the upper deck to the gun deck. The ship has steep stairs with rope handrails, trip hazards, low ceilings and poor lighting, and it can be slippery when wet; an accessible route is marked on the deck plan. Accessible toilets with baby changing are in Boathouse 4, Boathouse 7 and the Mary Rose Museum. Disabled parking spaces in the Dockyard car park cannot be pre-booked. Assistance animals are allowed, and carers receive a free ticket.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly: not available
• Baby changing facilities

Children under 3 are free and children aged 3 to 15 pay a reduced price. Costumed interpreters bring the ship to life, and family events such as the Set Sail for Storytime sessions and A Christmas Ship are held on board. Pushchairs are not allowed on the ship; a buggy park is outside the entrance. Baby changing is in the accessible toilets in Boathouse 4, Boathouse 7 and the Mary Rose Museum.

Getting there & parking

The Dockyard is less than 5 miles from junction 12 of the M27; follow the brown and white signs to Historic Dockyard. Do not try to enter through Trafalgar Gate.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi is available to visitors; users sign in and accept terms. Cafés and shops are on the Dockyard site, such as the cafés in Boathouse 4, Boathouse 7 and the Visitor Centre. Bags are searched at the entrance and large suitcases are not allowed; removed items are held at the visitor centre.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Venue hire is offered by the National Museum of the Royal Navy at its Portsmouth sites.

Plan your visit