Extension to the Storage of a Royal Navy Ship Submitted to Local Council.....

RML 497, which is currently stored at Hartlepool's National Museum of the Royal Navy

The charity which holds the World War II ship that was brought to Hartlepool back in 2019 & placed into storage ever since is seeking an extension to its keeping at the current site, despite little (if any) restorative works ever being completed.

4th April 2025

Edited 4th April 06:48am

The National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) in Hartlepool has submitted an application to Hartlepool Borough Council looking to extend the temporary siting of a structure which houses a remarkable piece of maritime history: The Royal Navy Motor Launch (RML) 497.

Originally granted permission by the local council back in 2018, the museum is now seeking to prolong the arrangement for an additional five years, ensuring the vessel remains protected whilst plans for its permanent display take shape.

A Long Journey North, only to be sat in storage for years on end

RML 497, as it currently sits in a storage depot in Hartlepool

RML 497 is no ordinary vessel. Built in 1941, this 34-metre rescue motor launch reportedly played a vital role during the Second World War, serving with the Royal Navy’s Coastal Forces from 1941 to 1946.

With its rare double-diagonal mahogany hull—a surviving relic of wartime craftsmanship—it was said to have been instrumental in rescuing downed airmen. After the war, the ship transitioned into civilian life, becoming a beloved ferry service in South West England.

The NMRN acquired RML 497 back in 2015 with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (£90,600), the Coastal Forces Heritage Trust (£5,000), and the museum itself (£5,000), where in 2019, the vessel then embarked on its most significant voyage: a 400-mile journey from Southampton Water to Hartlepool. Facilitated by a £499,250 grant from the Tees Valley Combined Authority and additional investment from the Royal Navy Museum itself, the relocation was said to have been part of a £1.1 million regeneration project aimed at preserving the ship and showcasing it at the Hartlepool museum, however its claimed that in the near six years its been laid up in storage in Hartlepool, very little in the way of restorative works have been undertaken.

Challenges and Delays

Hartlepool Borough Councils Managing Director Denise McGuckin is listed as one of the Directors of NMRN Hartlepool

The NMRN, said that the road to preserving RML 497 has not been smooth.

The Covid-19 pandemic reportedly dealt a severe blow to museums across the UK, including Hartlepool’s NMRN. Declining visitor numbers forced the museum to prioritise business resilience over ambitious conservation projects. Its claimed that only within the past year have attendance levels returned to pre-pandemic norms, allowing the museum to now refocus on its long-term goals.

It understood that the NMRN is also headed by no other than Hartlepool Borough Councils Managing Director Denise McGuckin, who sits as one of the directors of the Museum according to reports from Companies House...

In a planning statement supporting the extension request, the NMRN explains: “Progress towards a permanent solution for the display of RML 497 were significantly hampered during the Covid-19 pandemic and for a significant period afterwards… The original planning permission for the shed (granted in 2019) therefore needs to be extended to enable the large-scale redevelopment plans to progress to the next stages and to ensure RML 497 remains protected.”

The temporary structure, currently situated in a car park next to the museum, has served as a stopgap to shield the vessel from the elements. The proposed five-year extension would buy the museum critical time to finalise its plans.

The permanent display of RML 497 is said to be a key component of Hartlepool’s broader Waterfront Regeneration programme, a collaborative effort involving the NMRN and Hartlepool Borough Council. This initiative includes two National Lottery Heritage Fund applications—one for the New Naval Galleries and another for the Reimagining of the Museum of Hartlepool. Both projects are in their early stages, and the relocation of RML 497 hinges on securing funding and agreeing on a design that satisfies all stakeholders, including the Heritage Fund.

The NMRN anticipates submitting a Round 1 funding bid in 2025. Once approved, a clearer timeline will emerge for how long RML 497 needs to remain in its current location. Until then, extending the temporary permission is seen as essential to safeguarding the vessel’s future.

RML 497’s story is one of resilience and reinvention, from wartime heroics to peacetime service. Its survival is a testament to the craftsmanship of its era and the dedication of those who have worked to preserve it. The NMRN, chaired by Hartlepool Borough Council’s Managing Director Denise McGuckin, remains committed to ensuring this historic craft takes its rightful place as a centrepiece of the museum’s offerings, but concerns are said to be emerging over whether the ambitious plans boasted by the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Hartlepool can actually be achieved.

For now, the ship rests quietly in Hartlepool, awaiting the next chapter of its journey. With the distant hopes that the RML 497 could soon become a permanent fixture in Hartlepool’s maritime heritage & a fitting tribute to its remarkable past.

The Wingfield Castle, which stands as a testament of a decades worth of neglect by Hartlepool Borough Council

However, others have pointed towards some of the other elements of Hartlepool's Maritime centrepieces which due to council underfunding have been left to quietly 'rot', serving as a poignant reminder of a local council that's abandoned its commitment to the towns maritime past & left some of its historical relics to wither away...