HMS Caroline-Titanic Quarter

Just the other day I was reading on-line about the Titanic Quarter a 7 Billion pound project on the Belfast waterfront. This is an amazing project, and I hope I will get a chance to visit in the not too distant future. I was really interested to learn that HMS Caroline is a part of this project. The ship was involved in the Battle of Jutland, and served  in the Far East  China Station for several years. During the 2nd World War she was docked in Belfast at the Alexander dock as headquarters for the Royal Navy N.Ireland Division..  My connection to this old Royal Navy cruiser is that as a Sea Cadet in 1954 I actually trained aboard the Caroline. When the ship was decommissioned in 2011 she was the second oldest warship in the Royal Navy after HMS Victory. The Caroline was built by Cammell Laird of Birkenhead in 1914 and was the fastest built warship of any significances, taking just nine months from keel to launch. I made mention of the ship in my first book “Lily & Me” and having walked her decks I’m proud I have recorded a small piece of history within the pages.
I wish here in Canada we would place more importance on our history and save such items of interest for future generations. The Avro Arrow comes to mind, lost forever. In the 2nd World War Canada built and manned some 400 corvettes, The Royal Canadian Navy was the third largest navy in the world during the war. Only the US Navy and the Royal Navy were larger. Today only one RCN Corvette remains, HMCS Sackville. Not a record to be proud of.
Cheers and keep reading.