What objects are in HMS Unicorn’s stores? What significance do they hold? HMS Unicorn’s summer exhibition showcases some of the Unicorn’s treasures, exploring the stories behind them, what makes them a ‘treasure’, and how they fit into Dundee’s history.

The Unicorn Preservation Society, the charitable trust behind national treasure HMS Unicorn, has received its biggest single donation to date, £100,000 from The Headley Trust, to help fund the much needed restoration of Scotland’s oldest ship.

In her new role as a training ship, HMS Unicorn was fully refitted and given a host of modern weaponry, including a 9 inch 100-pounder smooth-bore gun. When the Dundee Courier and Advertiser reported on the refitting of the ship in 1874, they commented that,

HMS Unicorn was launched in 1824, just after the great sea campaign against Napoleon, as part of a programme for re-equipping a battle-weary Royal Navy. This was the start of a long period of peace. HMS Unicorn was part of Britain’s strategic deterrent but …

The Unicorn Preservation Society is a registered charity and relies on your gifts, donations and legacies to remain open. Help us ensure HMS Unicorn’s unique history spans many more generations. Here are a few examples of how your donation can help:

Unicorn’s century as a naval reserve ship saw thousands of recruits train on board, including over 1,500 from the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRENS). The ship also played an important role in both the First and Second World War, acting as a recruiting station and …

HMS Unicorn announced as a partner for Imperial War Museums’ £2.5m art commissioning programme

HMS Unicorn and the Unicorn Preservation Society have been fortunate to receive the kind support of the nation’s Royal Family for over 50 years. The ship’s first Royal Patron was HRH Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.

National treasure HMS Unicorn reopened to the public on Tuesday 21 February following an extensive period of closure, which has enabled the popular Dundee docked museum and visitor attraction to undergo urgent roof repairs, costing in excess of £100,000.

HMS Unicorn represents the last great flourish of wooden shipbuilding and illustrates the birth of the iron steamship. Seppings took advantage of the availability, strength and compactness of iron and introduced new methods of construction which greatly strengthened wooden ships.