The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has secured the future of a historic ship which led British forces on D-Day and was reviewed by the Queen at this year’s Traflagar 200 celebrations. The HLF grant of almost £1m has been awarded to the Medusa Trust to ensure the former HMS Medusa remains fully seaworthy and open for visitors to enjoy.

The Medusa, one of only 58 vessels in the Core Collection of UK Historic Ships and its three seaworthy former warships, is in need of a major refit if she is to stay on the water. The HLF funds will make this possible and ensure that the story of this intrepid Harbour Defence Motor Launch (HDML) is told to the widest possible audience.

In recent years, Medusa has only been seen in public at maritime events with her movements limited mainly to the Solent. The restoration will extend her life by 60 years and allow her to travel further, visiting new audiences at the London Boat Show, around the Isle of Wight, Weymouth, Poole, Chatham, Portsmouth and even docking at foreign ports.

Tessa Hilder, HLF Regional Manager for the South East of England said: “This major Heritage Lottery Fund investment is very timely as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War Two and the British victory at Trafalgar.

“Maritime heritage is an essential part of the South coast’s character and continues to be extremely popular with local people and visitors. HLF is thrilled to be able to secure the Medusa’s future and reveal her story for everyone to explore and learn about.”

A joint navigational leader for Omaha beach on D-Day, the Medusa marked the route through minefields for the invasion force. Notably, she accepted the surrender of German forces in 1945 at ljmuiden (Holland) and was the first allied ship to navigate the North Sea Canal to Amsterdam. Post war she became a survey vessel and was the last of this class in naval service. In 1968 she was saved from the naval scrap yard by private owners and since passed to the Medusa Trust.

With this investment, the ‘Medusa Experience’ will be improved, giving visitors the chance to volunteer on board, experiencing what it was like on a small vessel travelling to D-Day or as part of the Coastal Defence Force.

In addition, the Trust will develop portable interpretation materials in several languages, such as information boards which can be displayed on board or beside the Medusa to explain its past and involve visitors wherever she docks.

A new website detailing the history and fate of HDML crafts will be created and also a display of heritage materials which give a real feeling for the South’s wartime maritime heritage. An upgrade of the Trust’s own website is planned, including a new virtual tour and increased access to the archives on the craft.

Alan Watson, Chairman of the Medusa Trust added: “Medusa creates great interest wherever she goes, visitors range from veterans through to young children. Without this grant, this would have been our last year at sea. The Trustees and volunteers are all delighted that we will also be able to preserve the unique skills required to operate the vessel and show her off to a wider audience”

Mike Boyce, who has been Medusa’s skipper for nearly 40 years added ”It is down to the hard work of her original owners in Weymouth and latterly the volunteers in Portsmouth and Southampton that Medusa has survived so long. The grant will ensure that all the hard work was not in vain and that she will now survive as a piece of living history for many years to come”.