Mast of HMS Ganges at Shotley Gate, near Ipswich, restored to former glory

Emotions are riding high at a museum near Ipswich after a grade-II listed mast, taken from a Victorian training ship, was restored to its former glory.

HMS Ganges, based in Shotley Gate, was a pre-training centre for Royal Navy recruits between 1905 and 1976.

The boys, as young as 15, were trained at the beginning of their 12 year service at sea for their country – many of whom came from rough backgrounds.

The mast, which is about 144ft high, was removed in June 2022 and restored over the course of a year.

Barrie Scott-Webb, a trustee at the HMS Ganges Museum, felt the mast had been ‘returned to its former glory’, and said it was an emotional moment to once again see it in place.

Like an estimated 160,000 other boys, Mr Scott-Webb trained at Royal Naval Training Establishment Shotley. He was stationed there between 1961 and 1962.

Mr Scott-Webb said: “The mast looks beautiful. Watching it get restored piece-by-piece was a fantastic feeling.

“The mast had started to decay after the HMS Ganges site closed in 1976.

“The mast was restored at Nelson Hall, on the site, as it was really the only place that fit. The entire thing was restored by hand. It’s absolutely wonderful to see.

“The companies who restored it did a fantastic job. Their commitment and hard work is appreciated by everyone who served aboard the Ganges.”

Mr Scott-Webb described discipline there as ‘harsh’ but ‘second-to-none’.

HMS Ganges was one of several vessels to share the name, dating back to 1779.

The first was a 74-gun vessel, while the fourth had 84 guns and was commissioned in 1821.

HMS Ganges was stripped of its guns and turned into a training vessel in 1865. It moved to Harwich in 1899, and Shotley shortly after.

The vessel was broken up in 1930 and its timber was fashioned into various things, including a grand staircase on an estate in South Devon, a cocktail bar in a small hotel on Burgh Island in South Devon, and numerous miniature rum barrels and other items, the museum said.

The HMS Ganges Museum was established in 1982 by many former Ganges boys, and aims to preserve the area’s maritime history.

It even has the ship’s former helm on display.

The mast is located on a hill behind the museum – and development of hundreds of homes is ongoing at the site.

Mr Scott-Webb added: “We’re always looking to gather more parts that made up the ship itself and we never turn anything away.

“We’re in a lovely spot, between Felixstowe and Harwich, which means we can be seen by lots of visitors.

“The Queen visited the Ganges site back in 1961 – and we hope to welcome Charles III soon.”