Video: Watch as HMS Victory masts removed during major repairs

HMS Victory is having its remaining masts removed during three overnight crane lifts this week, as work continues on ‘The Big Repair’, the ten-year £42m conservation programme for Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar.

HMS Victory is the world’s oldest commissioned warship and is now permanently located in a dry dock at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, UK.

A time-lapse video of the foremast removal, on the first night of the works, can be seen below. More than 50 specialists were involved in the operation, with traditional riggers working through the night, coordinating every movement as a crane lifted the 26-metre mast clear.

The ship’s conservators, shipwrights and riggers are now in the next stage of the ongoing conservation and repair project. Across three nights, between 27-29 April 2026, a specialist team is using a 750-tonne crane to remove Victory’s mizzen mast, foremast and bowsprit. Each section is being lowered to the ground near the vessel in turn, where conservation work is set to begin.

The main mast was removed in 2021 during the programme’s earlier phase. Once the remaining masts and bowsprit have been taken down, the next stage includes the construction of a large scaffolding structure around the ship. The enclosure is expected to remain in place until the project is completed in 2033.

HMS Victory and the wider Portsmouth Historic Dockyard site remain open to visitors during the works.

“This is a key moment for The Big Repair project”, said Andrew Baines, executive director of museum operations for NMRN, “being the first time Victory will have been without all her masts since the early 1890s.

“Our team has planned this step in meticulous detail, but we still have to work around factors like the weather. That’s why we will carry out the lifts overnight, so we can work safely and without interruption for several hours at a time”.

“The operation itself will be impressive with a 750t crane rigged on site for a week. We have learned a huge amount from the removal of Main Lower Mast in 2021, and once all masts are removed and safely stored, we can begin the critical work of conserving them before their eventual return to the ship in 2033.”

Stuart Sheldon, lead rigger at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, adds: “HMS Victory matters to people in a way few objects do. That brings real pressure, and it should. This lift is complex and it needs absolute precision. Putting the plan into action on the night will be a career highlight for the whole team.”

Visitor access during the project

Lifting operations supported by PHD Access are taking place outside public opening hours. The project team says it will publish behind-the-scenes films, short reels and progress updates through official channels. A longer film featuring interviews with the riggers and preparation work before the lifts is also planned.

Entry to HMS Victory is included within a Portsmouth Historic Dockyard ticket, which covers multiple attractions on site. Visitors can view the conservation work, tour the ship and learn more about Horatio Nelson, the Battle of Trafalgar and the history of the Royal Navy.

More information about HMS Victory: The Big Repair is available on the project’s online hub.