Cammell Laird open to public during Battle of the Atlantic weekend

Visitors to the Birkenhead shipyard will be able to bid a fond farewell to Laird-built vessel HMS Edinburgh on her final visit to the Mersey before being decommissioned.

The event will form part of Battle of the Atlantic 70th anniversary commemorations of which Laird is the main sponsor.

HMS Edinburgh will be in Laird's wet basin and open for public tours on May 25, 26 and 27 between 11am and 4pm.

There is no charge for the tour and interested visitors are asked to report the yard’s Campelltown Road address where car parking will be made available. The French naval vessel FS PM L’Her will be joining HMS Edinburgh at Cammell Laird.

Cammell Laird's chief executive John Syvret said: "We are delighted to welcome HMS Edinburgh which will help us formally recognise our defiant partnership of working with the Royal Navy to defend Britain for more than 170 years.

"Cammell Laird fought shoulder to shoulder with the Royal Navy during World War Two and the Battle of the Atlantic.

"We are very proud to be part of the national focus for the country to pay tribute to the ordinary men and women who became giants to fight this terrible battle for their families and their country.

"For the veterans that remain, this will be an especially poignant event for them to remember their friends and loved ones who lost their lives more than 70 years ago."

In total Cammell Laird built 106 naval vessels averaging one ship every 21 days during World War Two.

The yard’s largest ever workforce of 12,000 also completed repairs on 2000 merchant vessels and 120 warships including nine battleships and 11 aircraft carriers.

HMS Edinburgh was laid down in July 1980, number 1375. The vessel was launched by Mrs Anne Heseltine on April 14, 1983.

A number of men who helped build the vessel still work at Cammell Laird making this a very proud moment for the company to welcome her back one final time after many years of distinguished service with the Royal Navy.