HMS Trincomalee Bicentenary

Celebrate the 200th anniversary of the launch of HMS Trincomalee, Britain’s oldest warship still afloat. This official cover produced in partnership with the National Museum of the Royal Navy features a Hartlepool postmark dated 12 October 2017, the bicentenary date, and high-quality imagery of the frigate berthed at Jackson Dock.

Historical Note – HMS Trincomalee
Built in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1817, HMS Trincomalee is a Leda-class frigate constructed from teak—a choice that has preserved her to this day. After nearly eighty years in service and decades as a training vessel named Foudroyant, she was rescued, restored, and relocated to Hartlepool in 1987. Today she stands as the oldest warship afloat in the UK and remains a vital link to early‑19th-century naval craftsmanship and empire history.