A SECOND World War Atlantic convoy ship adopted by Wellington has been honoured by King Charles to mark its birthday and the 85th anniversary of the start of the Navy’s hardest, and greatest, victory.

‘Wellington’, a Grimsby-class sloop built in Devonport in 1934, escorted 103 convoys and was credited with saving more than 400 mariners after enemy attacks.

She was also involved in the Dunkirk evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force in 1940.

The people of Wellington adopted the warship in 1942, and since 1948 she has been moored on the River Thames on London’s Embankment, and rebadged ‘HQS (HeadQuarters Ship) Wellington’.

The vessel has been maintained as a heritage asset since 2005 by the Wellington Trust, which is trying to raise £50,000 to maintain her in ‘shipshape’ condition.

Now, the King has agreed to restore the vintage warship’s HMS status to mark both her 90th birthday and the 85th anniversary of Britain’s declaration of war in September, 1939.

She is the last of 13 sloops built for the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian and Royal Indian Navies for escort/anti-submarine duties.

A handful of other Battle of the Atlantic warships survive, including the cruiser HMS Belfast, destroyer HMS Cavalier, and corvette HMCS Sackville, but without the same pedigree as HMS Wellington (1934).

Trust chairman Professor Dominic Tweddle said: “This change of name in her 90th anniversary year is a true testament to her heritage as the sole surviving dedicated Battle of the Atlantic warship in Europe.

“There is no better day for HMS Wellington (1934) to adopt her new name, on the 85th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Atlantic.”

Earlier this year, Wellington town councillors agreed to explore if closer links could be established between the community and the warship.

Cllr Keith Wheatley was then delegated with visiting the ship and talking to the trustees when he was next in London.

After the war the ship was sent for breaking up, but was saved by the Honourable Company of Master Mariners and converted to a floating events venue/headquarters of a livery company/floating classroom.