Royal Navy Museums - HMS Victory

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Collective Wisdom worked with the Royal Navy Museums on a major, multi‑phase PR campaign supporting HMS Victory’s decade‑long conservation project, The Big Repair. Across three news announcements, our strategy combined high‑impact storytelling, media planning and national and regional outreach to position HMS Victory as one of the UK’s most significant heritage projects.

The first announcement detailed the removal of HMS Victory’s remaining masts, leaving the ship mastless for the first time since the 1890s to allow conservation work to progress. The story generated exceptional interest, totalling an impressive 273 individual pieces of coverage across broadcast, print and online. Highlights included The One Show, ITV Meridian, GB News, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, iNews, BBC News, The Independent and Daily Mail, alongside widespread regional pickup from The Yorkshire Post to The Belfast Telegraph.

The second announcement revealed the discovery of six nineteenth‑century coins beneath the foremast, offering new insight into maritime traditions. Our campaign achieved over 170 pieces of coverage, including BBC Radio Solent, Times Radio, The Telegraph, The Independent, ITV News, BBC News and The Daily Express.

Finally, we supported the launch of new summer displays at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, securing coverage in Daily Mail, Portsmouth News, ITV Meridian and an interview on BBC Radio Solent.

Together, these announcements delivered more than 450 pieces of coverage, raising national awareness of The Big Repair and strengthening the profile of HMS Victory.