Hampshire County Council have been criticised for restoring the historic warship, HMS Minerva M33, saying that the money could have been spent on maintaining "axed libraries."
Culture and recreation chief Councillor Keith Chapman, defended the expenditure.
He said: “The county council saved and restored the M33 warship, which is one of only two surviving First World War ships, and it will now become an even more popular public attraction as the nation remembers the 1914-18 war when it celebrates the centenary of that war.”
Cllr Chapman said the county was in discussion with National Museum of the Royal Navy to secure funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for future works.
The ship refit comes after the council closed Stanmore Library in Waverley Way in 2012 to save £36,000 per year. The library moved to The Carroll Centre where it is now run by volunteers.
North Baddesley Library was also shut last year but reopened the following day as a community library run by the parish council and Friends of North Baddesley Library.
The thing to remember is that NO LIBRARIES HAVE BEEN CLOSED and a historic warship has been saved for the nation, thus increasing tourism and bringing income to the region.
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