be used in the making of the film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, in which she portrayed the Royal Navy frigate HMS with a story based on several of the books by Patrick O'Brian. The modifications included a reshaped stern, all deck structures removed, the single ship's wheel replaced by a double wheel, period fighting tops fitted, new sails, and the figurehead replaced. Renaming as HMS Surprise After the film was complete, the ship was leased and then purchased by the Maritime Museum of San Diego which has restored her to sailing condition as of September 2007. The ship has officially been re-registered as "HMS Surprise" in honor of her role in the film. She sails several times a year, often with the museum's other tall ships, the schooner and the 1863 barque . In 2010, she portrayed HMS Providence in the Disney adventure film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Related facts Although she is known by the prefix HMS, meaning Her (or His) Majesty's Ship, she is not, and had never been, commissioned in the Royal Navy. In 1991, the Connecticut General Assembly passed "An Act Concerning the HMS Rose" in which the ship was commissioned as a vessel of the Connecticut Naval Militia. The act stated that the H.M.S. Rose Foundation was responsible for maintaining the ship, but when the ship was sold to 20th Century Fox, the statute was not repealed and is still in effect. References External links Maritime Museum of San Diego page on the Surprise Photo gallery of Surprise in San Diego, October 2005 1970 ships Ships built in Nova Scotia Maritime Museum of San Diego Museum ships in San Diego Individual sailing vessels Sail training ships Tall ships of the United States Replica ships