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December 03, 2003
Down to the sea in ships ...
I have just returned from another of those lunatic drives across this overcrowded island, this time to and from Portsmouth. In fairness, the traffic wasn't that bad and the trip was done in less time than I had anticipated. It was also worth the effort.
Portsmouth is the home of the Royal Navy and is soaked in the history of the maritime traditions which made this island the centre of the greatest empire the world has ever seen. And before anyone attacks that bit of history, lets just ask ourselves what it did achieve which was of benefit. Quite a lot in the longer term of things, like democratic governments, infrastructures, justice systems and a host of concepts of the rights of the individual which still influence a vast sweep of the globe.
The purpose of the visit to Portsmouth was to do something I have long wanted to do, and never really made the time for. I wanted to visit HMS Victory, Admiral Nelson's flagship at the battle of Trafalgar. Also there is the first all iron armoured battleship built for the Royal Navy (or any other for that matter) and the Submarine Museum, located across the harbour at Gosport, in the former HMS Dolphin base.
HMS Victory is still in commision, although now almost 240 years old and permanently dry docked. She is an impressive ship, already 40 years old at Trafalgar, she retains her sense of power, yet she is shorter in length than both HMS Warrior or any of the many modern Frigates berthed around her. She is still the base Flagship and proudly flies the flag of the Port Admiral, yet she is brought to life as a ship of Nelson's navy by the ex-RN guides who know her history and her features as well as any of the ship's they have served in.
Pictured is the restored HMS WARRIOR
A tour of the ship, once home to a crew of over 900 officers, men and Royal Marines, makes one conscious of just how privileged we are in our lifestyles and our creature comforts. And we owe it to the men who manned ships like this in fair weather and foul. I am a mere 6 feet 2 inches in height, but I can only stand upright between the deck beams on the middle and lower gun decks. In the orlop, where the Midshipmen lived and Nelson (and many more) died, I cannot even stand straight between the beams.
HMS Warrior, afloat in a berth a short walk away, and built in 1860 is, by contrast, huge, yet the accommodation is not that different. What is immensely improved is the deck space - and having a powerful steam engine driven screw propeller, she is independent of the wind. She is both longer and the space from deck to deck is much greater. I had no difficulty standing upright anywhere.
Technology advances by leaps and bounds - Warrior was out of date a mere 10 years later with the introduction of armoured turret ships. Less than 40 years after that, the seeds of the demise of the battleship were sown by the launch of Holland 1, the RN's first submarine boat, and the flight of the first powered aircraft.
As Pratchett remarks in "Small Gods"; "De chelonia mobile".
Good night all.
Posted by The Gray Monk at December 3, 2003 01:29 AM
Comments
Did you know that the naval museum at Portsmouth has various bits and pieces from your wife's Great Uncle? He was the champion British naval boxer (bantam weight)....
Posted by: A Nony Mouse at December 3, 2003 03:08 AM
Yes, I did, but they are in Plymouth, the Devon Depot base as Uncle Percy was a Plymouth man in terms of Naval depot. Plymouth is next on my list of places. That rascally pirate Sir Francis Drake's home port.
"Drake, he was a Devon man ..."
Posted by: The Gray Monk at December 3, 2003 01:03 PM
My thanks to a visitor who pointed out that the Takao was in fact sunk on 31 July 1945 and not in 1944 as I wrote.
Posted by: The Gray Monk at January 22, 2004 11:25 PM