Portsmouth

After another poor nights sleep we had breakfast and headed into Portsmouth where we bought the day ticket that included all the historical attractions. First off we did a tour around the HMS Warrior. This was amazing. The restoration was done so well.

HMS Warrior was the name ship of her class of two 40-gun steam-powered armoured frigates built for the Royal Navy in 1859–61. She and her sister ship HMS Black Prince were the first armour-plated, iron-hulled warships, and were built in response to France's launching in 1859 of the first ocean-going ironclad warship, the wooden-hulled Gloire. Warriorconducted a publicity tour of Great Britain in 1863 and spent her active career with the Channel Squadron. She became obsolescent following the 1871 launching of the mastless and more capable HMS Devastation, was placed in reserve in 1875, and was paid off in 1883. Restoration began in 1979. It was well worth a look as you could walk all through the decks and it appeared that the crew had just stepped off yesterday.

Beautiful displays of the weapons they had on board.

 

After this we did a harbour tour with a commentary. It's a very old and interesting harbour. The history of the British Navy at Portsmouth dates back 1,200 years to its earliest days under King Alfred the Great in the 860s. This wide natural inlet in the coastline is a flooded river valley protected by a deep narrow entrance on two sides of the dockyard.

Roman and Saxon strongholds were constructed on the northern shore to defend against Viking attacks and to protect trade, but the harbour’s first permanent fort, Portchester Castle, was built after the Norman conquest in 1066.

Everything in the harbour is controlled from here.

Much of the harbour was deepened by manual digging during the Napoleonic wars by Prisoners. I had no idea that prisoners during the Napoleonic wars were used as slave labour doing difficult tasks such as digging out mudflats in Portsmouth harbour. Apparently between 1793 and 1815 at Portsmouth approximately 360,000 were kept as prisoners in hulks in the harbour. They reclaimed much of the present harbour. Apparently the dead French were just thrown onto the island at the entrance to the harbour without burial and this resulted in a rat plague!

Portsea Island, at the entrance to the harbour, was used as a mustering station for armies during the wars with France, and by the late 12th century a small town had grown on the south-western corner of the Island to accommodate workers and to service troops.

This is a Duke class frigate and it is about to be deployed.

The original dry dock on the harbour built for Henry VIII's ships.

HMS Victory. Nelson's boat is the oldest naval ship still in Commission and it has a Capatin and crew.

The latest in technology

These are amoury barges and this is shown by the fact there is a red line around them.

 

This is where Sir Walter Raleigh landed his exotic wares such as potatoes and tea. It was also the area infamous for press gangs and brothels.

 

I had no idea that prisoners during the Napoleonic wars were used as slave labour doing difficult tasks such

as digging out mudflats in Portsmouth harbour. Apparently between 1793 and 1815 at Portsmouth approximately 360,000 were kept as prisoners.in hulks in the harbour. They reclaimed much of the present harbour. Apparently the dead French were just thrown onto the island at the entrance to the harbour without burial and this resulted in a rat plague!

Portsea Island, at the entrance to the harbour, was used as a mustering station for armies during the wars with France, and by the late 12th century a small town had grown on the south-western corner of the Island to accommodate workers and to service troops.

Then it was onto the Mary Rose a Tudor warship, the flagship of Henry VIII. This was raised in the 1970's is still undergoing restoration. The museum which houses it does a great job of giving you a glimpse of what life may have been like on board in the 1500's

 

A quick Carrot and Coriander soup for lunch and then onto the beautifully restored HMS Victory.

 

 

A tour of HMS Victory, the flagship and death place of Vice Admiral Nelson.

 

 

 

Q

This was where Nelson actually died on board the ship. He had begged not to be buried at sea so the surgeon put him in a big vat of brandy like below and pickled him for the three months until the ship returned to England.

 

 

This small boat is one of the few surviving World War One ships and it was used to support troops landing at Gallipoli. It is being restored at present.

We were too late for the submarine tour so Geoff did the naval museum and I curled up in the tea Rooms!

By the way this is where we stayed last night and tonight.

We are staying in this bit which was built in the 1700's. The photo below is the manor house build in the 1500's.