Maritime glory: historic ships and wrecks
Historic ships and a flavour of Britain's maritime glory are on offer at Porstmouth docks, reports Harry Nicholson
The naval docks in Old Portsmouth are still partially used as working docks for the Royal Navy but a small part is used as a museum holding multiple famous ships from British maritime history, such as the Mary Rose, the flagship of Henry the VIII’s navy, the Victory admiral Nelson’s flagship in the battle of Trafalgar, where he died and the warrior the first iron clad warship built.
The first place I visited was the museum surrounding the Mary Rose, which is filled with information about what the boat was like, what was on the boat, how it most likely sunk and lots of artefacts rescued from its ruins. Once you are done with the museum you can then go on to looking at the boat, where you passthrough an airlock to keep the boat preserved as it was underwater for several hundred years. As you go in, you can smell the salt water they use to help preserve the wreck and along the walls are even more artefacts.
After visiting the Mary Rose we went to the Victory which you are able to board. As you go through the ship it gives you information about the ship and about how life would have been. It also tells you about what the battle of Trafalgar would have been like and has almost all of the ship's original cannons and other artefacts are on display. Right at the end of the trip through the ship you see the spot where Nelson died.
Once we had finished looking at the Victory and the surrounding museum we moved on to HMS Warrior which was the first ever iron clad warship and was still floating in the wet docks and you
were able to board it as well. However the Warrior was less of a museum and more of a tour through the boat where everything was restored and back to how it would have looked in the 1800s. There is still information of the ship but much less but it was a nice change of pace to the day that kept the experience fresh and enjoyable.
After this we went on a ferry ride where you get to see the working naval docks which several working royal Naval ships such as one of the new class of Queen Elizabeth aircraft carriers. Overall it was a very enjoyable experience if you are interested in maritime history or naval history.Also if you enjoy this there is a submarine museum that you get into with the same museum pass.
Harry Nicholson, Year 9
The naval docks in Old Portsmouth are still partially used as working docks for the Royal Navy but a small part is used as a museum holding multiple famous ships from British maritime history, such as the Mary Rose, the flagship of Henry the VIII’s navy, the Victory admiral Nelson’s flagship in the battle of Trafalgar, where he died and the warrior the first iron clad warship built.
The first place I visited was the museum surrounding the Mary Rose, which is filled with information about what the boat was like, what was on the boat, how it most likely sunk and lots of artefacts rescued from its ruins. Once you are done with the museum you can then go on to looking at the boat, where you passthrough an airlock to keep the boat preserved as it was underwater for several hundred years. As you go in, you can smell the salt water they use to help preserve the wreck and along the walls are even more artefacts.
After visiting the Mary Rose we went to the Victory which you are able to board. As you go through the ship it gives you information about the ship and about how life would have been. It also tells you about what the battle of Trafalgar would have been like and has almost all of the ship's original cannons and other artefacts are on display. Right at the end of the trip through the ship you see the spot where Nelson died.
Once we had finished looking at the Victory and the surrounding museum we moved on to HMS Warrior which was the first ever iron clad warship and was still floating in the wet docks and you
were able to board it as well. However the Warrior was less of a museum and more of a tour through the boat where everything was restored and back to how it would have looked in the 1800s. There is still information of the ship but much less but it was a nice change of pace to the day that kept the experience fresh and enjoyable.
After this we went on a ferry ride where you get to see the working naval docks which several working royal Naval ships such as one of the new class of Queen Elizabeth aircraft carriers. Overall it was a very enjoyable experience if you are interested in maritime history or naval history.Also if you enjoy this there is a submarine museum that you get into with the same museum pass.
Harry Nicholson, Year 9