PORTSMOUTH (PART 2)

The following day, we returned to the Historic Dockyard, intending to get everything done in a day, but there is just so much to see, it is impossible to do in a day. In fact, if I'm honest, you probably need a week.

We started off with the Mary Rose exhibition and that in itself is worth at least 3 hours. Henry VIII's flag ship, The Mary Rose, sank in 1545 fighting off the French who had reached as far as the Isle of Wight with their fleet. Henry VIII later tried to have it pulled up with ropes attached to the mast, but the mast snapped and it lay at the bottom of the sea for many centuries, despite attempts in 1836, when it was discovered by fisherman and later professional divers who also failed to bring it to the surface. It was rediscovered in 1971 and this time a project to bring it to the surface was successful in 1982. Since then a museum has been built around it and attempts to recover more of the ship continue. You can read more about it here.

Half of the ship is beautifully restored behind glass to preserve the temperature and right humidity for the timbers. Hundreds of artefacts found on board have given great insight into various aspects of Tudor life and even the nationalities and medical conditions of those found on board, including a little dog. Video projections onto the ship show life on board ship. It was really interesting.  The climax of our tour, ended in a realistic theatre experience with 3D glasses to experience the dive down to the bottom of the seabed, when they found it in the 1970s. You got the sensation of diving yourself, the wind on your face as you resurfaced. It was truly amazing. Here again are some pictures of that morning. Incidentally, the ship was named after Henry's sister Mary and the Tudor emblem of a rose.

cross-section of the decks which would have housed 500 men

Figurehead of the Mary Rose

The afternoon of that day was spent going on board HMS Victory, Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar, where he lost his life in 1805. It was another fascinating experience to see how shipbuilding had advanced in the centuries between Mary Rose and Victory. The ship seemed more spacious, luxurious even for the officers such as Captain Hardy and Admiral Nelson. Most men slept in hammocks strung from beams, whereas Nelson had a proper bed which was easier for him to get in and out of, as he only had one arm by then. The decks were wider and longer, giving the impression of more space, although with 800 men on board it was probably unbearably overcrowded with noisy smoky cannons being fired at the enemy.  Here are some pictures of HMS Victory.

The officers' 'luxury' quarters

below deck

Nelson's quarters

Nelson's bed

There was still some time left in the day to do a harbour tour, but, so as not to overwhelm you with photos, I'll write more about that another time, together with a visit to HMS Warrior, a Victorian naval ship. I did say there was so much to see and how lucky we were to get a ticket that would enable us to visit the dockyard as many times as we wanted (for a whole year) and not be constricted to just one day.