Portsmouth Historic Dockyards - Part Three

The third ship we went on while at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard was the HMS  M.33

This is a unique survivor of a British Warship launched in 1915 and is the sole remaining British Veteran of that year's bloody Gallipoli Campaign.

This only opened in 2015.

She has a flat bottom which enables her to go close to shore.

This is the mess where the sailors would have eaten and slept.  The tables on one side.

The bunks on the other.

Being made of steel it would have been either very warm or very cold  depending on the weather!  

The types of food stores they would have had on board.

Preparation area

Here I am - you can see the ship pretty much exactly as it was.

Hi there!

Peggy Sue ventures out again

Here we both are!

We study the charts

I have a go at steering

The radio command office.

Trying out the bunks - it has been a tiring day.

Another little kitchen area - just off from the radio control room.

An untidy bunk!  Looks like they forgot to make the bed.

Cat looks cosy enough though.

Wash room.

Back outside.

Wow we can see some blue sky as well.

This was very interesting to go on board - you were allowed to explore pretty much the whole boat 

She has had an interesting and varied career since being built in 1915.  She was ordered in March 1915 and launched by May 1915 which is amazing!  Certainly an impressive feat of shipbuilding during that time.    She saw active service during the First World War and again in 1919.  She was used as a mine-laying ship, fuelling tank, boom defence workshop and a floating office! 

Proudly flying the flag.

Of course there are also many museums and other things to look at, but we just ran out of time.  Our ticket is valid for a year, so hopefully we can go back in the spring when the Mary Rose is re-opened.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyards - Part Two

Part Two of my day at Portsmouth Historic Dockyards.

Wow, you are big!

While deciding where to go next, we popped into the museum and I happened to come across King Henry VIII.  We had hoped to see the Mary Rose, but she was closed ready for re-opening in the summer.

My you are a big fellow I say...

Um...Hello up there!

No response, so I pose for a photo in front of him.

We decided to go and see HMS Warrior next while the weather was still holding out.

She has rather an impressive figurehead.

This tells you a little about it.

The HMS Warrior was launched in 1860. and at that time no warship was ever the focus of so much attention as her, nor had such a profound effect on navel architecture.  She was built to counter French developments in navel shipbuilding and at that time was the fastest, largest and most powerful warship in the world.  HMS Warrior was the first iron-hulled armoured warship in the world.  Amazingly she never fired a shot in anger and yet changed naval warfare forever.

We go on deck and of course the first thing I see is a canon!

I think this might have been some sort of life raft

Peggy Sue joins me.

We pretend we have gone back in time to the mid 1800s.

The views from the deck - not an especially nice day and rather windy!

Looking back down the deck.

It is not long before I introduce myself to this fine sailor and we make friends.

Rory would have so loved this!

I enjoy looking around the inside of this ship.

Lots of guns

and more guns

and more!

Looking into some of the officer quarters.

Looks quite comfortable.

This is even more spacious and palatial.

Another room

Where the men would work, eat and sleep.

The kitchen

Shiny brass pots.

The bunks were hung over the canons!  I couldn't imagine having to sleep like this

I give it a go though.

Waiting to be served...

Wow, this is a big chain!

There you can see it better when a flash is used.

The ships store room where rations are dealt out...what can I see in the distance?

A mouse!

A large meeting room where they would have planned various strategies.

Another smaller officers room.

Dinning room.

It was all very interesting to see where they lived and the contrast between where the officers would have eaten and slept compared to the others.  

Part Three to come....