Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
The history of the naval base Portsmouth goes back to the year 1200. In 1200 King John issued a charter to Portsmouth reaffirming the rights and privileges awarded by King Richard. King John's desire to invade Normandy resulted in the establishment of Portsmouth as a permanent naval base. In 1212 William of Wrotham (Archdeacon of Taunton Keeper of the King's Ships) started constructing the first docks of Portsmouth. King Henry V was the first king to decide to build permanent fortification in Portsmouth. In 1418 he ordered a wooden Round Tower be built at the mouth of the harbour, which was completed in 1426. However it wasn't until the Tudor dynasty that Portsmouth's defence was seriously dealt with. Under King Henry VIII the Round Tower was rebuilt out of stone and a Square Tower was raised. It was at this time that Robert Brygandine and Sir Reginald Bray, with the support of the king, commenced the building in Portsmouth of the country's first dry dock. In 1527 with some of the money obtained from the dissolution of the monasteries Henry VIII built the fort which became known as Southsea Castle.
Henry is traditionally called one of the founders of the Royal Navy. There are good reasons for this - his reign featured some naval warfare and, more significantly, large royal investment in shipbuilding (including the first real warship “Mary Rose”), dockyards (such as HMNB Portsmouth) and naval innovations.
At the beginning of the 18. century major fortifications were built and in 1733 the gates opened to the Naval Academy Portsmouth. In 1824 the Semaphore Tower, home of the port authority was opened which is still in use today By the mid 19. century Portsmouth with its four square kilometre was already the world´s largest industrial zone. In 1906 the revolutionary HMS Dreadnought, the most modern battleship of ist time was launched after only 366 working days.Seven years later is was followed by the Super-Dreadnought HMS Queen Elizabeth, the first oil powered battleship of the world During boithworld wars Portsmouth next Scapa Flow was the central base of the Royal Navy and played a major role at the landing in Normandy.
Today Portsmouith is still the most important base of the Royal Navy and is redeveloped since 2003 to house the new Daring-Class of destroyers and aircraft carriers of the Queen Elizabeth-Class. It is also home of Europe´s largest navy museum, the Royal Navy Museum,
The Mary Rose, the HMS Warrior (the world´s first iron hull warship) and HMS Victory. The latter is still the lagship of the Royal Navy and automatically the worlds oldest active warship on duty.
The Mary Rose, the HMS Warrior (the world´s first iron hull warship) and HMS Victory. The latter is still the lagship of the Royal Navy and automatically the worlds oldest active warship on duty.
Mary Rose
Mary Rose was built in Portsmouth in 1509–1510, thought to be named after King Henr VIII's sister Mary and the rose, the Tudor emblem. She was one of the earliest purpose-built warships to serve in the English navy. She displaced 500 tons, was 38.5 m long and 11.7 m abeam and her crew consisted of 200 sailors, 185 soldiers, and 30 gunners. He was one of the largest ships in Henry VIII. Fleet which consisted of 53 ships.
She served as the flagship of Admiral Sir Edward Howard in the Italian Wars and was frequently engaged. On 10 August 1512 she was the flagship of an English fleet of 50 ships that attacked the French at Brest in Brittany. The French Marie la Cordelière then came under fire from Mary James, Sovereign, and Regent, eventually blowing up with the loss of more than a thousand men. Thirty-two French ships were taken or destroyed in the battle.
In 1528 and again in 1536 Mary Rose was rebuilt, having her weight increased from 500 to 700 tons and mounting 91 guns. The refits are thought to have added an extra deck, making her top-heavy and liable to roll in heavy seas. In 1545, King Francis I of France launched an invasion of England with 30,000 soldiers in more than 200 ships. Against this armada — larger than the Spanish Armada forty-three years later — the English had about 80 ships and 12,000 soldiers, with Mary Rose the flagship of Vice Admiral Sir George Carew. In early July the French entered the Solent channel, between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. On July 18, 1545 the English came out of Portsmouth and engaged the French at long range, little damage being done on either side. The next day was calm, and the French employed their galleys against the immobile English vessels. Toward evening a breeze sprang up and as Mary Rose advanced to battle she capsized and sank with the loss of all but 35 of her crew. This happened under the eyes of Henry VIII who was watching the battle from Southsea Castle.
Sir Peter Carew, brother of Sir George Carew, newly appointed Vice Admiral in the Mary Rose, gave his biographer, John Hooker, an eyewitness account. He states that the Mary Rose began to heel as soon as the sails were raised. When their uncle, Sir Gawain Carew, sailed past and asked Sir George what the problem was, he answered that "he had the sort of knaves whom he could not rule". Hooker further tells us that "this gentleman...had in his ship a hundred mariners, the worst of them being able to be a master in the best ship in the realm; and these so maligned and disdained one another, that refusing to do that which they should do, were careless to do that which was most needful and necessary, and so contending in envy, perished in forwardness".
There a few theories why the Mary Rose sank so quickly. Perhaps the most likely reason for the loss of the Mary Rose is the most mundane, a simple handling error in the heat of the skirmish with the galleys. Any such problem may have been compounded by confusion or a lack of discipline amongst the crew. The excavation of the ship also revealed that the ballast had shifted to the starboard side, although whether this was a cause or as a result of the ship sinking is uncertain. Once the angle of heel was sufficient for water to enter the gun ports the fate of the ship was sealed.
An attempt was made to raise her in August 1545 — even if she could not be refloated, her timbers and guns were immensely valuable — but with no success. On June 16, 1836 Mary Rose was found when a fishing net caught on the wreck, and diver John Deane recovered timbers, guns, longbows, and other items. But the location was forgotten after Deane stopped work on the site in 1840.
Alexander McKee started a new search in 1965, and in 1967 Professor Harold Edgerton found an acoustic anomaly by using side-scan sonar. In 1971 a springtide, combined with a severe gale, uncovered a layer of sediment, leaving several structural timbers clearly visible. In the years that followed, it became clear that the wreck lay on her starboard side, at an angle of 60°. Eight years later the Mary Rose Trust was formed to excavate the wreck. On 11 October, 1982 the Mary Rose – in the presence of Prince Charles - was lifted from the water and put upright in a dry dock with a temperature of 2–6 °C and a relative humidity of 95%.
HMS Victory
The HMS Victory in the N0 2 dry dock in Portsmouth is the fifth ship of the Royal Navy to bear this name. The first Victory, launched in 1559, of 800 tons, was the flagship of Sir John Hawkins at the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. The following Victory was launched in 1620, of 875 tons, took part in the first and second Dutch Wars, 1652 – 1667. Rebuilt in 1666, she took part in the third Dutch War, 1672 – 1674. The third Victory, launched in 1675, of 1.486 tons, took part in the battle of Barfleur in 1692. She was rebuilt in 1659. The fourth Victory, launched in 1734, of 1.920 tons, was lost with all hands in the Channel in 1744.
The history of the fifth Victory goes back to the year 1758. In that year the ministers of King George II. decided on an ambitious programme of building twelve ships of the line. The construction of the first ship started in the summer of 1759, the “Year of Victories”. It was the climax of the Seven Year War with victories in the battles of Surat (India), Minden and Quebec, as well as the naval battles of Lagos (Portugal) and Quiberon Bay (Bretagne). So it is no surprise that the name of the new ship was supposed to be HMS Victory.
The usual period of building a ship of the line was five years but the successes lessened the sense of urgency. That´s why HMS Victory was launched in Chatham only on 7 May, 1765.
Meanwhile, the Peace of Paris in 1763 had ended the Seven Years War, and for thirteen years aftger her launching HMS Victory remained in the Medway. There in January, 1771 she must have been seen for the first time by the young Horatio Nelson, then aged twelve, on joining his first ship, HMS Raisonable.
Meanwhile, the Peace of Paris in 1763 had ended the Seven Years War, and for thirteen years aftger her launching HMS Victory remained in the Medway. There in January, 1771 she must have been seen for the first time by the young Horatio Nelson, then aged twelve, on joining his first ship, HMS Raisonable.
In 1778 France entered the war on the side of the American colonists, HMS Victory hoisted the flag of Admiral Keppel in command of the Channel Fleet and saw action for the first time in an indecisive engagement off Ushant. In 1782 she took part in the Battle of Cape Spartel and was paid off a year later. Only ten years later, Britain joined the First Coalition against Revolutionary France, was she and further 21 ships ordered to the Mediterranian. First Toulon was captured, but had to be evacuated mainly due to the exertions of young artillery officer, Napoleon Bonaparte. At the siege of Calvi, men and guns were landed from HMS Victory and placed under the command of Captain Horatio Nelson, who lost the sight of his right eye from a wound sustained during these operations.
In 1797 HMS Victory returned to Chatham and was paid off. In 1801 she was docked and for the next two years she underwent a very large refit. She was, in fact, almost rebuilt and her appearance altered to that she bears today. HMS Victory was again commissioned in April, 1803 and in the summer of that year she arrived in the Mediterranean as flagship of Lord Nelson. After a 18 months long blockade of Toulon French Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve successfully emerged and evaded Nelson´s fleet. On 8 April Villeneuve passed the Straits of Gibraltar with his eleven ships of the line and sailed to the West Indies to join forces with Admiral´s Ganteaume fleet and fight the English. But Ganteaume never materialized and after a while Villeneuve decided to return to Europe and break the blockade of Brest. In the meantime Nelson had pursued the French fleet across the Atlantic. But Nelson missed the French again and followed them back to Europe.
On 22nd July Villeneuve and his fleet arrived at the Gulf of Biscaya. Near the Cape Finistere he ran into a squadron by Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Calder, lost two ships to the inferior English forces and decided not to attempt joining the fleet in Brest, and sailed to Coruna and later to Cadiz. With this manoeuvre Napeoleon´s invasion plans for England became obsolete, since he depended entirely on his ability to rendetvous a sufficiently large number of ships of the line before Boulogne, France. On 2 September word reached England about the presence of the combined French and Spanish fleet in the Cadiz Harbour. Vice-Admiral Calder sailed for Cadiz and arrived on 15 September. Nelson was to join these forces by 29th September to take command. The British fleet kept a constant watch on the Cadiz harbour by means of frigates, while the main force remained out of sight 80 km west of the shore.
The same month Villeneuve received orders to sail for Naples and attack British shipping in the Mediterranean, but he was initially unwilling to move. However, in mid-October he learned that Napoleon was about to replace him as commanding officer. Napoleon had written a letter to the Ministers of Marine, “Villeneuve does not possess the strength of character to command a frigate. He lacks determination and has no moral courage”. So, Villeneuve gave order on 18th October to set sails.
The same month Villeneuve received orders to sail for Naples and attack British shipping in the Mediterranean, but he was initially unwilling to move. However, in mid-October he learned that Napoleon was about to replace him as commanding officer. Napoleon had written a letter to the Ministers of Marine, “Villeneuve does not possess the strength of character to command a frigate. He lacks determination and has no moral courage”. So, Villeneuve gave order on 18th October to set sails.
Inexperienced crews and the difficult getting out of Cadiz harbour meant that it took two days to get all 33 ships out of port and in some kind of order. But already three days later he learned of the size of the British fleet and decided to return to Cadiz. But Nelson intercepted the combined fleet off Cape Trafalgar and annihilated the enemy. As the two fleets moved towards engagement, he then ran up a thirty-one flag signal to the rest of the fleet which spelled out the famous phrase "England expects that every man will do his duty".Of the 33 ships of Villeneuve the French lost 18. Four escaped only to be rounded up a fortnight later. The remainder struggled back to Cadiz and remained there until the end of the war.
Lord Nelson did not survive this battle. A musket bullet fired from the mizzentop of the Redoutable struck Nelson in the left shoulder and passed through his body lodging in his spine. He died at about 16:30. The burial took place in at St. Paul´s Cathedral on January 6, 1806.
The active career of HMS Victory ended on November 7, 1812, when she was moored in Portsmouth Harbour off Gosport and used as a depot ship. Over the next century Victory slowly deteriorated at her mooring. A campaign to save her was started in 1921 with the “Save the Victory Fund” under the aegis of the Society of Nautical Research. The outcome of the campaign was that British Government agreed to restore and preserve her to commemorate Nelson, the Battle of Trafalgar and the supremacy of the Royal Navy during and after the Napoleonic period.
In 1922 she was moved into the oldest dry dock in the world, dock No 2. In 1928 King George V. was able to unveil a tablet celebrating the completion of the work, although restoration still continued. For the bicentenary of the battle in October 2005 she had undergone another extensive restoration. Today the HMS Victory is the oldest commissioned warship in the world, although the USS Constitution, launched 30 years later, is the oldest commissioned warship still afloat.
HMS Warrior
HMS Warrior was the world´s first ocean-going iron-hulled armoured battleship. She was built as a counter to the French La Gloire. France launched La Gloire, the first ocean-going ironclad warship in history in 1859. Designed by the famous naval architect Dupuy de Lôme, she was wooden hulled and covered with iron plates. The HMS Warrior was more advanced. When she was launched, the 4.5-inch thick wrought iron armoured belt meant that she was impervious to virtually all naval cannon in service at that time, and she was easily the most powerful warship in the world. The HMS Warrior not only differed from La Gloire in regards to hull she was also larger and equipped with more powerful guns. The Warrior displaced 9.681 tons, La Gloire 5.530 tons. La gloire had a battery of 36 six inch guns, HMS Warrior was fitted with 10 nine-inch and 16 seven-inch guns. HMS Warrior´s history was not trouble free. She froze to the slipway when she was launched on December 29, 1860 at the Thames Ironworks near London during the coldest winter for 50 years and six tugs were required to haul her into the river. She was completed on 24 October 1861 at a cost of £357,291.
The rapid march of naval technology meant that she and her sister Black Prince were obsolescent within ten years. On 1 April 1875 she was relegated to the Reserve Fleet ranks and on 31 May 1883, withdrawn from sea service. Her guns and upper masts were removed around this time.She was used as a storage hulk, and from 1902-1904 as a depot ship for a flotilla of destroyers. Her name was changed to Vernon III in 1904, when she joined Portsmouth-based Vernon, the Royal Navy's torpedo training school. Her role was supplying steam and electricity to neighbouring hulks.
A downturn in demand for scrap iron meant that the old battleship did not sell when she was put up for sale in April 1925. In 1929 she was given the name Oil Fuel Hulk C77 when starting life as a ship keeper's home and floating oil jetty at Pembroke Dock in Wales, where she remained for the next 50 years
Restoration of Warrior as a museum ship began in September 1979 in Hartlepool and was completed in 1984 when she was towed to her current berth in Portsmouth. She was renamed Warrior (1860) to avoid confusion with the present Warrior, which is the operational headquarters of the Royal Navy at Northwood.
