Portsmouth Historic Dockyard - part 1

There is a lot to see here and it is all good. This post and the next post presents the ships at the Dockyard in historical order.

First up is The Mary Rose, a Tudor navy warship that was financed by, and completed for, King Henry VIII in 1510. It was his favourite ship and he watched from Southsea Castle as it capsized in 1545 during the Battle of the Solent. It was recovered in 1982 and, after extenive renovation, can now be seen in a display that put its many artefacts and lives of the crew members into historical context. Highly recommended. The three images show the timbers of the port side of the ship, a typical cannon and the original Mary Rose bell.

HMS Victory was completed in 1765 and best known as being Admiral Lord Nelson' s flagship during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Nelson was fatally shot, but victory over the French was already assured. An iconic site with an excellent interpretation. Once again, highly recommended.Read more