So we finally managed to get to HMS Victory. HMS Victory and Nelson are perhaps one of the required hero’s of all boys growing up in the anglophile world. Given that the aged P’s were in town, I thought of taking them to Portsmouth for a day trip to enjoy the maritime history. Here are some of the photographs of the HMS Victory, many more pics are on the slideshow.
So here is the famous old ship.
The giant rudder. I thought it would be wider, but I suppose this is going to be a pain anyway. 
The back end of the ship. 
The rows of guns
The backsides of these ships of the line were strange. Cant figure out why they would have such a blunt end. 
Well, Nelson has warned you off, lol. 
This was the entrance to the ship. 
The ship is inside a dry dock, braced on these giant iron/steel supports. 
Victory’s original foremast. At one time, these masts used to be made from a single tree but after the American Mutiny and independence, that source of giant trees was cut off and composite masts made out of several trees came into the picture. 
A plague commemorating the docking of the HMS Victory early in the last century. 
The Admiral’s cabin. 
Lord Nelson’s clothes with the formal decorations.
Room was at a premium, so besides the washing up basin, there would be a functioning gun. 
This cot is where the Admiral slept. It was extraordinary, it was tiny, hardly 5 feet or so. How the heck can a grown man fit in here? 
A drum, ropes, a small anchor. 
The cooper’s tools and the armourer’s tools. You need all this to run a ship of the line. 
I am being directed to where I should go. 
The punishment tools, whips and cat o nine tails. With canes. That would hurt. 
Stuff to clean the gun barrels. 
Hanging cots for the sick in the sick bay. 
Hammocks for the seamen. 
serving tables. 
Medicines. 
The heads. 
The fore end of the ship. 
Top deck firing a 68 pound shell. 
Ropes, Ropes, Ropes. 
Ma’s knees gave out so she decided to sit it out. 
Gaffs and spears to poke boarders. 
This is where Nelson fell and died. 
This was used to measure the speed of the ship. 
The ship’s wheel used to steer the ship. 
The uniform of a ship’s marine officer. 
The ship’s galley. 
Different kinds of shot for the gun. 
The seamen’s mess table which got converted to a….
Operating room theater when battles were fought and the sick / injured were brought down here to get fixed. 
The anchor cable, it was seriously thick. 
The lower gun deck. Can you imagine this place during battle? Would be a giant mess of blood, guts, screams, men, smoke and thunder. 
Baba heading down into the lower gun deck. Brave man. 
The grand magazine.
The gunpowder came in these casks. 
Charcoal to help absorb moisture. 
Bags of powder
Going down to the lowest part of the ship in the forward area. 
You can see the hull curving in.
Right at the bottom, you have the casks of food and other supplies along with the grit which was used for ballast. 
The iron staves used to repair the ship. 
A cut out showing the base of the main mast and pump well which was used to pump out the water which would congregate at the bottom of the ship. This was perhaps the most terrifying part of the ship. Deep below the waterline. 
You can see the giant thick beams and bolts used to construct the ship. 
Going up to the orlop deck where these anti personnel shots and anti mast shots were kept. 
The cable store where the giant ropes were kept. 
This shows what happens when a shot hits a wooden ship. Some stuff which was used to repair this damage is also kept around here. 
The list of those brave Englishmen who gave their lives on HMS Victory. 
A remnant of the flag. 
This barrel was used to pickle Nelson’s body on the way back. 
Do you really want to be operated upon by the surgeon? 
Then we headed out after passing the gift shop. 
The rigging of the foremast. 
A plaque showing the various masts, sails and rigging of a ship of the line. 
A giant anchor. 
A muster roll of HMS Victory’s crew
A Bowsprit for HMS Trafalgar. 
Looking back at the ship. 
A description of the anchors cables and capstans. 
A plaque for the figurehead. 
Back to the front. 
A final look at the brave ship. It was surprisingly emotional for me, to go through the ship. I guess it was also the fact that all the naval fiction that I have read all came through at the same time. Seeing the ship, the guns, the hammocks, it all brought it to the fore. I guess you can take the sailor out of the ship but you cannot take the ship out of the sailor. Loved this. Such a beautiful ship despite its size. I fell in love with this place. After a final stroke of the old old wood, I bid adieu to the grand old lady.
1 comment:
Thanks for this great post Bhaskar.
I visited the Victory recently but didn't have very long to look around. So reading this filled me in on the interesting details. Loved it.
Lewis, Hertfordshire
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