Amazing what you can find ......

[Grumpy]

Who wants the damn place .... except for the loony Germans still ? It`s not even out of territorial waters anymore .... not since the limit was changed from three miles to twelve miles. Bate`s didn`t exactly squat there - he stole it in a raid on what was a pirate radio station.

[timmy]

I guess that rules out the use of the transmitter. You can, at least, use the magazines for "throne room reading" for a time.

[Vikram]

British ships tended to be more stoutly built than French, and more "bluff": blockier, wider in proportion to the length, and with blunter bows. French ships were more scientifically designed, and as the British studied captive French vessels, profited from this study -- HMS Victory was one such result of this "technology transfer," being one of the finest sailing first rates (over 100 guns on 3 decks) in the Royal Navy. For this reason, it was a favorite flagship of admirals, including Nelson.

Another excellent post,Tim. Thanks for the history lesson.

Re HMS Victory, I took this photo when I went to Portsmouth. It was an awesome sight to behold this historic vessel.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Victory

HMS Majestic in the same dock






Best-
Vikram

[timmy]

Vikram, yes, that's HMS Victory! I stood where Nelson was shot! All the years of reading about that ship, and I never thought I would get to see it!

I believe the other vessel is HMS Warrior in Portsmouth, as well. It was the first British ironclad and, along with sister ship HMS Black Prince, the British response to the three French Gloire class vessels, which it severely outclassed. Warrior was a technological tour de force, as was the restoration. One thing I noted was that the revolver "crocuses" and the Enfield muskets in the Marines section were all real replicas, just like one would buy to shoot black powder. The PEnn trunk engine in the engine room was mocked up perfectly, and I spent a couple hours talking to an old engineering salt about the ship. He even let me go into forbidden places that one wasn't supposed to tour! He was very proud of his ship and rightly so! He said that Warrior should be sailed in a "Tall Ships" rendezvous and "we'd show 'em all!" and he was right. How beautiful Warrior is today.

I was in Portsmouth in 1994. When things settle down, i need to scan my pics and post them, as well.

I was in Bristol on that trip but did not have time to see Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Britain there -- a real shame. Everyone I talked with (all engineers) were in abject awe and admiration of Brunel and his talents.

I did get to see HMS Belfast on the Thames, however. Also a very historic ship. But Great Britain sinned a great sin in not preserving HMS Warspite, I think. A veteran of 2 world wars, she was really so historic.

The USA has sinned like that, as well, by not preserving USS Washington and USS Enterprise, both historic veterans of WW2. USS Washington was the only USN battleship to sink another battleship in a gun duel.

Back to HMS Victory, yes, she is a wonderful thing -- so historic and one of the technological marvels of her age. When one considers how difficult it was to expertly handle such a weapon, those captains of yore who achieved great feats, like Nelson himself, are truly amazing people! I can scarcely imagine what it must have been like, fighting those huge cast iron monsters on a gun deck, with the noise and danger.

I will confess: I watched too many Errol Flynn swashbucklers in my youth and still watch them today!