She is perhaps the most famous ship in the history of the Royal Navy. Now HMS Victory – Nelson’s flagship during the Battle of Trafalgar – is marking 100 years at her present home.
Victory has been berthed in Portsmouth Harbour since 1922. To mark the centenary of her arrival there, her custodian, the National Museum of the Royal Navy, has announced an update on her ongoing conservation work.
The ship was constructed at Chatham in 1765, and enjoyed a long career. She is best known for her role during the Battle of Trafalgar, when the Royal Navy, under the command of Nelson, defeated the combined force of the French and Spanish navies off the coast of Spain on 21 October 1805.
The only first-rate ship to survive that era, Victory was in a relatively poor condition when she was moved permanently to Portsmouth on 12 January 1922. Later that same year, a ‘Save the Victory’ campaign was launched by the Society of Nautical Research to guarantee the preservation of the 3,600-tonne ship.
Instantly popular with visitors, Victory was officially opened as a museum ship later the same decade, in a ceremony conducted by King George V in July 1928. She has since welcomed more than 30 million visitors.
Nor has the ship’s time in her present berth been without drama. In 1941, at the height of the Blitz, she was hit by a Luftwaffe bomb, which broke her keel and required a hasty repair job.
More extensive conservation has taken place in the last couple of years. As MHM reported last year, the work has included the installation of a new state-of-the-art support system, as well as a dedicated walkway around the bowels of the dock to allow visitors closer access to the ship’s hull.
This year sees the beginning of the next stage of conservation. This work will include the removal of rotting planks and their replacement with new oak, repairs to the ship’s structural framework, and a full re-rigging. The entire project will last between 10 and 15 years and will cost approximately £35 million.
The National Museum of the Royal Navy group has also announced major updates to two of its other sites. A new £1 million upgraded Aircraft Carrier Experience at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovilton, Devon, is due to be launched this summer, creating a new immersive experience for visitors.
For younger viewers, it has been announced that Horrible Histories: Pirates – the Exhibition, based on the popular television series, will move from Portsmouth to the National Museum of the Royal Navy’s Hartlepool branch for Easter.
Images: NMRN.
