Three old boats

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Geo: 50.7989, -1.09116

Okay folks after this we will be caught up and will not hassle you with as many rapid entries. But today we took a two hour train ride south of London to Portsmouth where the HMS Warrior is docked. Also present is the much more famous HMS Victory, which is in dry dock, and the HMS Mary Rose, which is in the final stages of preservation.

The Warrior was the first metal ship. It was not a clad as were the confederate ships but rather like the Union Monitor, although much larger. The ship had both sail and steam power. When launched in 1860 it is said to have made existing ships obsolete. Warrior soon became obsolete herself as sails were dispensed with on newer models.

Victory, of course, was Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar. Also where he lost his life by a French sharpshooter as the battle was being won. There is a statue of him in London we sent a few days ago.

Mary Rose was Henry VIII's flagship but did not have nearly as illustrious a career as Victory. As the French were preparing an invasion Mary Rose was practicing broadsides. Unfortunately folks on the port side did not close the gun ports soon enough and a fresh breeze forced water into the gun ports sinking her in Portsmouth Harbor in Henry's presence. Of the 500 crew, 35 survived. The ship's dog was also lost.

This ship was raised 20 years ago and has been in the process of restoration since. We saw some of her port side that was inside an environmentally controlled container. Also a great deal of artifacts.

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