HMS VICTORY (stern view here) is a first rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. Was built between 1759 - 1765. She is the oldest naval ship still in commission. (here, in dry dock in Portsmouth, England as a museum ship). She was the flag ship of Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson in the battle of Trafalgar (October 21st, 1805)
HMS Victory in dry doc, in Potsmouth, Hampshire, England. She is still in commission today.
“England expects that every man will do his duty" - Nelson's message to the fleet before the battle of Trafalgar - is hoisted on Victory's masts every year on October 21st.
HMS Victory is the only surviving naval warship. It represents the skill of naval dockyard shipwrights, ship designers and the industrial ability of 18th century Britain.
B I G anchors....
...permission to come aboard granted... here we go...
middle gundeck
Here are some guns...
And some more guns...
The wardroom of HMS Victory. Left, behind glass - Admiral's uniform. However, this is not the uniform he was wearing during Trafalgar battle (Royal Naval Uniform pattern 1795 - 1812). That one was saved and can be seen at National Maritime Museum (musket ball hole, epaulette damaged and all...)
The wardroom of HMS Victory (The Officers' Mess in a Royal Navy ship or on a base is called the "Wardroom"). I believe at the moment it was called "the great cabin".
So, the "great cabin", found at the stern, provides the most comfortable living space on the ship. Divided into 3 areas, it consists of the day and dining cabins plus the bed space. These were partitioned from the rest of the deck by wooden panels that could be removed during a battle to allow the great cabin to be turned into part of the upper gun deck.
The portrait on the wall (of the wardroom) is Emma Lady Hamilton - Nelson's mistresss. While at the time it "fascinated" the public, today it is very little known of the ménage à trois Nelson lived openly with Emma, and Sir William (her husband). Along with Emma's mother, worth mentioning.
Emma (Sir William Hamilton's wife) and Nelson had two children: Horatia, born on January 31, 1801 at Sir William's rented home in Clarges Street, 23 Piccadilly, London. Second child, also a girl, died weeks after birth, in 1803. Horatia died in 1881 and had ten children with Rev. Philip Ward. First born was named Horatio Nelson Ward. An other boy was also named Nelson Ward and one of the daughters was named Horatia Nelson Ward.
These ships are all about guns and keeping them afloat and firing. People sleep, eat and live with, on, under the guns.
Nelson's cot (yes, it's a gun underneath).
Even admiral's cot was hanging over a... yes, you've got it! over a gun!!! :-)
Admiral's toilet. He didn't have much privacy. You can't see in the picture, but it's a gun right under his nose as he'd be sitting on the "throne"... As I said, these ships were all about guns.
... And more guns...
These are for boarding those French (Last message of the Admiral to the fleet was "Engage the enemy more closely" - the signal was flying from the HMS Victory's halyards at the Battle of Trafalgar, from 12.15 until it was shot away)
well... they needed chicken soup once in a while... eggs meanwhile... allarm clock every morning...
that's the sick bay... and yes, those are guns underneath the cotts... :-)
just in case you didn't believe me...
see, at the time they called it "sick berth" not "sick bay"...
Part of the figurehead of HMS Victory
That's the bowsprit (or boltsprit called sometimes). Under the bowsprit you can see part of the figurehead. UNfortunately I didn't take a picture of the figurehead... next time....
And here is the pharmacy
That one is called a navigational sextant... Long storry... you see, they didn't have GPS back then. But they did a pretty good job finding their way by the celestial objects... using this thing
THAT is a helm. (No powerstirring back then)
same helm, different contrast (I couldn't make up my mind)
and now different angle (I really liked the wheels, eh...)
I told you I liked the wheels! :-):-):-)
...and that's the bowsprit
and this is the fore-mast, right behind the bowsprit (thick, eh?)
Three gun decks. What a firepower... And this firepower shot The Redouotable from a few yards (I can only imagine the damage... or not really...)
Armament (at Trafalgar battle): Gundeck: 30 × 2.75 ton long pattern Blomefield 32 pounders (15 kg); Middle gundeck: 28 × 2.5 ton long 24 pounders (11 kg); Upper gundeck: 30 × 1.7 ton short 12 pounders (5 kg); Quarterdeck: 12 × 1.7 ton short 12 pounder (5 kg); Forecastle: 2 × medium 12 pounder (5 kg), 2 × 68 pounder (31 kg) carronade
quite some anchors! and there are other two identical on the port side.
