Few ships symbolize the legacy of a country; HMS Victory is such a ship. Dry-docked in Portsmouth, England, Vice Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson’s flagship stands as if ready to defend England again, as she did at the pivotal Battle of Trafalgar.
Commissioned in 1778, the Victory fought four major sea battles before helping defeat the French and Spanish fleets off Spain’s Cape Trafalgar in 1805, confirming Britain’s supremacy of the sea. Nelson, one of England’s greatest war heroes, lost his life in the battle, dying as the victory was won. Today the ship is dry-docked, her fighting days long over. The vessel is now a living museum, exhibiting life on board an 18th-century, 104-gun ship-of-the-line.
Visitors entering the ship on the second-floor gun deck have to duck for the low ceilings—less than five feet high. The smell of wood fills the deck, harkening back to the Age of Sail. A roped-off path through the rows of guns leads upstairs to a display of cutlasses and pistol muskets.
From there, visitors enter Nelson’s quarters, known as the “Great Cabin,” where the commander worked and dined. The area contains well-hidden gun ports for use during battle. It was here, on the breakfast table, that Nelson wrote his famous prayer before the Battle of Trafalgar. Two replicas of his uniforms are on display. Nelson’s made-to-measure hanging cot sways nearby, adorned with replicas of the embroidered sheets sewn by his mistress, Emma Hamilton.
Specific compartments on board the ship have their own displays as well as information boards explaining their use. The ship’s sick berth, in the bow, treated both the wounded and the ill. It is located high in the ship to provide fresh air and light to aid the sailors with their recoveries. Making the most of limited space, the surgery table fits over a 12-pounder gun. The table was, of course, removed during battles. The toilets, or “seats of easement,” are located at the head of the ship, hence the naval reference to “the head.” Other slices of life on board the vessel include the galley, with a stove and chicken cages, where the fowl lived until mealtime.
Throughout the ship, volunteers staff certain stations and provide historical anecdotes about the vessel, the Royal Navy, and Nelson, as well as answer questions. One volunteer told visiting Americans that their own countrymen served at various times on board the Victory: 22 American officers and 821 American sailors.
Once past these rooms, visitors climb onto the main deck, where they can find a small silver plaque marking the location where Nelson was felled on 21 October 1805. “They finally succeeded,” Nelson claimed of his fatal wound. “I am dead.” He was brought belowdecks, where he uttered his last words, which were supposedly: “God and my country.”
The main deck includes hanging fire buckets, all marked “GR” for George Rex or King George III, who ruled Britain at the time of Trafalgar. Various placards explain features on the deck, including a 68-pounder carronade, the ship’s belfry and bell, the captain’s quarters, and the poop deck, which gets its name from the Latin word puppis, meaning highest and aftermost deck. The ship’s bell is a replica; the original was shot away during the fighting at Trafalgar.
From the main deck, stairs lead down to the middle gun deck, where a volunteer shows visitors how the 12-pounder guns were loaded and fired. From there the roped-off trail leads down to the magazines, containing gunpowder barrels. Visitors pass through a gift shop before exiting the ship.
Despite the throngs of visitors and the gift shop, HMS Victory still plays a role in today’s Royal Navy. Since 2012, she has served as the flagship of the First Sea Lord and chief of the Naval Staff, and she stands as the world’s oldest naval ship still in commission. The two honors are well deserved for the ship that symbolizes Great Britain’s legacy as a sea power.
Mr. Hymel is a public affairs contractor for the U.S. Air Force Surgeon General’s office. He is the author of Patton’s Photographs: War As He Saw It (Potomac Books, 2006) and a tour guide for Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours, where he leads tours of World War II European battlefields.
HMS Victory at the Historic Dockyard
Main Road, Portmouth, England
Open: 1000–1600 daily (except for occasional service commitments). Last entry to the ship is at 1600 and the Dockyard gates close at 1730. From November to March, only 50-minute guided tours are available. Tours can be booked only in the visitors center upon arrival. Easy Access tours are at 1045 and 1600, and can be booked only on the same day.
Admission: € 18 adults, € 17 seniors,
€13 children.
Website: www.hms-victory.com
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