HMS Warrior, Portsmouth
HMS Warrior 1860
HMS Warrior 1860 is a steam-powered armoured frigate launched in 1860. The vessel was one of the first armour-plated, iron-hulled warships and was equipped with 40 guns. However, it was largely obsolete only a decade later and became a training ship for the Royal Navy. The ship has been on display in Portsmouth since 1987.
The ship is now at sea in Portsmouth Harbour and is part of The National Museum of the Royal Navy.
History
Launched in 1860 when Britain really did rule the waves, the vessel was the pride of the Victorian navy.
Warrior and her sister ship HMS Black Prince were built to counter the threat posed by the first iron-clad ships launched by Britain's long-time, naval rival France.
Combining an iron hull, screw propeller and steam engine, Warrior was for a time the largest and most powerful warship in the world.
However within a decade the mastless HMS Devastation proved superior and Warrior was placed in reserve and decommissioned in 1883. She became a supply ship and then served as an oil jetty from 1927 until 1979.
After a restoration period taking eight years in Hartlepool the vessel returned to Portsmouth and opened as a museum ship in 1987.
The Crew
Warrior had a crew of of 705 which compares with the 821 men who served at the Battle of Trafalgar on HMS Victory. These included 50 officers and over 650 ratings in 1863.
Life at sea in the 1860's was not much different than in Nelson's day with the seamen mostly sleeping in hammocks on the gun deck with the officers in more comfortable cabins at the rear of the ship. What had changed in such a short time of 55 years was the technology of the ship's design and armaments. A visit to both ships at The National Museum of the Royal Navy bears this out.
The stokers had the worst jobs shovelling coal in 43°C heat and were thus paid more. Refuelling with coal was another terrible job and involved the entire crew not just in getting the coal onboard but the two-week clean up afterwards.
The Ship
With a top speed of 14 knots, the ship was powered by both steam and sail and was the fastest warship of her time. She had one single gun deck - 30 meters longer than any previous warship. HMS Victory carried 32-pound guns on several decks. Warrior packed both 68-pounders (26 in total) and 110-pounders (10 in total) on her single gun deck. The 110-pounders were new breech loading weapons designed by William Armstrong and were more accurate and with a percussion fuse the shell detonated on impact. 18 men were needed to fire both types of gun.
However, despite the constant threat of war with France at the time, the ships formidable artillery was never used in anger.
Tour of the Ship
Tours are available of the ship and visitors are are encouraged to touch the items they will find onboard. Guides in period costume are on hand to explain the various features of the ship.
HMS Warrior 1860 is also available for hire for weddings and other functions such as corporate events and Christmas parties.
National Museum of the Royal Navy
HMS Victory and the Mary Rose and are two of several ships also on display in Portsmouth.
HMS Victory is Britain's most famous battleship. She was launched in 1765 and was Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Victory is the world's oldest naval ship still in commission.
The ship carried 104 guns and had a displacement of 3,500 tons. She was in active service until 1824.
Launched from Chatham Dock in Kent, southeast of London in 1765, HMS Victory served in various conflicts. During a turbulent period in Britain's history, the ship saw action during the American War of Independence and the Napoleonic Wars.
The pride of Henry VIII's navy, the Mary Rose was raised from the sea in a complex and expensive operation in 1982. HMS Warrior is a steam-powered armoured frigate launched in 1860. The vessel was one of the first armour-plated, iron-hulled warships and was equipped with 40 guns.
Visitors can also go onboard HMS M33, one of three remaining British warships from First World War, built in 1915.
Harbour Tours allow visitors to see first hand Britain's modern navy while docked in Portsmouth.
Information & Access
Victory Gate
Portsmouth PO1 3QX
Tel: 0239 283 9766
www: hmswarrior.org
Hours: The Historic Dockyard opens at 10 am daily. From April to October: the Dockyard closes at 6 pm. From November to March it closes at 5.30 pm.
The Historic Dockyard is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Portsmouth Harbour Train Station is the nearest railway station, a short walk from the Historic Dockyard. The adjacent Hard Interchange coach and bus station serves both long-distance and local buses. Trains from Waterloo Station in London take around 80 minutes to Portsmouth via Woking and Guildford.
Spinnaker Tower is a modern monument close to the station and part of the redevelopment of the area.
Other Historic Ships in Britain
Other historic vessels that have been preserved include HMS Belfast on the River Thames in London and the Cutty Sark also on The Thames in Greenwich. The Golden Hinde, a replica of Drake's flagship is also in the capital.
The SS Great Britain and The Matthew are both in Bristol Harbour.
The PS Waverley, claimed to be the last seagoing paddle steamer in the world, is in Glasgow berthed outside the Glasgow Science Center.
Turbinia is on display at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle. It was once the fastest ship in the world at the turn of the twentieth century.
Related
Hotels in London
Book Hotels in London - Booking.com
Find Luxury Hotels in London - Booking.com
Budget Hotels in London - Booking.com
Find Hotels in England - Booking.com