Portsmouth is the home of the Royal Navy. For centuries ships have set sail for all corners of the globe on voyages of discovery, establishing new colonies and more frequently going into battle.
A trip to old Portsmouth enables you to soak up the historical atmosphere by taking a walk along the ramparts of the harbour defences. From the top of the 15th Century Round Tower you have a perfect view across the harbour mouth. It's a good spot to try and imagine the many famous ships that have sailed before the spot you are standing in centuries past.
While doing this I tried to list the famous ships which have departed from Portsmouth to make their mark on history. The following ships from the late 18th Century are among the most famous.
HMS BOUNTY
Possibly the most famous of all naval mutinies involved HMS Bounty. She was originally a merchant ship called the Bethia and was built at Hull in 1784. In 1787, the ship was purchased by the Admiralty for a voyage to Tahiti, deep in the Pacific. On 16 August 1787 Lieutenant William Bligh RN was appointed to command the ship. Bligh had become renowned for both his skills in navigation and his knowledge of the islands in the Pacific, which he had shown from accompanying Captain Cook on his third and final voyage of circumnavigation from 1775 to 1779.
On 23 December 1787, HMS Bounty departed from Portsmouth arriving in Tahiti on 26th October 1788. The ship was only meant to remain in Tahiti for 6 weeks but due to Captain Bligh's interest in the island the Bounty finally departed 5 months after arriving. In this time the ships crew had become accustomed to their beautiful South Pacific surroundings and friendly natives.
Not long after leaving the island the crew mutinied led by Bligh's second in command Fletcher Christian. Captain Bligh was then cast adrift in a small launch with 19 crew members who had decided to remain loyal to their captain. After surviving for 47 days and covering 3,600 miles Bligh arrived in the Dutch colony of Timor from where he travelled back to Portsmouth to be hailed a hero.
Fletcher Christian and his fellow mutineers left Tahiti, knowing the Royal Navy would return to find them. After travelling for 2,000 miles the mutineers arrived at Pitcairns Island and tried to establish a settlement. Discontentment soon set in and it is believed that Christian and the other mutineers became involved in disagreements with the Tahitian men who had accompanied them to Pitcairns Island resulting in bloodshed and Christian's demise.
HMS SIRIUS
HMS Sirius was the flagship for the First Fleet which left Portsmouth on 13th May 1787 to establish the first European colony in Australia. After a voyage of 252 days and 15,000 miles the Sirius arrived in Botany Bay.
This is considered to be one of the world's greatest sea voyages. The fleet consisted of eleven vessels carrying about 1,487 people and stores. Not one ship was lost although forty-eight people had died on the journey, a death rate of just over three per cent. Given the hardships of the voyage, the navigation difficulties, the dreadful conditions on board, the basic medical knowledge, the lack of fruit for protection against scurvy, poor planning and inadequate equipment, this was a remarkable achievement.
HMS VICTORY
HMS Victory is the only surviving warship that fought in the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic wars. She is most famous as Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
HMS Victory sailed from Portsmouth on 15 September 1805 to join the blockade of the Franco-Spanish fleet in Cadiz who intended to break out into the Mediterranean. On 18 October 1805 the French Admiral Villeneuve's fleet comprising of 33 ships of the line, headed for Gibraltar but due to the conditions had to return to Cadiz and inevitable combat. On Monday 21 October 1805, off Cape Trafalgar, Nelson's fleet of 27 ships formed into two columns and sailed towards the enemy. The first column belonging to Admiral Collingwood's division breached the rear of the enemy fleet. Nelson in Victory, leading the second column, sailed into the centre of the enemy and fired on Villeneuve's flagship Bucentaure causing a devastating fire. HMS Victory then engaged the Redoutable. At about 1315, when the fighting was at its fiercest, Nelson was shot by a French marksman and taken below where he died at 1630. By this time the enemy had been routed and a great victory won.
You can visit HMS Victory at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
A trip to old Portsmouth enables you to soak up the historical atmosphere by taking a walk along the ramparts of the harbour defences. From the top of the 15th Century Round Tower you have a perfect view across the harbour mouth. It's a good spot to try and imagine the many famous ships that have sailed before the spot you are standing in centuries past.
While doing this I tried to list the famous ships which have departed from Portsmouth to make their mark on history. The following ships from the late 18th Century are among the most famous.
HMS BOUNTY
Possibly the most famous of all naval mutinies involved HMS Bounty. She was originally a merchant ship called the Bethia and was built at Hull in 1784. In 1787, the ship was purchased by the Admiralty for a voyage to Tahiti, deep in the Pacific. On 16 August 1787 Lieutenant William Bligh RN was appointed to command the ship. Bligh had become renowned for both his skills in navigation and his knowledge of the islands in the Pacific, which he had shown from accompanying Captain Cook on his third and final voyage of circumnavigation from 1775 to 1779.
On 23 December 1787, HMS Bounty departed from Portsmouth arriving in Tahiti on 26th October 1788. The ship was only meant to remain in Tahiti for 6 weeks but due to Captain Bligh's interest in the island the Bounty finally departed 5 months after arriving. In this time the ships crew had become accustomed to their beautiful South Pacific surroundings and friendly natives.
Not long after leaving the island the crew mutinied led by Bligh's second in command Fletcher Christian. Captain Bligh was then cast adrift in a small launch with 19 crew members who had decided to remain loyal to their captain. After surviving for 47 days and covering 3,600 miles Bligh arrived in the Dutch colony of Timor from where he travelled back to Portsmouth to be hailed a hero.
Fletcher Christian and his fellow mutineers left Tahiti, knowing the Royal Navy would return to find them. After travelling for 2,000 miles the mutineers arrived at Pitcairns Island and tried to establish a settlement. Discontentment soon set in and it is believed that Christian and the other mutineers became involved in disagreements with the Tahitian men who had accompanied them to Pitcairns Island resulting in bloodshed and Christian's demise.
HMS SIRIUS
HMS Sirius was the flagship for the First Fleet which left Portsmouth on 13th May 1787 to establish the first European colony in Australia. After a voyage of 252 days and 15,000 miles the Sirius arrived in Botany Bay.
This is considered to be one of the world's greatest sea voyages. The fleet consisted of eleven vessels carrying about 1,487 people and stores. Not one ship was lost although forty-eight people had died on the journey, a death rate of just over three per cent. Given the hardships of the voyage, the navigation difficulties, the dreadful conditions on board, the basic medical knowledge, the lack of fruit for protection against scurvy, poor planning and inadequate equipment, this was a remarkable achievement.
HMS VICTORY
HMS Victory is the only surviving warship that fought in the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic wars. She is most famous as Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
HMS Victory sailed from Portsmouth on 15 September 1805 to join the blockade of the Franco-Spanish fleet in Cadiz who intended to break out into the Mediterranean. On 18 October 1805 the French Admiral Villeneuve's fleet comprising of 33 ships of the line, headed for Gibraltar but due to the conditions had to return to Cadiz and inevitable combat. On Monday 21 October 1805, off Cape Trafalgar, Nelson's fleet of 27 ships formed into two columns and sailed towards the enemy. The first column belonging to Admiral Collingwood's division breached the rear of the enemy fleet. Nelson in Victory, leading the second column, sailed into the centre of the enemy and fired on Villeneuve's flagship Bucentaure causing a devastating fire. HMS Victory then engaged the Redoutable. At about 1315, when the fighting was at its fiercest, Nelson was shot by a French marksman and taken below where he died at 1630. By this time the enemy had been routed and a great victory won.
You can visit HMS Victory at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
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