Harbor, Portsmouth

A short distance north of the landing stage for ferries to the Isle of Wight, the visitor will pass the gateway to the old docks in Portsmouth harbor. This is the site of Lord Nelson's flagship, which was built in 1765 and is almost 197ft/60m long, with five decks and 104 cannons. It was lifted from the sea in 1921 and restored. In his hour of victory at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), barely 20 minutes after he had penetrated the French lines, Vice-Admiral Nelson was fatally wounded and died in the cockpit of his legendary ship, "HMS Victory".

In the Royal Naval Museum the visitor will find numerous mementos of Lord Nelson and seafaring in the 18th century. A 46ft/14m panoramic painting by W. L. Wylie records the course of the Battle of Trafalgar.

The "Mary Rose", which formed part of the fleet of Henry VIII, is a ship of great historical interest. This four-decker boat, with its 91 bronze cannons, was built in 1509-10 from best Hampshire oak and enlarged to 700 tons in 1536. In 1545, during a sea battle against the French, it sank just a mile and a quarter from its home port. The sea was so rough during this battle that water entered the upper deck of the vessel through the cannon covers and within a short space of time the "Mary Rose" sank to the bottom of the Solent. In 1836 the first divers went down to look for the frigate, and from 1965 onwards the explorations were intensified. Finally, on October 11th 1982, the Tudor ship was lifted from the sea-bottom.

In June 1987, after eight years of restoration work in Hartlepool, "HMSWarrior" finally returned to Portsmouth. Launched in 1860, this 418ft/127m long ship (9,700 tons) ranked in its time as one of the biggest and best equipped warships of its type. It had never actually seen active service when it was taken out of commission after 23 years.

Just over the water in Gosport is the Submarine Museum of the Royal Navy. It contains Great Britain's first submarine, H.M. Submarine Torpedo Boat No. 1.

The Round Tower (1415) and the Square Tower (1495) have for centuries marked the entrance to Portsmouth harbor. The Square Tower was originally the residence of the military governor.