The Victory

[thebrettguy]

I don't know why I didn't think to post these pictures and a link to my LJ. So here goes.

These were taken on a past trip to Portsmouth. I'm not a great cameraman so apologies all around for the blurriness and bad angles. But still, it's the Victory, so it's cool.

Still uploading pictures here, so check it out a few times to get them all:

http://s107.

Comments

[cassiopaya]

::is jealous::

[hms_dauntless]

Wonderful pictures ! Thank you very much for posting them. First time I get to see so many interesting pics of Victory's interior. How incredibly rational and modern the style of the cupboards and, in general, of all the furniture and the other accessories intended for everyday use ! It's this type of details that makes you fully understand what a high-tech creation a man-of-war was.

[thebrettguy]

Let me tell you, the overwhelming EFFECT of that ship is one of incredible professionalism and power. If you get to Portsmouth, it's well worth paying the 15 pounds ($30) to see all the ships they have at the historical dock. For one thing, the Mary Rose is there (I saw that too), but for me it was pretty much all about the Victory

[hms_dauntless]

I definitely must find a way to pay a visit to Portsmouth at least once in my life !
Such a wonderful combination of ships, museums, and specialized bookstores sounds like the dream of an age-of-sail lover.

BTW, May I take the liberty to suggest posting the link to the Victory's pics to rnotc ? Some members of the community would certainly appreciate your beautiful photos. Alternatively, might I rec your post in my LJ for the joy of the Navy fans in my f-list ? Please excuse my forwardness, should my suggestions be inconvenient for you, but HMS Victory is really such a magnificent sight !

[thebrettguy]

You will pass out from the sheer shipjoy that is Portsmouth. In other words, yes, go there :D

Link away. I only wish all the photos had turned out better, but at least you can get the general idea of what I was seeing in most cases. Glad they are of value to people :)

[some_day_soling]

I cannot express how jealous I am that you got to see the Victory. The pictures are amazing and have brightened my day considerably.

Portsmouth has long been high on the list of things I desperately want to go. Ships to see, history to soak up. Now I'm off daydreaming. Thank you for the daydreaming fodder.

[thebrettguy]

You're welcome! I actually ran out of batteries for my camera partway through (which I can use as an excuse for some of the blurriness... cough cough) and ran out, got the navy guys to let me go and come back and not have to get another ticket ;)

I had in mind that I should be sharing what I could with other Age of Sail fans, so I put some effort into it. These are probably the most photos I've ever taken of anything in my life, as I'm generally a cameraphobe.

[some_day_soling]

I really glad you overcame your camera phobia!

[esteven]

Thanks for the lovely pics. Now I know what I'll be doing in a fortnight. ;D
Is the Trafalgar Sail still there? Do they still show the excerpts from Master and Commander?

[thebrettguy]

The sail is still there :) For those who don't know, it was a piece of the sail of the Victory after the battle of Trafalgar. I'm surprised they got much of a piece at all, considering how shot to hell it was.

I didn't see the excerpts, but then I didn't have time to go do everything, so I'll be back to get the rest of course!

[esteven]

Thanks for telling me. :D There is so much to see and do at the Historic Dockyard.

I hope you will have more time during your next visit. I thought it amazing that the first captain of HMS Warrior was a Cochrane, and as far as I know, the son or grand-son of Thomas, Lord Cochrane. :D

[ex_galadhir]

Oh wow! Pictures of the inside too?! When we went, they asked us not to take pictures of the inside, so we have lots of the outside but nothing of the really interesting bits. These are great!

What really struck me was the difference between the Great Cabin with its vast dining table and splendour, and then Nelson's actual sleeping area which was hardly bigger than the officer's cabins (and they were so much like sleeping in the pantry ;) )

Did you go round the Warrior too? It's so huge by comparison, and yet it's somehow so strange to see this iron hulled battleship which was organized inside in exactly the same way as the Victory.

I admit that I was probably more moved by the Mary Rose. I guess the Victory was so well preserved and well restored that it was hard to imagine she was really the same ship. But I love the fact that she's always surrounded by up to the minute high-tech RN battleships moored up in the same dockyard. There's a sense of continuity there which is wonderful.

[thebrettguy]

The only 'no pictures' sign was next to Nelson's deathplace. The rest seemed open, and nobody minded me having my camera, but that may have had to do with the fact that I never used a flash. This is why some of the 'dark room' shots are so fuzzy. Luckily my camera is very good at adjusting visibility for me, or there'd be nothing to see at all.

If it wasn't for the fact that I was holding a camera up to my face, nobody would be aware that I was taking pictures. I call it The Stealth Camera.

I did love the Mary Rose as well. The museum dedicated to it was fantastic, and the daily life objects are not only extremely rare but have been crucial in our understanding of Tudor objects such as bows, shoes, clothing, and so forth. I have much love for that ship and what it preserved for us.

I had to miss the Warrior this time around, though I've been there before (sans camera.) I'll have to go back and get some pics of it, as well as hopefully better ones of the Victory.