HMS Victory visitors will be able to walk underneath the hull of the ship for the first time in 100 years

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VISITORS to HMS Victory will be able to walk underneath the hull of the ship for the first time in 100 years.

When Portsmouth Historic Dockyard opens later this month, people will be able to get up close to the 255-year-old ship, which has been undergoing a multi-million pound conservation project by the National Museum of the Royal Navy and BAE Systems, and see the new state of the art support system that replicates the environment of being in water.

The 3,600 tonne ship had begun to sag under her own weight as the integrity of the ship would usually be maintained by the pressure of the sea, but thanks to a feat of engineering by BAE Systems, a network of technology now mimics the pressures of the sea and monitors the ship’s weight distribution.

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Pictured: Underneath HMS Victory.

Picture: Habibur RahmanPictured: Underneath HMS Victory.

Picture: Habibur Rahman
Pictured: Underneath HMS Victory. Picture: Habibur Rahman

Andrew Baines, project director from the NMRN said: ‘Reaching this halfway stage, in a two decade long conservation project, is an extraordinary achievement.

‘Each prop has a load cell so we can know, on a minute-by-minute basis, how much of HMS Victory’s weight is being carried, providing the Museum with invaluable insight into her stability and helping us to prevent damage to her structure.

‘Before the pandemic hit we had hit a critical stage in the project, so it was fantastic that we were able to work with BAE Systems to get back up and running within social distancing restrictions so quickly.’

HMS Victory at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. 


Picture: Shaun RosterHMS Victory at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. 


Picture: Shaun Roster
HMS Victory at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Picture: Shaun Roster

The new system, which replaces 22 steel cradles which were installed when Victory came to rest in the dry dock in 1922, is made up of 134 individual smart props which provides better support for Victory’s hull and means that the team get real-time data of weight distribution and can identify early warnings of faults or weaknesses in the ship that can be caught and fixed.

Rob Hanway, Victory Programme Manager from BAE Systems added: ‘We are delighted to be working in support of the National Museum of the Royal Navy charity, once again demonstrating our commitment to investing in the local community, and contributing to the UK’s collective national heritage.’

HMS Victory will reopen to the public along with the rest of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard on August 24.

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