Portsmouth historian praised for saving famed Royal Navy warship HMS Victory from collapsing

Andrew Baines led the £3m project to stop the historic ship's hull from collapsing under its own immense weight.

Victory had been supported by giant cradles which had held the 3,600-tonne warship in dry dock in Portsmouth since 1922.

But in 2017, the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) – which took over responsibility for vessel in 2012 – said Victory’s hull was bulging at a rate of 0.5cm a year and was at risk of ‘irreversible damage’ if action wasn’t taken.

Andrew, as deputy executive director of museum operations at the NMRN, was drafted in to lead the team of restorers to find out how to save Victory.

After taking laser scans of the ship and undertaking structural analysis, it was discovered the sagging was due to Victory’s crane support system.

Andrew’s team oversaw the installation of 134 new steel props from 2017 to December 2020, to replace the old support system of 22 steel cradles.

The work has been touted has saving the historic vessel from collapse and preserving her for future generations.

Now, Andrew’s work has seen him being awarded the prestigious Victory Medal for conservation work.

The Society for Nautical Research, which was instrumental in saving HMS Victory in 1922, presented him with the honour.

Alistair Roach, secretary for the society, said: ‘Andrew’s commitment, drive and level of input has far exceeded that which might be expected from an individual in his role and, despite the pressure of his increasing workload, he has been praised by all those who have worked closely with him for his ceaseless dedication to the vessels under his care.’

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Andrew has been since praised by the chairman of the HMS Victory Preservation Company, the Admiral of the Fleet the Lord Michael Boyce.

The former head of the Royal Navy said Andrew’s work had been instrumental in preserving the ship and added: ‘His untiring and painstaking work, his superlative knowledge of and enthusiasm for his subject and his excellent leadership of his team have been quite extraordinary and created a solid path towards a most successful restoration.

‘There is no-one more deserving of recognition and the award to him of the Victory Medal could not be more fitting.’

In response to receiving the medal, Andrew said: ‘Working on a project like the conservation of Victory is a genuine privilege, not only due to the ship’s iconic nature, but because of the passion, skill and dedication of the people in the team.

‘It’s amazingly satisfying to have finished this important project, knowing that it has contributed to keeping the history of Nelson’s flagship alive for future generations.’

HMS Victory was Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship during the Battle of Trafalgar.

Lord Nelson was shot and killed while commanding from Victory during the battle.

The ship, currently closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic, is currently undergoing a 13-year £35m conservation project.

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