When Navy Days brought tens of thousands to Portsmouth

It wasn't so long ago that tens of thousands of people arrived in Portsmouth each August to get a glimpse of life on the Grey Funnel Line.
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Aug 2016, 06:00 BST

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

Visitors waiting to sample the flight deck of HMS Ark Royal in 1992Visitors waiting to sample the flight deck of HMS Ark Royal in 1992
Visitors waiting to sample the flight deck of HMS Ark Royal in 1992

Before the Second World War queues snaking hundreds of yards were the norm during what was then called Navy Week.

And they were people who would wait patiently to visit just one warship among the dozens open to the public, not for overall entry to the dockyard.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

As the decades rolled on and the fleet contracted, the annual week became a weekend and eventually the event alternated between Portsmouth and Plymouth.

BARRELS A shot of HMS Furious, from another ship, at Navy Days in Portsmouth, probably in 1927BARRELS A shot of HMS Furious, from another ship, at Navy Days in Portsmouth, probably in 1927
BARRELS A shot of HMS Furious, from another ship, at Navy Days in Portsmouth, probably in 1927

As reported in The News, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard has launched an attempt to woo back some of those August crowds with a three-day festival celebrating the city’s rich maritime heritage in its Boathouse 4.

It starts on Friday and for more details go to historicdockyard.co.uk.

Related topics:PortsmouthPlymouthPortsmouth Historic Dockyard