Dear List,
In my old home city of Portsmouth in central southern England, we have the
oldest commissioned warship in the world, HMS Victory. She is probably
best remembered for being Admiral, Lord Nelson's flagship at the battle of
Trafalgar. On this occasion, The admiral threw the rulebook away (normally
a literal death sentence in the Royal Navy in those days) and sailed his
fleet straight through the middle of the combined Spanish and French fleets.
This had the effect of splitting the opposition in two and gave him the,
hitherto untried, advantage of bring both the port and starboard batteries
into action simutaneously. The British fleet dispatched an enemy that was
vastly superior in numerical terms but at a quite unbelieveable toll - the
butcher's bill was a high one that day and included the admiral himself,
singled out and shot by a French sniper.
This Historic Military Vehicle is open for visitors 365 days a year, the
only exceptions being security concerns as she does reside, permanently, in
No. 6 dry dock in Portsmouth Royal Dockyard. After 5 minutes on board, you
learn to walk in a stooped fashion - average human height has increased
somewhat since she was constructed.
Well worth a visit.
Gavin
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