Royal Navy's newest warship opens up to visitors at Royal Navy Past And Present
The Royal Navy’s newest warship throws open its hatches to the public this summer, 250 years after the keel of the world’s most famous warship, HMS Victory was laid.
Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring[1] will be open for two days on July 18th and 19th as part of Royal Navy Past and Present, a two day event hosted jointly by Portsmouth Naval Base and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard’s attractions will be open to visitors over the weekend where they can experience more of the modern Navy at Action Stations. Packed with interactive displays and simulators and the chance to take the controls of a modern warship, fly a helicopter or go into battle with the Royal Marines! There is even the chance to glimpse the Royal Navy Future with Carrier Strike, a new exhibition detailing the future of the Royal Navy and the new Aircraft Carriers under construction.
The Navy''s past is presented through the other Historic Dockyard attractions; HMS Victory, Mary Rose, HMS Warrior 1860 and the Royal Naval Museum (with a rare glimpse into the Museum''s reserve model boat collection). There will also be a display of over 300 model boats and warships from the 18th Century to the modern day with a miniature Battle of Trafalgar and Fleet Review created on the Mast Pond. There will also be a model tank display and the popular Steam Pinnace display.
Throughout the event the public will be treated to performances by the Royal Marines Band - Portsmouth, choirs singing sea shanties and some traditional Tudor musicians. There will also be physical training and cutlass displays, games of “9 Men''s Morris” and Tudor coin striking and to celebrate the 464th anniversary of the sinking of the Mary Rose, Geoff Pye will tell ‘A survivor’s tale’.
To guide you throughout the Royal Navy Past will be costumed Victorian dock workers along with the 1805 HMS Loire re-enactors.
Families can enjoy the Big Wheel and Giant Tea Cups fairground rides along a whole host of catering choices and trading stalls.
Royal Navy Past and Present is free with a Historic Dockyard all-inclusive ticket which gives entry to all six attractions on site, although access to HMS Daring is free. An all-inclusive ticket includes entry to the Mary Rose Museum and Ship Hall, HMS Victory, HMS Warrior 1860, Royal Naval Museum, Action Stations and a 50-minute Harbour Tour.
[1] HMS Daring, the first of six Type 45 destroyers, made her first entry into her home port of Portsmouth in January and has since been undergoing intensive trials off the UK.
