88 years ago on the 12th January 1922, HMS VICTORY was moved into her final resting place of Number 2 Dock, His Majesty’s Dockyard Portsmouth, and the work of preservation and reversing many decades of neglect began, making it the magnificent sight that greets visitors to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard today.
HMS Victory was launched in 1765 at Chatham Dockyard and was commissioned in 1778. She continued in active service for the next 34 years, including her most famous moment - the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, under the command of Vice Admiral Lord Nelson. In 1812 the Victory was retired from frontline duty and anchored in Portsmouth Harbour, following a warrant from Thomas Hardy (Captain of Victory during the Battle of Trafalgar, now First Sea Lord) at his wife’s request, to save the ship from disposal.
For the next 110 years HMS Victory remained at her moorings in Portsmouth Harbour fulfilling a combination of practical and ceremonial roles. In 1922, amid fears for her continued survival and following a national appeal led by the Society for Nautical Research, Victory was put into her present dock and work began to restore her to her 1805 appearance. She remains now as the embodiment of the spirit and fine traditions of the Royal Navy.
HMS Victory is still in commission as the flagship of the Second Sea Lord in his role as Commander in Chief of the Royal Navy's Home Command. She is the oldest commissioned warship in the world, attracting around 350,000 visitors per year in her role as a museum ship.
Guided tours of HMS Victory are available on a visit to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
The accompanying image is courtesy of the Royal Naval Museum.
