Tag Archives: portsmouth

What is This Boat About?

Nancy and I were having lunch at a great pub on Spice Island called The Still and West.  I would certainly recommend it if you are in the area.  We were watching the many different boats as they came in and out of the Harbour entrance.  One boat was heading out which seemed curious.  It was a low profile vessel, looked like it was designed to look suspicious and, when you look closer, it has a FLIR installation on the bridge.  Since this is Portsmouth, it could well be a military vessel but that doesn’t preclude it being one for an overseas customer or just a company or individual with rather specialized interests.  I wonder which it is.

Memorial to the Wrens

Walking through the old parts of the city of Portsmouth took us by the cathedral.  In the grounds there was a memorial to the Women’s Royal Naval Service.  Known more commonly as the Wrens, this was the branch of the Navy for the women before everything became more integrated.  The top of the memorial is the various types of hats that Wrens wore in service.  My gran was a Wren in the war and made friends in the service that stayed with her for the rest of her life.  She would go to many reunions.

HMS Warrior

I think HMS Warrior has shown up in the blog before.  During our trip to Portsmouth last year, I got a different perspective on it from previous visits because I went up the Spinnaker Tower.  I did also take a look from ground level too, though.  There were some people up in the rigging working on the ship.  I don’t have a great time with heights so that would not be a good thing for me I suspect.  An open door of a plane is fine but that is different.

The view from above is a great way to see the ship (or anything for that matter).  It also gives you the background of the historic royal dockyard.  Having a 60,000 ton aircraft carrier as a backdrop just goes to show how things have changed over the years.  At one point, this would have been the pinnacle of warship design but now it is considered archaic.  How things move on.

Can I Sneak In Another Hovercraft Encounter

Our trips to the UK that involve some time on the Isle of Wight also are likely to include me trying to get a little time with the hovercraft.  On our most recent trip, we didn’t go to the Island.  However, we did pick up and drop off my mum when she came across and what form of transport did she use?  Yep.  I had a reason to be hanging around at the hovercraft terminal.

I did get some photos of the hovercraft but, this time, I decided to focus on some video of them coming and going.  Not only were they running the regular service but there was also some training underway so we got an arrival that didn’t come up on the slipway but instead headed back out to see.  Here is the video I edited.

HMS Severn

The Royal Navy has a bunch of coastal patrol vessels that are named after rivers around the UK.  From what I have read, HMS Severn is one of the first batch of vessels and it is less capable than the later batch.  Although originally planned for retirement, it has been kept in service patrolling the UK coastal region.  It was heading out of Portsmouth when I saw it.  I think it was originally painted grey when it was commissioned but it currently has more of a camo scheme applied.  It made me think of the disruptive camouflage used during the First World War.  I actually shot a pano of it as it headed out taking advantage of the lack of an immediate background to avoid any issues with the movement between shots.

Slotting A Large Ferry In A Narrow Space

The car ferry terminus at Portsmouth has moved locations over the years.  The current Gunwharf location is tucked in quite a tight spot and the ferries are getting ever larger.  It requires some skill to get a boat that big in to the berth frequently and quickly.  I had multiple opportunities to watch them do this when in Portsmouth and when waiting to board so I got stills and video.  A little video of them working is below.

We also were close to the terminus when we had our lunch on Spice Island.  The ferries actually come around Spice Island and in to dock and the view along the shore looks almost continuous so, when the ferry goes in or comes out, it looks like it is emerging from the land.  For some reason, I don’t tire of watching this happen.

Missed One Chinook But Got Another

During our day out in Portsmouth, we had lunch at a very nice pub by the harbor.  We sat outside enjoying the various boats coming and going.  I popped inside before leaving and, when I came back outside, Nancy had to inform me that, as soon as I went inside, three helicopters had flown by.  There had been on Chinook with two smaller, unidentified, types flying formation with it.  Needless to say, I was rather disappointed but such is life.

A while later, as we were walking along the sea wall at Southsea, the sound of rotors returned.  The nice thing about Chinooks is that they don’t really sneak up on you.  I had ample time to switch to a longer lens and set up the camera for something more appropriate for a helicopter (although the Chinook rotor rpm is so low, it still is not ideal).  Sure enough, it came right towards us and flew through the harbor entrance and right by.  A nice surprise.  It then flew out to sea and I wondered whether it was going to return.  Instead, it appeared to be hovering over one of the forts out in the Solent.  That would have looked great from closer up.

Back To The Island So Back To The Hovercraft

We left plenty of time to drive to Portsmouth to catch our ferry to the Isle of Wight so, naturally, traffic flowed smoothly and we got there with an excess of time.  Nancy wasn’t in the least surprised that I decided to park up on the seafront at Southsea to kill some time.  Oh, was this next to the Hovertravel terminal?  Well, that’s lucky.

We had just enough time for one arrival and one departure before it was time to head to our ferry terminal.  That wouldn’t be all though.  The hovercraft passes the car ferry during its crossing so I was able to get some shots of it in operation from the deck of the ferry as we left Portsmouth.  We also took a walk along the front at Ryde after lunch with Mum.  Just enough time to see the hovercraft arriving and departing there too.

One interesting addition was Solent Express.  This was used on Hovertravel’s services a few years ago but was withdrawn when the new hovercraft were commissioned.  I had understood it was stored somewhere.  Apparently, they needed space wherever that was because it is back at Ryde but still looks stored.  There is plenty of seaweed around it making it look like it hadn’t gone anywhere for a while.  I wonder what its future holds?

Handbrake Turn In A Ferry

When you look at something like a ferry that can hold 180 cars and a thousand passengers, you don’t immediately think of agility and maneuverability.  However, the Wightlink ferries that run between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight have surprising capabilities.  The entry to Portsmouth Harbour is followed by a rapid change of direction to get to the terminal at Gunwharf.  From the Spinnaker Tower, you get a great view of how rapidly the ferry can be thrown around.  The St Clare is a bi-directional ship so it doesn’t back in like Victoria of Wight.  Instead, it looks like it is doing a handbrake turn.  The wake ends up almost combing out of the side of the boat!

A Broken Aircraft Carrier

The Royal Navy has recently commissioned two new aircraft carriers.  At 60,000 tons, they are the largest ships the Navy has ever had.  The first is HMS Queen Elizabeth and the second is HMS Prince of Wales.  The Prince of Wales was due to undertake its first major exercise off the east coast of the US but, shortly after departing Portsmouth, it experienced some technical issues.  I don’t know whether there is official confirmation of what happened but there is a suggestion that one of the screws contacted the seabed.

Whatever the issue, she had to return to port and the Queen Elizabeth was substituted for the exercise.  There has been discussion that the ship will need to go to Rosyth for dry docking but, as of our visit, it was still alongside at Portsmouth.  I was able to get some good shots of it from Spinnaker Tower as well as some from the ferry as we headed to the Isle of Wight.  I hope they can fix whatever the issues are rapidly.