Tag Archives: portsmouth

Diesel Submarines

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Scan 2-904.jpgThe Royal Navy’s submarine fleet is entirely nuclear powered. In the 80s, though, this was not the case. The Navy then still had a substantial fleet of diesel subs. The Oberon Class of subs was available in numbers along with the remaining Porpoise Class that preceded them and these were due to be replaced by the Upholders. Only four of those were built and they were sold to Canada when the decision was made to get rid of the diesel fleet despite their outstanding stealth qualities. When I went to Navy Days in Portsmouth in the 80s, you could see the subs on display. HMS Dolphin was just across the harbor and was the headquarters of the sub operations. One visit included the chance to see a sub in dry dock – something I suspect would not be left on view these days.

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Spitbank Fort Visit

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wpid7774-C59F7834.jpgMy mum’s birthday included a party on Spitbank Fort.  This is one of Palmerston’s follies built out in the Solent not far from Portsmouth.  The place has been restored in a great way and retains a lot of the character you would expect of a Victorian fort out on the water but with modern comforts as befits a hotel.  I will spare you the family photos but here are a few shots to show you just what it is like out there.  The service is great so, if you feel like spoiling yourself, check them out.

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Portsmouth Harbour (It’s a British Harbor so the spelling is right)

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wpid7776-C59F7873.jpgPete and I continued our flying excursion with a trip to Portsmouth.  We wanted to take a look at the forts out in the Solent since one of them would be part of our fun the following day.  However, we were also interested in seeing the dockyards at Portsmouth.  For those that don’t know Portsmouth, it is the home of the Royal Navy.  The Navy has been based there for centuries and it is still home to a substantial portion of the fleet – even if that is a lot smaller than it used to be.  There are also moorings for out of commission warships which is what we were actually interested in seeing.

wpid7778-C59F7880.jpgWe weren’t sure how open the airspace was to us.  The charts did not show any issue but we checked in with the radar service to tell them what we had in mind and they said it was no problem so we headed across.  Spinnaker Tower is a large structure that has been built as part of the redevelopment of the dock area.  We flew past it and checked out the moored old warships.  Then we did a loop around to see the docks themselves.  This includes HMS Victory, Nelson’s flagship from the Battle of Trafalgar.  She looks great from above.  Next to her is the building housing the recovered wreck of the Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s flagship.  These are both worth visiting if you ever find yourself there.