HMS Victory's last battle.
- Thread starter Peg Leg Pom
- Start date
The USS Constitution had a similar problem when a botched 19th Century restoration removed critical frame members. It left her badly hog backed & at risk if bad weather had stressed the hull. Some careful research for her late 20th Century led to restoration of the frame to its correct configuration. Given the money I expect the Victory could be restored properly.
Trivia note. When under tow from the shipyard to the current display dock the Constitutions captain observed the following wind, ordered some sail set, and ordered the tug to slack the tow line. for a mile or two the ship made its own way across the harbor roadstead.
Trivi Note 2. The USS Constitution is probably the only comissioned US warship to have been in combat.
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The Luftwaffe actually did come close to hitting Victory in WW2. A Parachute mine fell into an open manhole between Victory and HMS Berwick, just missing edgeworthy senior.
Had it detonated there would probably be no HMS Victory to re-build.
(Or edgeworthy)
And there goes my hope for a TL were Germany tries Sealion and the only ship avalible is HMS Victory that have gotten a fast refitt for just this situation and sails out and faces the foes of England one last time.
Last stand in Pompy with Marines forted up in her and fighting off attacks using her guns loaded with cannister. The Brigade of Guards fight their way through to her just in the nick of time as the senior surviving officer is preparing to deny the Germans their prize by setting her on fire.
SsgtC
Banned
Nah, just have an ASB pull Victory to 1940 straight from 1805, just as she was about to sail into battle at Trafalgar. Then not only will Britain's greatest ship, but her greatest Naval hero, can save England one more time.
The problem with old ships is that over the years wood rots and has been replaced.
When Cutty Sark burnt there was outcry that she could never be restored again because her origional wood was burnt, however research by a historian found that the decks, rigging and masts had already been removed and most of the interior gutted to lighten her for raising up to where she sits now (She used to be on dock bottom, now she is on a plynth that is shaped to her keel). This meant that the fire only burnt her main (weather) deck and outer hull + frames. These in fact are the parts (Along with rigging, masts and spars) that are most often repaired / replaced and did not constitute that much in origional material as it was. The interior fittings and decks were mostly origional and these were already saved, thus the fire did not actually destroy that much of the origional ship...
I am sure HMS Victory would be the same. I read somewhere that she is something line 20% origional as served at Trafalgar. The rest is repairs since then. All masts, spars and rigging are post-trafalgar, as is much of the outer hull. Therefore techincally speaking, if you wanted to make her sailable again and needed to replace a great deal of the ship to do so, you are not actually loosing that much origional 'Trafalgar' ship, as this has mostly been lost already!
When Cutty Sark burnt there was outcry that she could never be restored again because her origional wood was burnt, however research by a historian found that the decks, rigging and masts had already been removed and most of the interior gutted to lighten her for raising up to where she sits now (She used to be on dock bottom, now she is on a plynth that is shaped to her keel). This meant that the fire only burnt her main (weather) deck and outer hull + frames. These in fact are the parts (Along with rigging, masts and spars) that are most often repaired / replaced and did not constitute that much in origional material as it was. The interior fittings and decks were mostly origional and these were already saved, thus the fire did not actually destroy that much of the origional ship...
I am sure HMS Victory would be the same. I read somewhere that she is something line 20% origional as served at Trafalgar. The rest is repairs since then. All masts, spars and rigging are post-trafalgar, as is much of the outer hull. Therefore techincally speaking, if you wanted to make her sailable again and needed to replace a great deal of the ship to do so, you are not actually loosing that much origional 'Trafalgar' ship, as this has mostly been lost already!
Can you imagine the outcry if they did that now? They thought she'd go straight down, but it took hours. I wonder how much eventually floated ashore when she broke up?
SsgtC
Banned
None. They used an explosive charge and blew out her bottomSpeaking of HMS Implacable's sinking.....
Wonder how much ballast that took..... Wooden ships are remarkably hard to sink after all
Seems someone forgot that wood floats. She just wouldn't sink. What a waste of usable timber.
Blew the bottom out they may have, but that is a floating wooden structure (ex-ship) not a sinking one..... Actually, blowing the bottom out was probably stupid. I mean, wooden ships need and have ballast in the bottom so blowing the bottom out releases it.....
Coulsdon Eagle
Monthly Donor
A bit like Trigger's broom (for Only Fools... fans)
Speaking of HMS Implacable's sinking.....
Wonder how much ballast that took..... Wooden ships are remarkably hard to sink after all
Nice touch to have the Tricolour alongside the White Ensign. She served two navies faithfully.
Sort of. Its worth a discussion. What USN ships have been hit by enemy attack in the last 28 years? The USS Cole counts.
Have a list of what ships have launched air strikes or missiles in the last 28 years?