Walking Through the Mary Rose and Touring The Ships at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

My 10-year-old daughter and I were driving around southeast England when we arrived in the Solent city of Portsmouth. We were in Portsmouth to stay at the Queen’s Hotel, and visit the Spinnaker Tower and the Historic Naval Dockyard.

We parked our rental car at a nearby parking garage and walked a short distance to the dockyard. I wasn’t familiar with the dockyard before arriving in Portsmouth. Part of the dockyard is run by the British Navy, and visitors may not go past a certain area.

We arrived at the gates of the Historic Dockyard, and it was a good thing we did because we stayed for 4 hours touring the ships, buildings, and museums. We could have stayed longer, but we had other things on our list that we wanted to see and do.

Our first stop at the dockyard was the HMS Warrior. The Warrior was the first iron-hulled warship and was launched in 1860. At the time of the launch, it was the fastest, largest, and most powerful warship in the world. My daughter carried around a booklet devoted to children’s learning, while I walked around and marveled at the ship.

It was a good choice to visit the HMS Warrior first, because it is the only out-in-the-open ship in the dockyard. Rains dumped on us shortly after touring the mighty ship. The Portsmouth Historic Dockyard does a great job of grasping the kids’ attention. Throughout our day, my daughter participated in activities and scavenger hunts.

Our next stop in the historic dockyard was at the Boathouse. Inside the boathouse, ships were being restored and preserved. There were also areas for kids to play, interact with displays, and participate in making crafts. My daughter enjoyed making a button and pretending to be a sailor on board a ship. There was also a fascinating display about women’s involvement in the British Navy.

After visiting the Boathouse, we walked to the National Museum of the Royal Navy. The museum walks visitors through the British Navy’s history. I enjoyed the displays on the American War for Indepence, because history books do not discuss in detail battles that occurred on the seas. My daughter enjoyed the interactive displays that helped her learn more about.

A few years ago, I was perusing used books in a bookstore and picked up a copy of The Pursuit of Victory, which was about Admiral Horatio Nelson. I became fascinated by his story. Flash forward to this trip, and I was excited to see his belongings firsthand. There is a wing in the museum that is devoted to Admiral Nelson’s life. I enjoyed seeing the artifacts and learning more about the legendary officer.

From there we walked to Admiral Nelson’s ship, the HMS Victory. The HMS Victory is preserved in perfect condition and looks ready to sail out to sea. It is easy to imagine what the ship looked like and sounded like during a battle.

While walking around the ship, we checked out the cannons, offices, sleeping areas, and where the cook prepared meals. There was one area that affected me the most, and that was the spot where Admiral Nelson died. Lanterns are hung throughout the ship, lighting the ship’s hull. At the spot where Nelson died, his lantern sits on the floor. His last words, “Thank God I have done my duty,” echoed in my head.

We walked out of the ship and made our way to the Mary Rose Museum. The Mary Rose Museum is one of the most interesting museums I have ever visited. I was blown away by the experience.

The Mary Rose was built in Portsmouth and was Henry VIII’s favorite warship. The massive ship was launched in 1511 and served the Royal Navy for 34 years. During its time at sea, it helped transport troops and engaged enemy ships in battle. During a fateful day on July 19th, 1545, the ship sank.

The exact circumstances of the sinking of the ship are unknown, but it is believed that during a battle with a French fleet, the Mary Rose was hit by a gust of wind during a turn. The ship tilted as a result, and since the cannon doors were open, water quickly filled the ship, sinking it to the bottom of the sea. Henry VIII watched from land as his favorite ship went down. He quickly made a mission to raise the ship, but was unsuccessful.

Centuries later, in the 1960s, divers stumbled upon the artifacts from the ship. A massive undertaking went underway to raise the ship and in 1982, the Mary Rose’s skeleton appeared on land, making it one of the greatest maritime discoveries of all-time.

Shortly after walking into the Mary Rose Museum, my daughter and I watched a reenactment of the sinking of the Mary Rose. A video of Henry VIII greeted us, giving us more information about the legendary ship.

After watching the video, we walked into an area of the museum that housed artifacts found at the wreck. Cannons, dishes, swords, and uniforms were found behind the glass. I stopped at an area with rosary beads and imagined sailors holding onto the beads as water overtook them. Walking through the displays was heavy. In one area, skulls are on display with the person’s uniform and information about who they were.

Once we finished looking at the displays, we walked onto the impressive ship. The Mary Rose is behind a large pane of glass, and visitors walk through two glass doors to enter the ship. At one point, I looked down and said to my daughter, “We’re on the ship!” Markings on the floor show you where you would be on the ship. The amount of attention given to putting the ship together was remarkable. I rarely stand in awe inside a museum, but I was awestruck by the ship.

I knew little about Portsmouth before my visit, but it’s a place that I’ll sing the praises of forever. London gets most of the attention from visitors who live outside of the UK. For tourists who love history, make the two-hour drive from London to Portsmouth. Southeast England is a gem of an area and waiting to be explored.