The 1805 Dispatches #20.03 October 2020 3 of 5 MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL Any members who have forgotten to renew their membership this year are requested to renew immediately, and to check with Barry Scrutton (membership.secretary@1805club.org) that their subscription is at the current rate. Three years of groundbreaking work by engineers, scientists and historians means visitors can see HMS Victory from below for the first time, after replacing the original cradles she has rested on for nearly 100 years. In their place, 134 stainless steel props support the warship securely, and provide experts with constant data on the state of the ship – and allow tourists to inspect the 69 metre (226 feet) long Trafalgar veteran from bow to rudder from below — a privilege not even Admiral Nelson himself is thought to have enjoyed. Victory has been preserved in No.2 dry dock (itself 218 years old) since the 1920s; engineers used a series of steel cradles to support the 3,500 tonne vessel. A century later and as part of an unprecedented 20-year £40m overhaul of the ship, the steel cradles (and tonnes of supporting concrete) have been gradually replaced by the hi-tech props, which can be adjusted to mimic the pressure of the ocean around Victory’s hull just as when she once roamed the seas. (Edited text taken from Royal Navy News: https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news ) SEEING UNDERNEATH HMS VICTORY Providence was the fifth ship commissioned into the Continental Navy and a replica was built for the Bicentennial celebrations in 1976. Readers may like to look up an interesting series produced by the Tall Ship Providence Foundation, at: https://tallshipprovidence.org SAVE THE DATE (2) Sean M Heuvel’s and John Rodgaard’s book, From Across the Sea: North Americans in Nelson’s Navy is now available (ISBN : 9781913118921). On 11 November 2020 the University of Toronto will hold a virtual book talk to which you are invited. Details are available at: https://harthouse.ca/events/virtual-dinner-seriesrodgaard-heuvel
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