Heritage of the Sea: Famous Preserved Ships Around the UK

264 Pages·2012·8.52 MB·English

by  Peter C. Smith

MARITIME HISTORY TITLES
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
Arctic Victory
Battleship Royal Sovereign
Battles of the Malta Striking Forces
British Battle-Cruisers
Critical Conflict
Cruisers in Action
Cruise Ships
Destroyer Action
Destroyer Leader
Eagle’s War
Fighting Flotilla
Hard Lying
The Battle-Cruiser HMS Renown
HMS Wild Swan
Into The Minefields
Midway Dauntless Victory
Naval Warfare in the English Channel
Massacre at Tobruk
Offshore Ferries
PEDESTAL: The Convoy That Saved Malta
Per Mare Per Terram
Royal Navy Ships’ Badges
Sailors in the Dock
Task Force 57
The Great Ships Pass

First published in 1974 by Balfour Books, Cambridge.

This edition published in Great Britain in 2012 by
Pen & Sword Maritime
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS

Copyright © Peter C. Smith, 2012
See all Peter C. Smith books at www.dive-bombers.co.uk
9781783469765

The right of Peter C. Smith to be identified as Author of this
Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission
from the Publisher in writing.

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Table of Contents
MARITIME HISTORY TITLES BY THE SAME AUTHOR
Title Page
Copyright Page
INTRODUCTION
BELFAST
WELLINGTON
PRESIDENT
CUTTY SARK
GIPSY MOTH IV
GOLDEN HINDE
CAVALIER
GANNET
OCELOT
MEDWAY QUEEN
CAMBRIA
KINGSWEAR CASTLE
VICTORY
WARRIOR
M-33
HOLLAND-1
X-CRAFT – X-7, X-24, XE-8 AND STICKLEBACK (X-51)
ALLIANCE
GREAT BRITAIN
BALMORAL
ALBION
LYDIA EVA
MINCARLO
UNICORN
DISCOVERY
BRITANNIA
GLENLEE (THE TALL SHIP)
WAVERLEY
BRONINGTON
PLYMOUTH
CAROLINE
TRINCOMALEE
ONYX
MTB-102
FOXTROT-8
OTHER PRESERVED VESSELS
INTRODUCTION
The history of Great Britain is in itself a history of the sea and
sea power. The sea brought to our shores many invaders, the
Romans, the Danes, the Viking raiders, and from the earliest
days of recorded history it served us by bringing trade from the
Mediterranean. It has always been this nation’s main artery,
secure if guarded and exposed if, as today, neglected.
That this tiny island race could have developed into the
greatest world empire ever known was due exclusively to the
dominance of the sea which was exercised between the
seventeenth and early twentieth centuries. That dominance
was abandoned by uncomprehending politicians in the 1920s
and today, almost a century on, remains but a dim and fading
memory but, while it lasted, it ensured that no invader between
the coming of the Normans and the end of the Second World
War, violated our freedoms, although the books are full of
tyrants who have tried from the Spanish Armada, through the
Dutch Wars, the towering ambitions of Napoleon, the Kaiser
and Hitler, all of whom overran and enslaved their continental
opponents only to stand gazing frustrated across the narrow
gap of the Straits of Dover. Both the Grande Armée of France
and the Panzers of Germany were stopped in their tracks by
the sea and the British seamen who controlled it. Since 1945,
however, our borders have lain open to anyone and everyone.
Conversely, by exercising that earlier easy domination over
the world’s sea routes, Great Britain was able to utilise her
trading skills and technical innovation to the full and for
centuries London was the trading centre of the world. Britain
led the world in every aspect of maritime invention during the
eighteenth, nineteenth and first decade of the twentieth
centuries, from the ships of the line, through the ironclads to
centuries, from the ships of the line, through the ironclads to
the Dreadnought in warship design and from the Great Britain
to the famous Cunard liners in the mercantile world.
Sadly all this has been thrown away in the last sixty years but
the seafaring instinct and tradition still lingers in many parts of
the population and it has been gradually realised over the last
half-century what a priceless heritage still exists in what is left
of our famous old ships. Although the realisation came too late
for many, superb examples of the maritime skill for which this
nation was so renowned have been saved from the breakers’
yards for the enjoyment and education of future generations.
Sadly, since the first edition of this book, many included
therein have, to the nation’s shame, been allowed to go, the
Arethusa, the Chrysanthemum among them, and scandalously
the National Maritime Museum has ‘dispersed’ to use their
accountant-speak words, the last steam-driven tug, Reliant (the
former Old Trafford), instead of caring for her; meanwhile
others just as valuable to the nation, are under grave threat.
Some, such as the famous 1934 J-Class yacht, Britain’s 1934
America’s Cup contender Endeavour I, still exist, but not,
unfortunately, in the UK. It is hoped that this book, which
records just a selection of some of the most famous of these
ancient vessels and illustrates them in full colour photography,
will spur others to do what they can to assist in this worthwhile
task. The Heritage of the Sea is our heritage, and it is a proud
and honoured one.
Many people gave generously of their time and expertise in
helping me with this book, I would like to thank them all for
their kindness, cemented by a mutual desire to record for
posterity the best of what little is left of our nautical history
against total Government and much public indifference. So my
gratitude to the following for both original research back in
1974 and current research in 2012 –

Richard Basey, The MTB102 Trust, Lowestoft; Vice Admiral Sir
Patrick Bayly KBE CB DSC, The Maritime Trust; Commander
Blake, The Great Britain Project, Bristol; Basil Brambleby, The