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Thursday 24 April 2014

Preserved ironclads and old steam warships

For some reason I have always been fascinated by ironclads and other early steam warships, and whenever the opportunity arises during my travels, I will visit any preserved warships that are nearby.

So far I have managed to see:
  • HMS Warrior (Portsmouth, Hampshire)
  • HMS Gannet (Chatham, Kent)
  • HNLMS Buffel (Rotterdam, Netherlands)
  • HSwMS Sölve (Göteborg, Sweden)
  • Aurora (St Peterburg, Russia)
There are other preserved warships that I would love to visit if the opportunity ever arises:
  • Georgios Averof (Palaio Faliro, Greece)
  • Mikasa (Yokosuka, Japan)
  • Huascar (Talcahuano, Chile)
  • Ting Yuen/Dingyuan (Weihai, China) [Not actually a preserved ship but a reconstruction built to the original ship's plans]
  • HMS Caroline (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
  • HMS M33 (Portsmouth, Hampshire)
  • USS Olympia (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

8 comments:

  1. An impressive list!

    I've been around the USS Olympia in Philadelphia but it is sorely in need of restoration now.

    http://legatuswargamesarmies.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/ship-models.html

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  2. On the one day I got a chance to go on Aurora it was shut :(

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  3. I've had dinner on HMS Warrior, though - my parents has their 40th wedding anniversary party there, on the gundeck. We had the ship to ourselves for an evening; it was fantastic.

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  4. Legatus Hedlius,

    I was unable to visit USS Olympia when I was in the USA, and news of her plight is very sad to read. One hopes that someone will do something before it is too late.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  5. Kaptain Kobold,

    I was unable to go aboard Aurora on the day I went there as it was Navy Day and the queues were horrendous. I had to make do with a walk past her, taking photographs.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  6. Kaptain Kobold,

    I know several people who have eaten dinner aboard HMS Warrior, and all have said what a wonderful experience it was. I hope to follow suit one day.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  7. Many years ago in my youth. (Yes I was young once) When serving in the Royal Navy we visited Toulon and I got the chance to go onboard the Jean Bart a WW2 French battleship very interesting

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  8. Johntheone,

    I envy you! The Jean Bart was such a distinctive design, although I preferred her immediate predecessors Strasbourg and Dunkerque.

    All the best,

    Bob

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