SJB BOARDERS’ TRIP TO PORTSMOUTH
Boarding at St John’s Beaumont School is great fun and the boys are always out and about.
On the previous weekend, the boarders went to Portsmouth for a day to see some cool boats and explore their historic significance.
First, they went to see the Mary Rose exhibition. The Mary Rose was a successful warship and served Henry VIII for 34 years. The ship was built in Portsmouth and launched in 1511 to serve in Henry VIII’s “Army by Sea”. The Mary Rose would go on to fight in wars against France and Scotland. She sank during the Battle of the Solent, off the south coast of England in 1545.
The ship was rediscovered in 1971. A huge team of divers, archaeologists and scientists was involved in raising the Mary Rose back to the surface in 1982. Amateurs and professionals alike were dedicated to the cause, and the project broke new ground in diving and conservation techniques to preserve the ship and its artefacts which is now on display in the museum that we visited. It was fascinating to see.
Later, they moved on in time and visited the HMS Victory at the National Museum of the Royal Navy Portsmouth in the dockyard. The HMS Victory is best known for her role in the battle of Trafalgar under Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson in 1805. She has been the flagship of the First Sea Lord since October 2012 and is the world’s oldest naval ship still in commission, with 244 years of service as of 2022.
Next, the boys clambered through the tight spaces aboard the HMS Alliance, the only remaining WW2-era submarine, and finally, the day ended with a visit to the HMS Warrior, Britain’s first iron-hulled, armoured battleship. All in all, they had a super exciting day and learned a lot too.
