HMS Foudroyant - Pompey Dockyard

emsworthy

emsworthy

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Seeing the thread on pre-marina days and photographs of Portsmouth Dockyard of yesteryear, reminded me of a very memorable 4 day stay at the age of about 8 on HMS Foudroyant who was at the time "afloat" in the middle of Pompey Harbour. The year would have been around 1975/76.

Does anyone else remember her being there? I have never found another soul who recalls her being there or had a similar school trip, but unless it is a flash-back to a previous life I'm pretty certain I didn't imagine it! :confused:
 
You're exactly right- she was moored off the Royal Clarence Yard. I believe she was the oldest vessel afloat at that point. Spent several holidays on her in the mid seventies, sailed whalers to the IOW, rummaged through the bilges looking at the ballast made of cannons, that sort of thing. I'm afraid I have no photos or anything, though. Have you been to see her in Hartlepool?
 
Corribee Boy said:
You're exactly right- she was moored off the Royal Clarence Yard. I believe she was the oldest vessel afloat at that point. Spent several holidays on her in the mid seventies, sailed whalers to the IOW, rummaged through the bilges looking at the ballast made of cannons, that sort of thing. I'm afraid I have no photos or anything, though. Have you been to see her in Hartlepool?
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Thanks for confirming neither Brightwork or I have Alzheimers!!

It's an experience I recount to my own children when they moan about uncomfortable accommodation on school trips, I vividly recall sleeping in damp canvas hammocks that left you bent like a banana for the first few minutes of the day and partaking in activities that would give a modern day H&S assessor a heart attack!! Didn't do me any harm though! :D
 
That's another memory - you were issued with a sheet of canvas and a number of small ropes, possibly called 'nettles', and you had to make your own hammock. Each morning you tightly lashed your sleeping bag into the hammock with seven turns, one for each ocean, then stored it for the day.

I was also shown - by one of the instructors - how to alter another person's hammock so it was hung from the deck beams by a blackwall hitch, which is simply a riding turn. They'd come down four or five feet onto a solid teak deck in the middle of the night. My, how we laughed!!
 
Corribee Boy said:
That's another memory - you were issued with a sheet of canvas and a number of small ropes, possibly called 'nettles', and you had to make your own hammock. Each morning you tightly lashed your sleeping bag into the hammock with seven turns, one for each ocean, then stored it for the day.

I was also shown - by one of the instructors - how to alter another person's hammock so it was hung from the deck beams by a blackwall hitch, which is simply a riding turn. They'd come down four or five feet onto a solid teak deck in the middle of the night. My, how we laughed!!
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And you try telling that to the young people of today... and they won't believe you! (credit to M.Python)
 
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I can remember having to sleep in a hammock for the trip across the pond in HMS TORQUAY, part of the DT squadron, surely I am not that old.
 
emsworthy said:
Seeing the thread on pre-marina days and photographs of Portsmouth Dockyard of yesteryear, reminded me of a very memorable 4 day stay at the age of about 8 on HMS Foudroyant who was at the time "afloat" in the middle of Pompey Harbour. The year would have been around 1975/76.

Does anyone else remember her being there? I have never found another soul who recalls her being there or had a similar school trip, but unless it is a flash-back to a previous life I'm pretty certain I didn't imagine it! :confused:
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I was there for a week each in 1964 and 1965, both school trips, sailed walker tideways with gunter rigs (I think) and tried to row whalers, the oar weighed as much as I did . . . .
 
So for those of us who weren't born when that photo was taken, what was Foudroyant and what was her purpose in life? Sea Cadets or similar?

Pete
 
prv said:
So for those of us who weren't born when that photo was taken, what was Foudroyant and what was her purpose in life? Sea Cadets or similar?

Pete
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The original Foudroyant was a 74 that was wrecked off Blackpool I believe in the 1890's. Used for sail training for cadets in the Navy I think. After she was wrecked the Trincomalee was taken, given an extra deck to give her the appearance of a 74 and renamed Foudroyant to replace her.

Here's the original ship:Foudroyant.jpg
 
Woodlouse said:
The original Foudroyant was a 74 that was wrecked off Blackpool I believe in the 1890's. Used for sail training for cadets in the Navy I think. After she was wrecked the Trincomalee was taken, given an extra deck to give her the appearance of a 74 and renamed Foudroyant to replace her.
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Wikipedia though says she was owned by a private individual. I'm just curious what organisation it was that was running her, and for what purpose, as it doesn't seem to have been the Navy any time last century.

Pete
 
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