Seafaring History in Portsmouth, England

I got sidetracked in the last two weeks, following up on my grandfather's time as a "seaman". Until I looked further, I had no idea that his duties didn't include time on ships but rather time on airplanes, a new technology in WWI. Now I'm back to where I was prior to those posts and this one will be ship related.

One of the ports of call on my spring trip was Southampton. We didn't have much time there, just time enough for a quick trip to Portsmouth, a place my travelling companion was interested in. She wanted to visit Portsmouth Harbour. My 3x great-grandfather had died there, so I was game. Maybe I would find some info about him there. Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard was so much more than I was expecting!

The museum I visited had many interesting exhibits but the main draw was the historic ships. We made a beeline for the HMS Victory, Nelson's ship in the Battle of Trafalgar. The decks were open to explore. Nelson's spacious
quarters and solitary bed contrasted with the close quarters of the men. It must have taken a few cooks to feed the whole crew. But eating and sleeping would have been put on hold when the enemy was engaged. We were told that the paneling behind Nelson's desk would have been removed during battle. Conditions there were probably a touch easier than on the gun deck during the fight.

Being able to explore the ship from top to bottom brought the reality of a sailor's life home. I know there were some sailors who went to sea in my family's background but have no idea if any of my family were in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. But there are ways to find out. Check out http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/aboutapps/trafalgarancestors/ to see if your ancestors took part in that famous battle.

I haven't found any sailors in my family back that far yet but maybe someday that link might come in handy. We had too short a time to take in all there was to do and see at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. A return trip looks like it is called for. The Victory was a great ship to explore but I would love to see the Tudor ship, the Mary Rose, and maybe a trip on the waterbus would show me where the hulk that served as my 3x great-grandfather's prison had been stationed.