Portsmouth
June 1, 2022
HM 191 The Queen's Harbour Master - Portsmouth
There are three very tall things in Portsmouth:
1. The Spinnaker Tower (photo 3) - welcoming sailors from afar.
2. The Semaphore Tower (photo 4) - housing the QHM's office and named after the end of the "Semaphore Line" which passed visual messages from the Admiralty in London to the Fleet in Portsmouth during the Napoleonic wars until electric telegraph took over in 1847.
3. And....the Queen's Harbour Master - Nick Randall.
Nick left the Royal Navy in 2004, his last job being HMS Invincible's navigating officer. After many years as Chief Pilot for Portsmouth (as well as an Admiralty Compass Adjuster... a great job title!) he became one of only three QHMs in the country (Plymouth and Faslane are the other two).
If ever a job is close to being "God", it is as QHM. He explained his one task, above all else, was to ensure the Royal Navy has access in and out of Portsmouth Harbour whenever they need it. He has the power to close the port whenever he wishes, and this he does when one of the two new Aircraft Carriers wishes to move. They are so wide that new transit towers had to be built to ensure they fitted safely through the harbour entrance. Nick was on board the Queen Elizabeth for her arrival, and safe to say...it all went smoothly!
A big part of Portsmouth is the impressive Historic Dockyard. The Mary Rose, sunk in the Solent in 1545; HMS Warrior, the first iron-hulled warship and HMS Victory , Horatio Nelson’s vessel on which he died at Trafalgar are all housed here. More recent RN boats are meticulously restored by an amazing trust (photo 7). Across the water in Gosport, a post WW2 Submarine, HMS Alliance towers over the yachts, and the father of one of my crew commanded her!
Nicknamed "Pompey", Portsmouth is home to almost two-thirds of the Royal Navy's surface ships, so together with the museums there is a huge amount to see. Thank you to Nick and the Royal Navy for our tour and I cannot recommend a visit more highly! @phdockyard
There are three very tall things in Portsmouth:
1. The Spinnaker Tower (photo 3) - welcoming sailors from afar.
2. The Semaphore Tower (photo 4) - housing the QHM's office and named after the end of the "Semaphore Line" which passed visual messages from the Admiralty in London to the Fleet in Portsmouth during the Napoleonic wars until electric telegraph took over in 1847.
3. And....the Queen's Harbour Master - Nick Randall.
Nick left the Royal Navy in 2004, his last job being HMS Invincible's navigating officer. After many years as Chief Pilot for Portsmouth (as well as an Admiralty Compass Adjuster... a great job title!) he became one of only three QHMs in the country (Plymouth and Faslane are the other two).
If ever a job is close to being "God", it is as QHM. He explained his one task, above all else, was to ensure the Royal Navy has access in and out of Portsmouth Harbour whenever they need it. He has the power to close the port whenever he wishes, and this he does when one of the two new Aircraft Carriers wishes to move. They are so wide that new transit towers had to be built to ensure they fitted safely through the harbour entrance. Nick was on board the Queen Elizabeth for her arrival, and safe to say...it all went smoothly!
A big part of Portsmouth is the impressive Historic Dockyard. The Mary Rose, sunk in the Solent in 1545; HMS Warrior, the first iron-hulled warship and HMS Victory , Horatio Nelson’s vessel on which he died at Trafalgar are all housed here. More recent RN boats are meticulously restored by an amazing trust (photo 7). Across the water in Gosport, a post WW2 Submarine, HMS Alliance towers over the yachts, and the father of one of my crew commanded her!
Nicknamed "Pompey", Portsmouth is home to almost two-thirds of the Royal Navy's surface ships, so together with the museums there is a huge amount to see. Thank you to Nick and the Royal Navy for our tour and I cannot recommend a visit more highly! @phdockyard