Weeda Stamps: News


FOX TALES ON STAMPS Edition #500 Friday, July 09, 2010
HMS Victory
	Our second day in England found us at Portsmouth Harbour. Home of the Royal Navy at HMNB Portsmouth it is also home to some of England's most historic ships, including the HMS Warrior (in the foreground) and the HMS Victory, firmly ensconced in drydock at the centre of the old base. This photograph was taken from the top of Portsmouth's famous Spinnaker Tower. HMS Victory is known as a first rate ship of the line and was launched in 1765. She has the honour of being not only Nelson's flagship at the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar but is presently the oldest naval ship still in commission. With an overall length of 227 feet and a beam of 51 feet she had a displacement of 3500 tons and carried a crew of 850 sailors and marines. Victory had an armament of 104 guns. On her gun deck there were 30 x 32 pounders. The upper gun deck had 30 x 12 pounders. The middle gun deck had 28 x 24 pounders. The quarter deck had 12 x 12 pounders and on the forecastle were two medium 12 pounders and two 68 pounder carronades. I found the gun decks to be lighter and more airy than I expected. I guess it's easy to think along these lines when the ship is standing still and not battened down for a storm or rigged for battle. The British naval gunner's training was second to none. Imagine a broadside fired from these guns as well as the guns above and below. This is what an 18th century Royal Navy gun crew looked like. Note that the guns on the Victory were a bit more advanced than the one in this engraving as the Victory's guns have flintlock primers. The flintlock mechanism allowed the guns to be fired in a more immediate fashion. This ability to accurately time a volley often meant the difference between victory and defeat in the age of sail driven men of war. At this display various types of shot are exhibited. Bar and chain shot were intended to cut through rigging and grapeshot was meant to maim the enemy crew. The company of Royal Marines on the Victory were employed to board other ships, repel boarders, act as sharpshooters and go ashore when necessary. As you can see here the musket, bayonet, pistol and cutlass were their personal weapons of choice. With over 800 officers and crew on the Victory, people slept where and when they could. Officer's meals and meetings were held at the massive table in the formal area of the Admiral's cabin. More private discussions were held in the more intimate setting of the Admiral's inner sanctum. Cooking and baking for such a large crew, with the possibility of extended periods at sea, must have been no easy task for the ship's cook and quartermaster. At the Battle of Trafalgar on the 21st of October 1805 at 1:25 p.m. Admiral Horatio Nelson was shot on the deck of the Victory by a French sniper. He died three hours later. This plaque marks the spot where he was fatally wounded. As clean and tidy and peaceful as the deck of the Victory is today, it was certainly not the case during the battle. As you can see Nelson's plaque is at my feet. Here's the same scene 205 years ago. Below decks swinging from the rafters we find Nelson's bed. Rumour has it that Admiral Nelson was severely affected by seasickness. Hanging bunks such as this helped alleviate his nausea. The embroidered drapes are replicas of those originally sewn for Nelson by Lady Hamilton, his paramour. The originals are in Greenwich at the National Maritime Museum. This dedication panel was on the main gun deck. The hold is the lowest level of the ship and it's where the majority of provisions and other supplies are stored. The barrels you see here are nestled in what is called shingle. There were 200 tons of shingle that worked both as ballast and packing for the barrels to ensure that they didn't shift while at sea. This shingle in addition to 257 tons of pig iron ingots could be moved around to help trim and balance the ship. Illness and injury were unavoidable on a British warship. Disease and diet both had to be monitored and during naval battles rough and ready surgeons' skills were regularly needed. At Trafalgar the Victory lost 57 killed and 102 wounded. Here you can see the large iron "Brodie" stove. It was patented in 1781 and was very innovative for its time. Its components included a firebox and open hearth, two large kettles for boiling meat and oatmeal, two baking ovens, two spits for roasting, seven hanging stoves for senior officer's meals and a copper sea water distiller producing two gallons a day. Crew's meals were often eaten at their stations. This is what a setting for eight would look like. The Victory carried over 6500 square yards of sail (5440 square meters). Destroying the masts or rigging would effectively render a warship immobile. HMS Victory has been drydocked at this spot since 1922. Presently designated as a museum ship she's a tangible link between the naval traditions of the 18th and 21st centuries. This figurehead of the Admiral himself greets visitors to the Historic Dockyard at Portsmouth. For more information go to: http://www.hms-victory.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Victory http://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/hmsvictory/
Answer to Last Week's Salvation Army Quiz
	We received ten correct answers to last week's stamp identification quiz. That means a $10.00 donation to Salvation Army. Here's the portion of the stamp we asked you to identify Here's the answer - Canada #398, the 1962 Jean Talon commemorative. For his biography go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Talon
The Salvation Army Quiz
	We show you a head of state or famous person from a stamp without revealing what country he or she is from. You guess the name of the person. Send us an email with your answer. For every correct answer we will donate $1.00 to our favourite charity, the Salvation Army. Click here to go to the The Salvation Army International Home Page to see what services they offer to communities around the world.