A new £11.5m trio of exhibitions have opened in Hampshire telling the “untold stories” of the Royal Navy.
The attractions, which are based at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and in Gosport, include the only surviving British Second World War-era submarine and have been designed to give the public an insight into life at sea protecting British interests around the globe during the major conflicts of the past century.
The £4.5m HMS Hear My Story permanent exhibition, which is located by the
HMS Victory and the
Mary Rose, tells the tales of 1,000 men and women who have worked in the Senior Service in the past century.
The museum is also opening its temporary exhibition <>Racing To War: The Royal Navy And 1914, which charts the Anglo-German naval arms race - a fundamental cause of the outbreak of war - and focuses on key figures of the era, including Winston Churchill.
The third exhibition to open is the newly restored submarine
HMS Alliance based at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport. The £7m project has seen the rusting sub transformed into a gleaming example of 20th century engineering.
The submarine, which served between the 1940s and 1970s, gives visitors an experience of what life would have been like on board - including recreations of combat scenarios and recreations of the living quarters and facilities.
“Portsmouth is the home of the Royal Navy and it is fitting that we will be commemorating the centenary of the Great War, as well as celebrating 100 years of naval history in our new galleries,” said Lincoln Clarke, chief executive of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
“The opening of the ‘HMS Hear My Story’ and ‘Racing to War‘ exhibitions, as well as the restoration of HMS Alliance, are testament to the National Museum of the Royal Navy’s dedication to preserving the Royal Navy’s historical heritage and legacy."
