The museum has introduced an “Under Hull Walkway,” allowing museum guests to walk down to the base of the dry dock. This unique view of the hull is just one component of the new Victory gallery, featuring film, interactive pieces, and some previously unseen artifacts, such as a shotdamaged section of the original mast from the Battle of Trafalgar and a 200-year-old figurehead. The exhibit charts the ship’s history beyond her career as Nelson’s flagship to her rescue in the 1920s by the Society of Nautical Research and introduces many of the figures related to her story. The latest renovation of the 256-year-old warship began in 2016, when it was discovered
that she was collapsing under her own weight. The cradles that had supported the ship in dry dock since the 1920s needed to be replaced with something that would more effectively mirror the hull support of floating in the water. Now the ship is held up by a system of 134 “smart props,” which not only “mimic the variable pressures of the sea,” but also transmit information on load distribution and the hull’s status through individual “load cells.” Victory is the oldest commissioned warship in the world, and the official Flagship of the First Sea Lord. (National Museum of the Royal Navy, HM Naval Base (PP66), Portsmouth, PO1 3NH; https://www.nmrn.org.uk) ...
The Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum loaned several pieces from its collection for use in filming the upcoming feature film Devotion, which takes place during the Korean War. Over a dozen Ready Room chairs, a captain’s chair, and sinks from USS Yorktown added historical accuracy to the production. In preparation for filming, the movie production company restored the chairs, cleaning and painting them, as well as fabricating new cushions for the backrests and seats. The chairs, nearly 80 years old, have been returned to the museum and are being returned to existing exhibits. Devotion is expected to premiere next year; it is about
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SEA HISTORY 175, SUMMER 2021