Visit the historic ships and dockyards that enabled Britannia to rule the waves, says Jonathan Wilkes
Supremacy over the seas allowed Britain to forge the largest empire in history, covering around a quarter of the world’s land surface and population.
Why does Britain have such a rich maritime history?
Britain found its sea legs in Tudor times – thanks to HenryVIII’s shipbuilding and Elizabeth I’s victory over the Spanish Armada– and by the 18th and 19th centuries, became the foremost sea power.
Exploration and colony settlement had created lucrative trading opportunities across the globe, from the Americas to Asia, turning British coastlines into a thriving industry of ports and administration.
A vast number of ships was needed, for transport and to protect trade routes. At its height, the British navy could dwarf the combined fleets of its European rivals, primarily the French and Dutch.
The seas became a near-constant battleground until Britain triumphed in the Napoleonic Wars. Britannia was now unchallenged, and would remain so until the 20th century.
Britain’s best maritime museums and historic shipyards to visit
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Hampshire
The Portsmouth Historic Dockyard houses the most famous ship of the Napoleonic Wars, the 104-gun HMS Victory, which Horatio Nelson was on at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, as well as the first armour-plated iron-hulled warship, HMS Warrior. Both can be boarded. The Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s flagship that sank in 1545 in the Solent, was salvaged in a complex operation in 1982 and is now kept in carefully regulated conditions.
Historic Dockyard Chatham, Kent
This Age of Sail dockyard stayed in operation for more than four centuries. Visitors to Historic Dockyard Chatham can explore the long history of Chatham, ships spanning the Victorian era to the Cold War and the largest collection of RNLI historic lifeboats.
Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre, Lincolnshire
With hundreds of miles of coastline, it is no surprise that Britain has long cultivated a skilled fishing industry. Find out about the lives of the trawlermen of the 1950s at Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre, a job described as Britain’s “most dangerous peacetime occupation”.
SS Great Britain, Bristol
In its dry dock at Bristol Harbour, Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s iron giant is a testament to Victorian ambition. Board the restored SS Great Britain – the world’s largest when launched in 1843 – to learn about its screw propeller system, dockyard, voyages and famous creator.
Lowestoft Maritime Museum, Norfolk
Lowestoft Maritime Museum exhibits local sailing history and national maritime stories. Displays include Royal Navy medals and the workshop of hovercraft inventor Christopher Cockerell.
RRS Discovery, Dundee
Britain’s power at sea was not only in its navy and trade, but also in its polar exploration. The RRS Discovery, built in Dundee, carried Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton on their legendary 1901-04 Antarctic expedition.
Golden Hind Museum Ship, Devon
From 1577-80, Sir Francis Drake, the privateer and favourite of Elizabeth I, circumnavigated the world in the Golden Hind, marking a major achievement in British exploration. Explore a replica of the galleon in Brixham Harbour, Devon.
And speaking of maritime history we named Brixam one of the best places to learn about pirates
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