The Royal Navy Submarine Museum at Gosport is a

maritime museum A maritime museum (sometimes nautical museum) is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water. A subcategory of maritime museums are naval museums, which focus on navies and the milita ...

tracing the international history of submarine development from the age of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

to the present day, and particularly the history of the

Royal Navy Submarine Service The Royal Navy Submarine Service is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. It is sometimes known as the Silent Service, as submarines are generally required to operate undetected. The service operates six fleet submarines ( SSNs) ...

from the navy's first submarine, ''

Holland 1 ''Holland 1'' (or ''HM submarine Torpedo Boat No 1'') is the first submarine commissioned by the Royal Navy. The first in a six-boat batch of the , she was lost in 1913 while under tow to be scrapped following her decommissioning. Recovered in ...

'', to the nuclear-powered ''Vanguard''-class submarines. The museum is located close to the former

shore establishment A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land. "Stone frigate" is an informal term that has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the French in 1803–04. ...

HMS ''Dolphin'', the home of the Royal Navy Submarine Service from 1904 until 1999.

History

The museum's collection originated as the Submarine Branch Collection in 1963, housed above St Ambrose Church in HMS ''Dolphin''. Few were aware of the existence of the museum, and those that were had limited access to the collection due to security considerations. The museum was officially recognised by the Ministry of Defence in 1967, along with the Fleet Air Arm Museum and the

Royal Marines Museum The Royal Marines Museum is a museum on the history of the Royal Marines from their beginnings in 1664 through to the present day. A registered charity, it is also a designated service museum under the terms of the National Heritage Act 1 ...

. The museum's first full-time curator was appointed the following year. The museum was officially registered as a charity in 1970, and has undergone significant development. In 1978 the museum was moved outside HMS ''Dolphin'', allowing full public access. It was at this time that the Royal Navy’s training and static display submarine, was donated to the museum. £410,000 was raised to pay for the submarine to be lifted out of the water and put in place at the museum. X24 view from side

The new museum complex opened in August 1981 with HMS ''Alliance'' as the principal exhibit. Over the years since, more submarines and submarine memorabilia have been added to the collection. In 1983 the museum gained a new display building and members of the public were allowed into HMS ''Alliance''. In 2001 the museum opened a climate-controlled building that houses . Visitors to the museum can tour HMS ''Alliance'' with a submariner guide, explore the interactive science gallery, step on board the Royal Navy’s first submarine ''Holland I'' (built in 1901), or wander around the museum exhibits.

Submarines and other submersibles

Turtle model at the Royal navy submarine museum

These submarines may be viewed on site *, a post-war ''Amphion''-class hunter-killer submarine, now raised out of the water on stilts * – the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

's first submarine *''X24'' – the only X-craft to see service in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

and survive in an intact condition. * Biber (No.105) – German

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

midget submarine A midget submarine (also called a mini submarine) is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to six or nine, with little or no on-board living accommodation. They normally work with mother ships, ...

. It was restored to working condition by apprentices from Fleet Support Limited on a

sandwich course A sandwich degree, or sandwich course, is an academic degree or higher education course (also known as tertiary education) involving practical work experience in addition to academic study. The work experience is often referred as an industrial pla ...

in 2003 under the guidance of Ian Clark. The restoration featured on Channel 4’s salvage squad. *LR3 – a

deep-sea The deep sea is broadly defined as the ocean depth where light begins to fade, at an approximate depth of 200 metres (656 feet) or the point of transition from continental shelves to continental slopes. Conditions within the deep sea are a combin ...

survey and rescue submersible. *Maiale – An Italian human torpedo *

JIM suit The JIM suit is an atmospheric diving suit (ADS), which is designed to maintain an interior pressure of one atmosphere despite exterior pressures, eliminating the majority of physiological dangers associated with deep diving. Because there is no n ...

– atmospheric diving suit *Cutlet – an early ROV * ''Turtle'' – a replica of the first submarine ever used in combat

Historic and Modern Galleries

Entitled "From Pirate to Peacekeeper", these include: *A large collection of submarines and

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...

es *the periscopes of HMS ''Conqueror'' of Falklands War fame through which one can see

Portsmouth Harbour Portsmouth Harbour is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Portsmouth and Gosport in Hampshire. It is a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area. It is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it ...

*Remembrance Corner, which commemorates those who devoted their lives to the Submarine Service *Submariners' medals, including the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

of Edward Courtney Boyle *Children's activities **Control Room trainer - Submarine command simulation

Other nearby historic naval exhibits

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is an area of HMNB Portsmouth, HM Naval Base Portsmouth which is open to the public; it contains several historic buildings and ships. It is managed by the National Museum of the Royal Navy as an umbrella organizatio ...

with its historic ships and the

National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth The National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth, formerly known as the Royal Naval Museum, is a museum of the history of the Royal Navy located in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard section of HMNB Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The ...

* Explosion! Museum of Naval Firepower

References

External links