Category: Fareham, Gosport and Portsmouth

Queen Elizabeth – the carrier – comes home

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Five years ago, two sections of the Royal Navy's first new generation aircraft carrier left the shipbuilding yard in Portsmouth  en route for Rosyth, where final assembly of the ship was to take place.  It was to be the first time that a major ship for the Royal Navy would be built in sections, in multiple yards around the British Isles. On Wednesday 16th August 2017, 'Big Lizzie' as she's already affectionately known, came home to her home base in Portsmouth for the first time, greeted by a large crowd of well wishers who'd turned out early to line the waterfront between Southsea Castle and Old Portsmouth. I wasn't the only member of the SPS Council up at 5:30 in the morning to be sure of a close up view.  In fact, I'd been awake at 3:30 that morning and had checked on Marine Traffic so see whether she really was in the area.  No doubt about it, clearly spinning her wheels in Freshwater Bay, waiting for the tide and the waiting crowds.

Valentine Rescue

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Valentines Day - where better to celebrate than a seaside restaurant? But when the 80mph wind at Milford on Sea near Hurst Castle picked up stones which smashed the windows of the restaurant, the tone of the evening must have changed quite rapidly. Add to that a tidal surge that meant cars were floating down … Continue reading Valentine Rescue

First shout of the year for RNLI Portsmouth.

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http://www.rnlivideolibrary.org.uk/swf/rnli_player.swf?vid=zeUgnj5s Video from RNLI For the full story, click here to go to the RNLI webpage Search and Rescue operations like this are directed by HM Coastguard. But that will change during 2014 as a result of a major reorganisation of Coastguard. Lee on Solent Coastguard will close, and be integrated into the new Coastguard … Continue reading First shout of the year for RNLI Portsmouth.

HMS Nelson

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One of the privileges of being involved with Solent Protection Society is that we occasionally get to see historic sites in the area that are not generally accessible by the public. So when Solent Forum (of which SPS is a member) were invited by the QHM (Queen's Harbour Master) to hold their meeting at HMS … Continue reading HMS Nelson