The Diving Museum

The Diving Museum

Further to my previous blog about how how frustrating Gosport can be because of all it's hidden gems, I want to mention The Diving Museum.

This small and highly specialised museum is hidden in away in No 2 Battery at the eastern end of Stokes Bay. The Battery was part of the ring of defences around Portsmouth Harbour, which included the Palmerston Follies. The museum was opened earlier this year by The Historical Diving Society and it's manned by volunteers from that society.

We paid our 2 quid entry fee  and were pounced upon by one of the volunteers, an ex Royal Navy diver, who offered to show us around and explain the exhibits. And this he did with obvious relish and certainly a deep knowledge of his subject. The museum has exhibits from the early days of commercial diving in the 19th century right up to modern sports diving (using equipment supplied by BSAC) and saturation diving. There's a good balance between civillian and military diving and between commercial and sports diving and no shortage of exhibits with thre being lots of examples in each category.

What became clear right at the beginning of the tour, was that Gosport was the birthplace of modern commercial diving:

It is not yet popularly known, but Gosport is the home of the global diving industry. The co-inventor of the diving helmet, John Deane, lived in Gosport from 1835 to 1845 during which time he discovered the Mary Rose. The first diving helmet ever sold by the inventors was to a Gosport mariner, Henry Abbinett. Gosport represents a natural home for the country's premier historical diving museum.
(from www.divingmuseum.co.uk)

Apart from my sports diving interest, I was really pleased to make a connection with one of the other exhibits. When I was a baby sailor on HMS GALATEA in 1974, I was sent off to Fort Bovisand, near Plymouth to train as a Swimmer of the Watch. We had to don a 3 piece diving suit made up of a top and bottom, the two open ends of which are rolled together before being covered with a cummerbund. And I was chuffed to see that same suit being exhibited!

So this is Gosport's 4th museum. It already has the Submarine Museum, Explosion!, and the local natural history museum  The town also has it's 17th century village, and the Institute of Naval Medicine holds many artefacts and historical papers from the history of the Royal Naval Medical Branch. 

That's very nearly an armful

It was the regular blood donor session in Gosport tonight. I walked in at 18.22 to find the place was mobbed. It was another hour and 40 minutes before my turn came. I spent my time, as I always do, dozing.  It's one of those times when I get that satisfaction from seeing the good that people can do, quite unselfishly. Everyone's there because they want to be and without enticement - apart from a cup of tea and a biscuit.

There's always a good mix of ages from teenagers who are giving at their first opportunity, to 'senior' donors who have been giving for yonks. There's skinny folks and pudgy folks. And there's ALWAYS the one or two who get a bit flaky and have to have 'The Wet Towel of Recovery' on their heads and sip from the 'Disposable Cup of Orange Squash'.

This is the side of people I like to see. I much prefer to see this going on than riots in Tottenham, or crappy posts on Facebook falsely comparing grannies on benefits to 'immigrants', or posts begrudging the fractional amount we spend on aid. People, just do those little things that help someone else, and without expecting something in return and this will be an even more wonderful place in which to live.

Give blood england and north wales 96% of us rely on the other 4% to give blood. Please don’t leave it to someone else.


And if you want THAT bit, jump to 4m 20s

For someone who brought pleasure to many and who will do so only in memories now

High Flight

 Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

 And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

 Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

 of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things

 You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung

 High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,

 I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung

 My eager craft through footless halls of air....

 Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue

 I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.

 Where never lark, or even eagle flew —

 And, while with silent lifting mind I have trod

 The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

 - Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

by John Gillespie Magee

Gosport is so frustrating

Let me explain why. Yesterday, I went out for a ride around the periphery of this old maritime town. My ride took me through the town to to Portsmouth Harbour at a spot called Monk's Walk, down through Hardway, Clarence Yard, Haslar, Gilkicker, and Stokes Bay. Once I got out of the first built-up part I was into some woods that led down to the water's edge and I had great view across to Whale Island and Fountain Lake, that view only disturbed by the sad sight of 3 Type 42 destroyers out on the trot, awaiting disposal. As I cycled on a bit further I passed both The Jolly Roger and The Old House At Home pubs, and both good looking pubs, unlike some of the dives in Gosport, both busy, both with people sat outside enjoying the sun.

From there it was along the water's edge to Explosion! and a little goofing as I cycled through. I was a little taken aback by the sight of a 4.5" Mk 6 turret, something I'd not seen so close since I trained on one in HMS Cambridge in 1974. Explosion! is yet another old Naval site where some of it has been refurbished and revitalised and opened to the public whilst other areas have new houses built on them. It looks good and reassuringly intact.

Leaving the old munitions site, I was able to look across to Portsmouth dockyard and see HMS VICTORY standing out in her historic, unique colours against the modern grey of  our most modern warship, a Type 45 Daring class destroyer. My journey then took me over a bridge and into Clarence Yard, which was the old victualling yard for the dockyard. It's now a collection of apartments but its origins are still evident by such names as The Old Bakery and The Slaughterhouse. Again, there's been a lot of refurbishment here but many apartments and the shops are still awaiting occupancy. Nonetheless, its another pristine and tastefully preserved area. I cycled on in to town and along the seawall looking over to Portsmouth. Passing the Falklands Gardens I rode along past the marinas to Haslar Bridge where, once I passed the family fishing at the water's edge, I seemed to leave people behind. Over the bridge, I could see that the Submarine Museum car park was very busy but saw no pedestrians. The headwind down the road between the old Naval Hospital and the Marine Technology Park made me puff but it didn't stop me hoping that the plans for Haslar come to fruition.

On to the sea front at Gilkicker, the Victorian fort, to see HMS ILLUSTRIOUS anchored out in the Solent, as guard ship for the Clipper Round The World Race, Ensign and Jack flying at each end. The shingle was  busy with people, the bushes and brambles busy with different fruits, the whole sea front busy with so many different plants. Once over the shingle and back on the tarmac, it was clear that so many people take the opportunity to walk along the whole promenade enjoying the wonderful views across to the Isle of Wight. From there it was ride along Stokes Bay, seeing a couple of swimmers, a windsurfer, hundreds of sailing craft, and a busy crazy gold course. Once clear of the bay, it was into Privett Park to see cricketers playing, on a beautifully green pitch, the pavilion with a few sat outside with pints. And then home.

There are so many little corners of Gosport, that are green or full of flowers and all well-tended. It has a some great waterfront areas, a lot of history and a lot of lucky people.

And yet, the town centre is dying. Estate agents, pound shops, gaming places, charity shops and little else. It's such a shame.

From the Submarine Guide of the Year, as voted for by readers of Bunty (Google it)

I know you all like to keep up to date with the comings and goings of the visitors to HMS ALLIANCE, so here's today's report.

A really busy day today with the Waterbus bringing over loads of folks on the Big Ticket, even though the Submarine Museum gets very little of that ticket price. The cosmopolitan crowd today included Germans, a German doctor and his family, more Germans a family from Cape Town, the father of which has done the Comrades Marathon in about 7 hours, some French folks, a colleague from work with his family, inclusive of fun and extrovert daughter, ex submariners from the Amphion class and the Oberon class, a guy who had been on the Port crew of HMS REVENGE (my boat and crew) but a couple of years after me, and 6 US servicemen from RAF Molesowrth, who seemed jolly nice chaps. Oh yes, and lots of other people.

We did start doing tours but we became overwhelmed by the numbers coming off the Waterbus, so ran a free-flow system to allow people to see the boat but still be able to chat to a guide if they wished. That works well to 'break the back' of the numbers, and allows us to revert to tours if we're able.

Oh, by the way. Harbour Stations, the onsite cafe, does a mean mocha