HMS Gannet walkaround by Jorit 
One of the major attractions of Chatham Historical Dockyard undoubtedly is the collection of historical ships, currently comprising HMS Gannet, a late 1870s gunboat, HMS Ocelot, an Oberon-class 1950s submarine and HMS Cavalier, a War Emergency destroyer that soldiered on until the early 1970s. While the Cavalier and the Ocelot have been around for some time, the Gannet is a fairly new attraction, having undergone a thorough restoration from a mere hulk to its present glory. HMS Gannet is all the more so fascinating because, at least in Europe, she's a really rare example of a surviving intermediate warship of steel and wood construction and sail and steam propulsion. A good overview over her history as well as some very nice photos can be found on the Homepage of Chatham Historical Dockyard.

Having a soft spot for ships of this particular era I was thrilled to find her not only in pristine condition (well, those parts that are restored, that is), but also to be able to climb around her. Apart from the forecastle, which was closed, and - obviously - the masts one could wander around quite freely.



 
 

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ModelWarships.com -- -- 2005
 


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