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[DickyD]

Submarine museum welcomes lottery boost for HMS Alliance



An artist's impression of how a restored HMS Alliance could look

A HAMPSHIRE submarine that serves as a memorial to more than 5,000 sailors killed in action has received a multi-million-pound lottery grant.

HMS Alliance, the only remaining Second World War sub that is open to the public, is so badly corroded that she is danger of falling apart.

But the historic vessel, centrepiece of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport, has been awarded a £3.4m grant that will fund vital repairs.

HMS Alliance is listed in the UK’s historic ship’s register, sitting alongside the Cutty Sark, the Mary Rose and HMS Victory.

Bob Mealings, acting director of the submarine museum, said: “It comes as a great relief that our ambitious plan to restore and conserve HMS Alliance has been seen as worthwhile by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

“This grant is a massive boost and will mean that we can start work very soon.”

Prince William is the Royal Patron of the HMS Alliance Appeal, which has a target of £6.5m to raise.

More than £5.8m has now been raised, including the lottery fund grant. A further £1.5m is required for a new Alliance gallery

[John Mk2]

Great new's  She was looking a bit flaky to say the least 

[Ghost in the shell]

cool, she was a nice ship to tour on the inside, now needs a little bit of TLC.  nice exhibit potential

[MikeK]

Well worth a visit especially with the grandchildren. Not sure how they are going to restore it though ! Looks like a good going over with a gang of windy hammers will reveal more holes than steel  Power to their elbow all the same !

Mike

[pugwash]

Mike these restorers can do a fantastic job if the money is available - you should have seen the state of HMS Warrior
when she arrived at Hartlepool for restoration - it looked a total wreck.

Geoff

[Ghost in the shell]

Puggy, im guessing the hull will be pretty sound, especially as, unlike Onyx, was clear of the water.  being OUT of salt water, though still in a salty environment is not as bad as sitting and rotting in salt water, also to dive to 250m, the hull is pretty substantial,  so won't rot so easily. 

[DickyD]

The outer hull has blooming great holes in it Ghosty 

[pugwash]

Apparently one of the problems is there are about 100+ pigeons roosing in the the casing and their pigeon poo is causing
serious corrosion.

Geoff

[Jimmy James]

I'm glad to see its one of the old "A" boats I was on one of her sisters in the late 50's when they still had a 4"gun in a Gun Tower and 3 big posts on the conning tower (2 periscopes and a radar and a snort)
Freebooter

[MikeK]

Mike these restorers can do a fantastic job if the money is available - you should have seen the state of HMS Warrior
when she arrived at Hartlepool for restoration - it looked a total wreck.

Geoff

I had forgotten about the Warrior restoration, Geoff, you have a point. However as mentioned in later posts, those blo-dy pigeons will still be looking for a nice re-decorated home when it is finished  and in this world we live in you cannot take any sort of drastic action to sort them out !    Covering everything in mesh might work, but sort of defeats the object 

Mike

[g4yvm]

Excellent news. Last year I was there and the nets over the forward tube doors were full of dead birds like some mediaeval gibbet. It looked awful

Lovely boat thouh, ive been round her many times and I pride myself on being , If not unique then one of a very small group of people, since I lost a pair of sunglasses abord her.
D

[Ghost in the shell]

dicky D, yes the outer hull has holes in it, without them it would not sink, but even so, the same still stands.  floating in water will increase corrosion compared to being sat on concrete pillars.