Model Boat Mayhem

Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: DickyD on May 30, 2011, 10:00:46 pm

Title: Lottery boost for HMS Alliance
Post by: DickyD on May 30, 2011, 10:00:46 pm
Submarine museum welcomes lottery boost for HMS Alliance

(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p8/DickyD_photos/hmsalliancejpgdisplay.jpg)

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
Title: Re: Lottery boost for HMS Alliance
Post by: John Mk2 on May 30, 2011, 10:05:02 pm
Great new's  :-)) She was looking a bit flaky to say the least  :((
Title: Re: Lottery boost for HMS Alliance
Post by: Ghost in the shell on May 31, 2011, 08:06:03 pm
cool, she was a nice ship to tour on the inside, now needs a little bit of TLC.  nice exhibit potential
Title: Re: Lottery boost for HMS Alliance
Post by: MikeK on June 01, 2011, 08:44:18 am
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
Title: Re: Lottery boost for HMS Alliance
Post by: pugwash on June 01, 2011, 09:01:55 am
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
Title: Re: Lottery boost for HMS Alliance
Post by: Ghost in the shell on June 01, 2011, 07:19:45 pm
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. 
Title: Re: Lottery boost for HMS Alliance
Post by: DickyD on June 01, 2011, 10:05:34 pm
The outer hull has blooming great holes in it Ghosty  :-))
Title: Re: Lottery boost for HMS Alliance
Post by: pugwash on June 01, 2011, 10:24:51 pm
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
Title: Re: Lottery boost for HMS Alliance
Post by: Jimmy James on June 01, 2011, 11:44:50 pm
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
Title: Re: Lottery boost for HMS Alliance
Post by: MikeK on June 02, 2011, 08:40:36 am
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  >:-o 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
Title: Re: Lottery boost for HMS Alliance
Post by: g4yvm on June 03, 2011, 10:16:17 am
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
Title: Re: Lottery boost for HMS Alliance
Post by: Ghost in the shell on June 04, 2011, 08:35:54 pm
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.