NMRN HARTLEPOOL SITE NARRATIVE NMRN HARTLEPOOL SITE NARRATIVE

National Museum of the , Hartlepool ~ Site Narrative

‘OUuRrSs IiSs TtHhEe S TeOpR iYc osft tohrey R ooyfa l tNhaevy Rino tyhae ls eNttainvg y, its impact OURS IS THE STOR Y of the Royal Navy in the ofn th Be rNiotartihn E aastn odf Etnhgela nwd;o wreld e xfprlorme t hiet se voeryidgaiyns in 625 AD setting of the North East of ; we explore experiences of sailors and the varying relationships the everyday experiences of sailors and the varying twoh icthh wee prer feosrmenedt bdeatwye.’en the Royal Navy and the relationships which were formed between the coastal communities impacted by its presence, and Royal Navy and the coastal communities impacted MASTER NARRATIVE OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE ROYAL NAVY the worldwide implications of the activities that took by its presence, and the worldwide implications of place in the North Sea. ’’ the activities that took place in the North Sea. Our story has four overlapping themes: People, Power Purpose and Progress.

People

We explore the changing lives of sailors; the work they undertook, how they trained, what they ate and drank; sleeping and washing arrangements and how they spent their free time. We look at the public perception of Royal Navy 2 5 sailors; as a fighting force to be reckoned with; as ‘Jolly Tars’; as celebrated heroes and as highly trained professionals. We examine the contribution of the shipbuilders who built, Purpose maintained, repaired, and later restored, Royal Navy ships, from the Indian builders of HMS Trincomalee to the conservators of We examine the role of the Royal Navy with particular today, and explore the other relationships between the Navy focus on the North East of England and the North Sea. and the North East communities on land, coast and sea. From patrolling and mapping to fighting, hunting, defence and rescue, we pay tribute to the crucial activities and Power contributions of supply vessels like those of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Royal Navy boats like those of the We describe the Royal Navy’s role at the height of the British Coastal Forces. Empire – in both its glory and its exploitation – when ships such as HMS Trincomalee were built in India and thousands of miles Progress were travelled around the world to maintain British interests. We also look at power in a literal sense; the complex rigging We examine the massive advances of communications, of wooden sailing vessels, the coal-fuelled steam ships, marine navigation and ship and weapon design and how the engines and the advanced technologies of the present day. Admiralty and Royal Navy shipbuilders and suppliers responded to the demands of both war and peace. We 3 also reflect why and how the Navy could be slow to modify and move forward. We explore the advances made in the 1 HMS Ark Royal, built by Swan Hunter on Tyneside 3 HMS Trincomalee’s rigging. in 1981. preservation of historic naval vessels and the increasing 4 Trainees painting Foudroyant, 1906. value placed upon such activities as the National Museum 2 Gun drill on HMS Camperdown, 1893. of the Royal Navy’s fleet of historic ships grows in size and 5 Weapons training at sea, 2016. 1 popularity. 4

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NMRN HARTLEPOOL SITE NARRATIVE

NARRATIVE STRANDS These narrative strands, all of which have links to the National Museum of the Royal Navy’s Master Narrative themes, outline 1 HMS Trincomalee, built in Bombay in 1817 and still in more detail the stories we tell; we will bring them to life afloat in Hartlepool today. through our historic vessels, museum galleries, collections, 2 Plater’s shed, Readhead’s , , 1964. special exhibitions, learning programmes and activities, © Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums events, publications and partnerships.

FIGURE 1 NMRN Hartlepool Narrative Strands 2

SHIP DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIR Newcastle’s Tyneside and North Eastern towns such as Hartlepool and were important builders and repairers of ships and marine engines for the Royal Navy, and the Indian teak-built HMS Trincomalee stands in exotic contrast with the ships of iron that were built and repaired here. RML 497 represents another type of wooden vessel; built in haste for the Second World War, the Fairmiles’ prefabrication build was revolutionary and lent itself perfectly to the multi-tasking Coastal Forces boats which were crucial to the war effort.

In the 1980s, HMS Warrior and HMS Trincomalee were restored in Hartlepool using traditional skills and materials; their ongoing care depends upon the continuation of those

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NMRN HARTLEPOOL SITE NARRATIVE

techniques, as well as new developments in conservation. 1 4

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1 Passenger liner Empress of Canada ready for launch 3 HMS Broke being repaired on Tyneside following at the Walker Naval Yard, Newcastle upon Tyne, the Battle of Jutland, 1916. 10 May 1960. © Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums © Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums 4 Reserve fleet maintenance, Hartlepool, 1950s. 2 West Hartlepool Docks hosting the Royal Navy’s Reproduced with the Permission of Hartlepool reserve ‘Mothball Fleet’, 1950s. Borough Council Reproduced with the Permission of Hartlepool Borough Council

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LIFE ON BOARD 4 Although the essence of their role has always remained the 6 operation and maintenance of their vessels, the lives of Royal Navy crews have changed beyond recognition. Recruitment and training methods are increasingly more sophisticated, and women in the Royal Navy are playing a larger role than ever before.

Advances in technology and a greater emphasis on comfort, health and wellbeing have made the modern sailor’s life a great deal less physically demanding and overcrowded.

There is no longer a requirement for preserved food, with fresh food supplies more easily available; the hygiene and 3 Female Sea Rangers on training ship Foudroyant diet for those on board ship are as good as those who live in 1938. on land and uniforms have become more practically suited 4 A cutlass drill on board ship, late 1800s. to the tasks they undertake. 5 A typical 1818 sailor’s meal – as depicted on HMS Trincomalee. 1 6 Handmade snuffbox painted with a frigate, around 1800. 1 Drawing of a Georgian sailors’ mess, 1822.

2 A present day ship’s mess.

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PROPULSION 3 Engine-powered vessels needed fuel, when sail power only needed the wind and a skilled crew; coal from the North 1 Coaling HMS Northumberland. From Our Navy 4 ‘Skylarking’ depicted in Our Navy children’s East was transported by collier ships to the south of England children’s publication, around 1890. publication, around 1890. to power the Royal Navy and later, oil tankers built in 2 Engine room steam turbines, early 1900s. 5 Cartoon depicting a sailor ‘seized up in the Hartlepool travelled the world’s seas to service Royal Navy rigging’, 1818. ships’ requirements. 3 A ship’s triple expansion engine.

Hartlepool was also the home of several important manufacturers of marine engines used in Royal Navy ships and the surviving archives of designs and drawings uniquely illustrate the feats of engineering that these, now largely forgotten, companies were achieving.

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4 Sir Galahad (1987), Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship built by the Swan Hunter shipyard on Tyneside.

5 RML497, Coastal Forces Rescue Motor Launch now at NMRN, Hartlepool.

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SUPPLY, DEFENCE AND RESCUE 4 The Royal Navy always needed auxiliary vessels to support defence as conflicts at sea came ever closer to the people 1 ML503, Coastal Forces Motor Launch at sea. its fighting ships and the supply of fuel became essential of Britain. when vessels no longer relied upon sail power alone. Since 2 Bomb damage from the bombardment of Hartlepool in 1905, the civilian-manned Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) has During the Second World War, Coastal Forces developed . supported the Royal Navy to maintain operations around into an important branch of the Service and made a vital Reproduced with the Permission of Hartlepool Borough Council the world by supplying fuel, ammunition and supplies, and contribution to the naval successes of the conflict, providing by transporting Army and Royal Marine personnel. defence and rescue services and shore side support, as well 3 Coal staithes in the South Docks, Sunderland, around 1929. as keeping supply routes flowing around the UK’s coastline. © Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums The Bombardment of Hartlepool in 1914 was one occasion which demonstrated the need for heightened coastal

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