Historical Maritime Society
Encyclopedia
The Historical Maritime Society (HMS) is a United Kingdom
- based historical reenactment
organisation researching and portraying life in Horatio Nelson's Royal Navy
. There is also a growing interest within the Society in all matters naval and in other periods - including World War II
who were also interested in Napoleonic naval history. The first reenactment event was a living history at the Hartlepool Historic Quay.
at the Royal Naval Dockyard at Portsmouth
, HMS Trincomalee
which is permanently moored at the historic quay at Hartlepool
, the National Maritime Museum
, and many more locations in the UK. The society has also taken part in international reenactment events including that in Malta 2004.
series The Worst Jobs in History
(2004), describing life in the Georgian Royal Navy. The filming took place aboard HMS Trincomalee, UK. The society featured in Paul Lewis Isemonger's book 'Wellington's War' about the Napoleonic period and provided accurate portrayals of life aboard one of the Royal Navy's frigates during the Napoleonic Wars
. The society has also appeared in various other documentaries for TV.
. and a swivel gun. A recent article in Skirmish Living History Magazine recounts the history of this project complete with pictures of HMS in action
The Cutter is a working boat, designed for transport (including a company of Royal Marines), transfer of crews, provisions - including beer and water barrels. One of the crucial uses for such a vessel was that of 'kedging' where a kedge anchor
would be rowed ahead, dropped and for the ship to be then drawn - or warped - ahead by winding the capstan. This would be necessary for hauling off sandbanks or shoals, to escape a lee position and for tight manoeuvering when entering harbours at the heads of river estuaries or tight anchorages.
Work to up-rate the 12-oar launch to a gaff rig
sailing launch, or cutter, is now complete. This has equipped the society with a vessel comparable to that in which the then lieutenant William Bligh
and the loyal non-mutineers from HMS Bounty
were cast away on the 29th April, 1789.
HMS is currently building a replica Mk 8 'Cockle' canoe , reflecting the Society's interest in aspects of WW2 activity .
There are a few other extant examples of the marques of the family of canoes that followed on from those used in Operation Frankton - immortalised in the film The Cockleshell Heroes - including those owned and on loan to the Falmouth Maritime Museum (these are the aluminium versions) but the wooden versions are long gone. There is a dedicated site showing current state of construction
All work on the uniforms, kit and the vessels themselves - including the sailing rig - is being undertaken by members of the Society and has been funded entirely by the membership through sponsored re-enactment events.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- based historical reenactment
Historical reenactment
Historical reenactment is an educational activity in which participants attempt torecreate some aspects of a historical event or period. This may be as narrow as a specific moment from a battle, such as the reenactment of Pickett's Charge at the Great Reunion of 1913, or as broad as an entire...
organisation researching and portraying life in Horatio Nelson's Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. There is also a growing interest within the Society in all matters naval and in other periods - including World War II
World War II reenactment
World War II Reenactment is the historical reenactment of World War II military.-Background:While some dramatic recreations of wartime events had been staged for theatrical purposes and for military purposes World War II Reenactment is the historical reenactment of World War II...
History
The society was established in 1996 by members of the The English Civil War SocietyThe English Civil War Society
The English Civil War Society was founded in 1980 and is the umbrella organization for the King's Army and the Roundhead Association. The purpose of the Society is to raise awareness of the conflict between King Charles I of England and his supporters and their opponents in Parliament and Scotland...
who were also interested in Napoleonic naval history. The first reenactment event was a living history at the Hartlepool Historic Quay.
Events
The society aims to entertain and inform and is linked to educational sites. It has performed reenactment events of the Napoleonic period aboard HMS VictoryHMS Victory
HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. She is most famous as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805....
at the Royal Naval Dockyard at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, HMS Trincomalee
HMS Trincomalee
HMS Trincomalee is a Royal Navy Leda-class sailing frigate built shortly following the end of the Napoleonic Wars. She is now restored as a museum ship in Hartlepool, UK.-History:...
which is permanently moored at the historic quay at Hartlepool
Hartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
, the National Maritime Museum
National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. The historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, it also incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich,...
, and many more locations in the UK. The society has also taken part in international reenactment events including that in Malta 2004.
Appearances in the Media
HMS appeared in the Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
series The Worst Jobs in History
The Worst Jobs in History
The Worst Jobs in History is a television series hosted by Tony Robinson on Channel 4. The second series was shown in March 2006 on History Television in Canada, then in April 2006 on Channel 4 in the UK. The first season is also shown with some regularity on History International...
(2004), describing life in the Georgian Royal Navy. The filming took place aboard HMS Trincomalee, UK. The society featured in Paul Lewis Isemonger's book 'Wellington's War' about the Napoleonic period and provided accurate portrayals of life aboard one of the Royal Navy's frigates during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. The society has also appeared in various other documentaries for TV.
Projects
HMS recently constructed its own replica 'cutter' or launch which can be equipped with its own, fully operational replica carronadeCarronade
The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...
. and a swivel gun. A recent article in Skirmish Living History Magazine recounts the history of this project complete with pictures of HMS in action
The Cutter is a working boat, designed for transport (including a company of Royal Marines), transfer of crews, provisions - including beer and water barrels. One of the crucial uses for such a vessel was that of 'kedging' where a kedge anchor
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...
would be rowed ahead, dropped and for the ship to be then drawn - or warped - ahead by winding the capstan. This would be necessary for hauling off sandbanks or shoals, to escape a lee position and for tight manoeuvering when entering harbours at the heads of river estuaries or tight anchorages.
Work to up-rate the 12-oar launch to a gaff rig
Gaff rig
Gaff rig is a sailing rig in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar called the gaff...
sailing launch, or cutter, is now complete. This has equipped the society with a vessel comparable to that in which the then lieutenant William Bligh
William Bligh
Vice Admiral William Bligh FRS RN was an officer of the British Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. A notorious mutiny occurred during his command of HMAV Bounty in 1789; Bligh and his loyal men made a remarkable voyage to Timor, after being set adrift in the Bounty's launch by the mutineers...
and the loyal non-mutineers from HMS Bounty
HMS Bounty
HMS Bounty , famous as the scene of the Mutiny on the Bounty on 28 April 1789, was originally a three-masted cargo ship, the Bethia, purchased by the British Admiralty, then modified and commissioned as His Majesty's Armed Vessel the...
were cast away on the 29th April, 1789.
HMS is currently building a replica Mk 8 'Cockle' canoe , reflecting the Society's interest in aspects of WW2 activity .
There are a few other extant examples of the marques of the family of canoes that followed on from those used in Operation Frankton - immortalised in the film The Cockleshell Heroes - including those owned and on loan to the Falmouth Maritime Museum (these are the aluminium versions) but the wooden versions are long gone. There is a dedicated site showing current state of construction
All work on the uniforms, kit and the vessels themselves - including the sailing rig - is being undertaken by members of the Society and has been funded entirely by the membership through sponsored re-enactment events.