GUESS THE SHIP................

[DuncaninFrance]

No takers so far, so here is another set of pics that should do it.....................I served here myself for 2 weeks in 1976 when I was in the RNR. Manned a Martello Tower signal station for Exercise 'INSIDE RIGHT'
but I wasn't the button boy!

[Dave 101]

Is it HMS Warrior . an iron hulled ship ,now at Portsmouth dockyard ,



Dave

[Niner Delta]

This one has me confused, the only matching photo I found was the middle one above, in your post.
The caption says, "HMS Minotaur, as HMS Ganges, 1908."

So Duncan, right or wrong?

Vern.



Minotaur Class ironclad HMS Minotaur

HMS Minotaur Built at The Thames iron Works at Blackwall. and laid down on the 12th September 1861 and to be named HMS Elephant, the name was changed before launch on the 12th December 1863. Completed on the 19th December 1868, the reason for the 5 years to complete was due to her being used for experimental armament and rig trials for 18 months.
She was finally commissioned as Flagship for the channel squadron at Portsmouth in April 1867, in this position she remained for 20 years. During this period she was involved in a collision wiht HMS Bellerophon.
Went into refit in 1873 until 1875, in this period she was re-armed with seven 9 -inch MLR and twenty 8 inch MLR and four Whitehead Torpedo launchers. Went into reserve in 1887 at Portsmouth until 1893. Became the training ship HMS Boscawen II between 1893 until 1905, moving to Harwich in 1905, becoming Ganges until 1922, and sold later that year.

[Niner Delta]

Dave,

That's what I thought too, HMS Warrior, but the profile of the bow doesn't match.

Vern.

[Woftam]

I don't think it's the Warrior either - based on the rigging. Hadn't looked closely at the bow but now you mention it, it is different.

I was convinced it was a training ship but couldn't find one that matched. The date Duncan was on it also rules out a lot of the ships I looked at.

Oh well back to Google.

[DuncaninFrance]

WISDOME IS STRENGTH

Vern wins the coconut HMS Ganges. All those ships have served as Ganges at one time or another but when I was 'on her' she was in her last year as a training establishment. I think there were only 2 classes still there, both Iranian cadets. All the phone boxes in the area were out of order because the coin boxes were full - little Iranians phoning home!!
The big mast on the Quarter Deck was traditionally manned by cadets on their passing out. the place of honour was right at the very top, standing on the 'button' hence the title 'Button Boy'. ( The only support was a lightning finial I think )

I was billeted in the red brick block, top left hand side by the rugby pitches and worked in the Martello tower which is almost dead centre.

While I was there I was able to visit Pin Mill on the River Orwell which is famous for building Thames Sailing Barges. Good pub there called the Butt & Oyster

First picture is from Google Earth - the mast is still there!

[Dave 101]

Last time I went to HMS Ganges [ 1982 ish ] it was being used as a range open to the public , you had to produce ID a driving licence would suffice and you could hire a pistol and buy your ammo and go off and find somewhere to shoot in the tunnel ammo stores . 3 of us went 2 of us had SGC and one had a FAC . A few years ago I met an ex bobby on a range in Norfolk who worked in the area of HMS Ganges apparently they were getting lots of calls there accidents etc . The range didnt last that long .

Dave

[Niner]

I remember reading about HMS Ganges as the Navy training school in a book by Tristan Jones entitled Heart of Oak. He told about how hard it was and about climbing the mast and going over the "button" in training in 1940. It is a great read. I read it twice. Only thing about it is that it is total imagination. He was too young for WWII. I think he did serve in the British Navy though for a number of years before becoming a famous sea faring adventurer and writer. Maybe he was at Ganges at some later date....or some place like it.

Here is a good video of Ganges and climbing the mast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htmC__eg8hc

[DuncaninFrance]

Here is a bit of a dinosaur.

She was named after a British Commander during the early years of the Peninsula War who was killed in action in 1812.
She is the only ship of the Royal Navy ever to be so named. Her 12 in (300 mm) main battery was stripped from obsolete battleships of the Majestic-class.
That should be easy................................

[DuncaninFrance]

Vern gets it in one - he's good at this