As National Museum of the Royal Navy shipwrights stripped away the planking of Victory on her starboard side, they soon learned that it was the newer, replacement hull planking that had rotted most. This was at least in part because this was the side of the ship most exposed to wind and weather sweeping down from the Solent and into Portsmouth Harbour. A century of that takes its toll on any wooden ship, and Victory, however mighty, is no exception. But the surprise was what had fared worse was the newest planking – probably just a few decades old. Iroko, often used as a serviceable substitute for teak. Some at least of this had gone to a kind of mulch. Time allowing it could have been bagged up and sold to make a bob or two for the National Museum.
GARDEN MULCH
21 April 2023
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About Rob
Rob is a TV producer, reporter and camera operator with 30 years’ experience at the BBC, Channel 4 and ITN, in news, factual and documentary production. He is a four times award winner, whose awards include a coveted Royal Television Society award for his work on Channel 4 News. His association with The Maritime Foundation goes back to 1995, when he won the first Desmond Wettern Maritime Media Award for a series of reports that led to a major documentary on the loss of the bulk carrier Derbyshire.