The site of the Coastal Forces Museum, in which MTB’s 71 and 331 are the star attractions (though there’s much more than the two ships for visitors to see) is opposite Portsmouth Dockyard in Gosport. Priddy’s Hard- 40 acres of farmland, and a boatyard – was bought in 1750 from Jane Priddy and the Vicar of Fareham, Revd. Thomas Missing. The site served for over 200 years as an ordnance depot, storing and manufacturing a fearsome range of banging machinery for the RN. Some of which can be seen now at National Museum of the Royal Navy’s ‘Explosion’!’ museum – including an example of the only type of missile ever to shoot down another, in the Gulf War (left of picture); from HMS ’Gloucester’, under the command of Rear-Admiral Philip Wilcocks CB DSC DL, in defence of the USS ‘Missouri’.
PRIDDY’S HARD
15 May 2022
Share this
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.