Royal Navy Submarine Museum Opens to the Public

1981

The Royal Navy Submarine Museum, located adjacent to Fort Blockhouse on the Haslar peninsula, opened its doors to the public in 1981. The museum's centrepiece is HMS Alliance, a Second World War-era submarine of the A-class, which has been restored and mounted in a purpose-built gallery where visitors can walk through the entire vessel. The museum tells the story of the Royal Navy's submarine service from its origins in the early twentieth century through both World Wars and the Cold War. The connection between submarines and Gosport runs deep: HMS Dolphin, the submarine base at Fort Blockhouse, was the home of the submarine service from 1904 until the base closed in 1998. Generations of submariners trained and served at Dolphin, and the museum preserves that heritage. The collection includes Holland 1, the Royal Navy's first submarine, which was recovered from the seabed in 1982 and is now displayed at the museum. The museum is now part of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, alongside the Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth and other heritage sites. It is one of Gosport's principal visitor attractions, drawing enthusiasts and families throughout the year. The experience of walking through HMS Alliance, experiencing the cramped conditions in which crews lived and fought, provides a vivid insight into submarine life.

Context

Gosport's connection to the submarine service began in 1904 when the first submarine flotilla was based at Fort Blockhouse.

Impact

The museum established Gosport as a heritage visitor destination and preserved the town's submarine heritage for future generations.