Firestyle Magazine: Issue 6 - Winter 2016

GENERAL INTEREST
Sprinklers will help preserve
the world’s most famous warship
for generations
It is the most famous warship in
the world and for years reigned
supreme on the high seas, terrifying
enemy fleets as it hoved into view.
The 250-year-old vessel led the
Royal Navy in battles during the
Napoleonic Wars, the French
Revolution and the American War
of Independence.
However, HMS Victory is most
famous for being the flagship of Lord
Horatio Nelson during the Battle of
Trafalgar and the ship on which the
legendary seaman died in action.
Now this iconic relic of British naval
history has protection against
future dramas and can continue to
inspire awe in visitors for generations
to come, thanks to the National
Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN)
and Hampshire Fire and Rescue
Service (HFRS).
The two organisations have worked
together to ensure this national
treasure, which has presided over
key moments in the country’s naval
history, does not go up in flames.
Work to create a cutting-edge fire
safety system started after a blaze
ravaged the historic Cutty Sark
in 2007 while it was undergoing
conservation work.
The wooden construction of the
Victory, and the fact that it is
subject to an ongoing programme
of maintenance work, puts it at risk.
However, the flow of air through
the ship and its traditional gun
ports would cause water droplets
to be blown away if the usual
method of spraying mist was used.
The organisations also had to
work together to come up with
a design that would sensitively fit
into the aesthetics of the ship, and
introduce ultra-modern necessity
without sacrificing its historic charm
and majesty.
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