By Lyn Funnell
The Frigate HMS Trincomalee is moored by the National Museum of the Royal Navy at Hartlepool.
She (all ships are She) was built in India out of teak in 1817 and over 60% of her is original.
Over 1,000 oak trees would have been needed to build the ship and oak was becoming scarce and too expensive. But the East India company had a shipyard in India and teak was plentiful there.
She cost £23,000 to build, which is around £5 million in today’s money.
Stuart Burke, the knowledgeable guide, showed us around. He’s been the ship’s guide for over 30 years.
When the Trincomalee reached Portsmouth, she wasn’t needed any more, so her masts were removed and she was roofed over and left in the harbour for 25 years.
Several frigates were scuttled, so it’s lucky that she survived.
She received her first commission in 1847 and her final commission in 1857, when she was used as a Royal Navy training ship.
The Gun Deck was the busiest part of the ship. There were 38 cannon, which were never fired in battle, but were used for practice and training.
In the centre of the deck was the Galley, with a large coal-heated range.
Next to the Galley were kept the animals; pigs, cows, sheep and chickens, to provide fresh meat for the Officers.
But the Crew were well-fed, to keep them fit and healthy. They ate in the Lower/Mess Deck, where their hammocks were hung at night, above the tables.
The food was served on square wooden plates, so they ate Square Meals’!
In the stern was the Captain’s Cabin, which was spacious as he had a lot to do there.
On each side was a toilet so that he could choose which one to use, depending on which way the ship was leaning!
There were two more loos on the deck at the front of the ship, for 239 crew. They were called the Heads as they were at the Head of the ship.
Officers had their own luxurious dining room and the Senior Officers had tiny private cabins along the side.
The Hold could store provisions for six months, mostly in barrels.
It also held rows of iron ‘Pigs’ which were necessary as ballast to balance the ship.
As it was impossible to store enough fresh water, the Crew were given a daily supply of wine, rum and gin. They were all permanently drunk, but they weren’t allowed to show any sign of drunkenness, for which they could be given 12 lashes of the Cat o’ Nine Tails.
On the deck were 18 smaller cannons, known as Carronades, made by Carron & Co in Scotland. They were known as Smashers because they could easily penetrate a hull.
When Carron & Co went out of business, the Post Office bought them all, stood them upright, painted them read and turned them into Post boxes!
Hartlepool Shipyard closed down in the 1980s then the Teeside Development Corporation took over the site and built the wonderful National Museum of the Royal Navy, which includes the Hartlepool Museum inside the main building.
We spent most of the day there as it is so interesting.
Luckily there’s a reasonably priced café there.
