H M S Victory Traditional Cache
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The cache has been placed close to the commemorative stone (N51 47 352 W002 32 905) marking the felling of the oak trees for HMS Victory you may have problems with your Gps when the trees are in leaf so hopefully the clue will help out. If you wish you can keep following the track around to find Fancy Geomapping cache. Don’t forget Boys Grave cache. One of the best times to come is in May when you will possibly see the best display of Bluebells in the world and also in the autumn with the spectacular changing colours of the tree canopy. Parking can be found at Boys Grave (N51 47 751 W002 32 920)
Now for some more info for you to digest.
Oak timber from the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire has been felled to help restore Nelson’s flag ship HMS Victory. The Commanding Officer from HMS Victory will be in the Forest of Dean on Wednesday 19 May 2004 to witness the start of the journey of the 200 year old trees. At 11am the timber will be hoisted onto a lorry for the first stage of the journey to Britain’s most famous warship.
Historically, Dean Timber destined for naval fighting vessels was marked using a distinctive hammer. Commanding Officer Frank Jablonski will swing one of those original hammers to stamp this very special naval timber before it leaves the Forest. The local Dean Heritage Centre has loaned the hammer for the occasion.
The old oak trees have a strong link with Admiral Lord Nelson. He visited the Dean area in 1802 and later recommended to Parliament the re-planting of oak trees in the Forest in order to provide sufficient timber for building wooden warships for the future of the Royal Navy. Nelson was not to know that in less than a hundred years wood and sail would be superseded by steel and steam.
He died in the famous Battle of Trafalgar, 21 October 1805, but his legacy to the Dean lives on.
By 1808 an Act of Parliament had been passed following on from the report and the resulting re-planting of the Forest was going great guns. Today the Dean has the largest area of old oak trees in Britain. The restoration oaks date back to that re-planting.
Two were carefully selected and they have now been felled to refurbish a gun emplacement on H M S Victory.
For the specialist work on HMS Victory long lengths of large oak are needed and the Dean trees meet those requirements.
The shipwrights have already ordered the tree to be cut into the correct lengths to replace certain timbers. The shaping will take place at Wests Sawmill, before finally reaching Portsmouth Dockyard and The Victory.
The Victory’s keel was laid down in 1759 and was eventually launched in 1765. She was constructed from approximately 6000 trees, 90% of which was oak. That amounts to 100 acres (40 hectares) of woodland to build a single First Rate warship.
No wonder Nelson was concerned when his report, published in 1803, claimed that only 3500 loads of ships timbers were available in the Dean. As a result of the report the timber growing practices in the Forest were improved and the great re-planting began.
The resulting trees are known locally as the Napoleonic oaks because they were planted following the wars between England and France.
It is hoped that the restoration will be almost complete by the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar in 2005. Certainly elements of the Dean oak timber will be in place for the celebrations.
The aim of the continuing restoration of HMS Victory is to bring the old war ship back to its 1805 design and condition when she was Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar. Her excellent sailing qualities as a First Rate Ship of the Line made her the popular choice by many Admirals as their flagship and her active career spanned 34 years.
“During the 18th Century much of the naval timber was shipped out from the Dean along the Severn estuary and around the coast as far as dockyards in Dartford. This timber will be transported in a modern way but it comes from the same source.
Cache placed with kind permission of Forestry Commission
HAPPY GEOCACHING
Congratulations Buttyboat on being F T F
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Sebz pbzzrzbengvir fgbar nobhg 18 cnprf jrfg bs genpx haqre ynetr gerr fghzc
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