HMS Ganges and Shotley Battery
History:
HMS Ganges
HMS Ganges was a Royal Navy training establishment, first set up aboard a warship in 1866 before moving ashore to Shotley, Suffolk, in 1905. It trained boy seamen, some as young as 15, instilling discipline and naval skills. A famous feature was the 100-foot mast, used in the legendary Mast Manning Ceremony, where recruits showcased their bravery.
HMS Ganges played a key role in preparing sailors for World War I and II but closed in 1976 as naval training methods changed.
Shotley Battery
Built in 1865, Shotley Battery was a coastal artillery fort designed to defend Harwich Harbour against enemy ships, particularly during tensions with France. It remained active through World War I and II, protecting the naval base. After the war, it was decommissioned and left to decay.
The Explore
After completing an explore (that we planned to take up the whole day) surprisingly quickly we were then faced with a long drive back. Knowing we now had extra time we wanted to look for something else before our time was up. After a bit of reading we soon came across HMS.
There were no recent reports but we still wanted to check it out. When we arrived it was obvious it had now turned into a construction site as we drove past the main entrance. This led to us parking in a nearby marina and walking the perimeter to locate a different entrance. Once we were in we were met with a series of barracks and what looked like past classrooms (all empty). We didn’t explore these but instead went across to nearby Shotley battery. Here are some pictures.
Barracks.
Shotley Battery.
History:
HMS Ganges
HMS Ganges was a Royal Navy training establishment, first set up aboard a warship in 1866 before moving ashore to Shotley, Suffolk, in 1905. It trained boy seamen, some as young as 15, instilling discipline and naval skills. A famous feature was the 100-foot mast, used in the legendary Mast Manning Ceremony, where recruits showcased their bravery.
HMS Ganges played a key role in preparing sailors for World War I and II but closed in 1976 as naval training methods changed.
Shotley Battery
Built in 1865, Shotley Battery was a coastal artillery fort designed to defend Harwich Harbour against enemy ships, particularly during tensions with France. It remained active through World War I and II, protecting the naval base. After the war, it was decommissioned and left to decay.
The Explore
After completing an explore (that we planned to take up the whole day) surprisingly quickly we were then faced with a long drive back. Knowing we now had extra time we wanted to look for something else before our time was up. After a bit of reading we soon came across HMS.
There were no recent reports but we still wanted to check it out. When we arrived it was obvious it had now turned into a construction site as we drove past the main entrance. This led to us parking in a nearby marina and walking the perimeter to locate a different entrance. Once we were in we were met with a series of barracks and what looked like past classrooms (all empty). We didn’t explore these but instead went across to nearby Shotley battery. Here are some pictures.
Barracks.
Shotley Battery.
We continued forward and soon it was easy to locate the 143 foot mast ahead of us.
We then wanted to take a look around the rest of the buildings which meant walking through thick construction mud. Before we made it to the out buildings we were forced to get past caravans which housed what I would presume more security or workers. Unfortunately security buildings and cameras made the pool pretty much inaccessible from the angle we approached. Some of the rooms were in a very sorry state and it was quite sad to look at. The early 1900’s architecture and flooring in some of the rooms showed some impressive craftsmanship a made for some great pictures.
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