[BITList] HMS Victory

[fredmno at aol.com]

Salaams,
             this is not a spoof but taken from the Daily Telegragh.
                             BR Fred
Victory for Let



The MoD said the 18th century warship could be too expensive to maintain and 
  that her funding was currently under review.




This could see her looked after and run by a private firm or a charity to save 
  cash, options which critics said would be a "tragedy".




The MoD said that increasing budgetary pressures meant it must review 
  Victory's future like any other ship but insisted it would remain part of 
  the Royal Navy.




But a former Commanding Officer of Victory and ex-First Sea Lord said handing 
  the oldest commissioned warship in the world to a private company would "turn 
  it into Disneyland" and make a mockery of Britain's naval heritage.




Victory, which was built between 1759 and 1765 and is best known for her role 
  in the Battle of Trafalgar, sits in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Hants.




The Battle of Trafalgar was one of the most decisive naval actions in British 
  history as it established Britain's supremacy at sea and freed the country 
  from the long-held fear of invasion from Napoleon's armies. 




The battle off Cape Trafalgar, in southern Spain, pitched the Royal Navy 
  against the combined fleets of France and Spa
in. Nelson died after he was 
  shot by a French marksman as he stood on the quarterdeck of HMS Victory.




Lt Cdr Michael Cheshire, now retired, who was Commanding Officer of Victory 
  from 1992 to 1998, and was awarded an MBE for his services to the Royal 
  Navy, said: "If they sell her or give her away to charity it will be an 
  absolute tragedy.




"This magnificent ship means so much to both naval people and the whole 
  nation. Selling it to a private firm would turn it into Disneyland and would 
  be its ruin.




"HMS Victory is the core of the naval base, the core of Portsmouth, and 
  to sell off this icon would indicate the decline of the Royal Navy."




HMS Victory costs a minimum of £1.5 million to maintain and run each year, but 
  that figure can rise when major work is needed.




About 400,000 people visit her annually, with entrance fees divided up and 
  shared between all the major attractions at the dockyard.




The MoD said it was considering whether to allow Victory to be looked after by 
  a private company, a charitable trust similar to the one that looks after 
  the Mary Rose, another government department, or keep the status quo.




Lady Taylor, Defence Minister, said HMS Victory would remain part of the Royal 
  Navy.




"Nothing will change in that respect," she added. "The 
  objective for this study is the sustainability of HMS Victory as a museum 
=2
0 ship and commissioned Royal Navy warship."




An MOD spokesman said: "We will not be giving her away or decommissioning 
  the ship. It is currently run by the Navy and retired Navy personnel show 
  the public around the ship.




"The consultation is designed to produce a relationship between the Royal 
  Navy and any of the options, without the Royal Navy and the public losing 
  control of the ship."




The spokesman said the options would include a company limited by guarantee.




Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Alan Massey said: "The review will openly 
  and equally examine all the options available to us to ensure that HMS 
  Victory continues her distinguished naval career in the best possible state." 


            

            

                
 





        

        





        

        


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