Anything Navy-related to see in Cornwall?

[Richard502]

SWMBO booked a garden/Rosamunde Pilcher tour through Cornwall. Is there anything (sites, museums, bookshops, hobby shops, ...) Navy-related to spice up this trip?

TIA, Richard

[Adm Lord De Univers]

Well, I feel it only right that someone who lived in the south west for 10 years, neighbouring Devon, should answer. The answer is I really don't know, for me Cornwall is most famous for north cornish beaches (good surf), fudge and some on the best fish and chips you'll find on these fair isles (read reviews first, funnily enough the best ones are generally known to locals and aren't that busy, the busy ones are normally not as good, local newspapers usually have the best info). St Ives and St Michael's mount are probably highlights for the tour you're going on. Eden Project and national trust properties otherwise. Falmouth is probably your safest bet for some sort of naval vessel.

 

Port wise, my memory is really just of sleepy fishing towns than bustling naval ports. They were probably busier during the wooden age, but...

 

If you can stretch to the Tamar and head to Saltash, you can cross the bridge and visit Devonport to see some boats, I used to watch them come and go from the Hoe, there's a museum or two there as well as the Barbican and other Napoleonic forts. A replica of he Golden Hind is at Brixham as well, but that's even further away.

 

To avoid this being a disappointing reply, I found the below, but have little to no memory or experience of visiting them:

 

https://nmmc.co.uk/

https://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/index.html

https://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/page/charlestown-harbour-cornwall

https://www.museumsincornwall.org.uk/

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/history/truth-mayflower-voyage-1620-link-2698802

https://www.marconi-centre-poldhu.org.uk/

https://www.museumsincornwall.org.uk/

https://www.worldshipsociety.org/organisation/branches/uk-branches/cornwall

https://marinediscovery.co.uk/

 

Hope that helps,

 

David

[junglierating]

On 4/17/2022 at 8:41 AM, Richard502 said:

SWMBO booked a garden/Rosamunde Pilcher tour through Cornwall. Is there anything (sites, museums, bookshops, hobby shops, ...) Navy-related to spice up this trip?

TIA, Richard

Crickey the RN is very low on the publics radar....never mind shipmate there is an entire Royal Navy Air Station...CULDROSE or HMS SEAHAWK if you prefer..mind you probably not much flying as its Easter and all the Cornish ratings will be surfing in sewage and besides they are pingers so all the cabs are probably U/S plus its Easter leave 😉 

[Seahawk]

Frankly, no.  The best you could do is cross the border into England and take a boat trip from Plymouth around Devonport.  Who knows, you might spot a warship or two.  (Nowadays I wouldn't be surprised if there was a site somewhere on-line listing what warships you couldexpect to see on the day, just in case Russian spy satellites had missed any.)

 

Cheaper, and still in the fair Duchy, would be a trip to Falmouth.  It's home port to RFA Argus, there's usually one of the Bay-class LSLs under refit in the dry dock and various small RN training and fishery protection vessels tend to call in there from time to time.  They can be viewed from any of the sea front car parks or, for a close-up of whatever's in the dry dock, from Castle Drive (handy layby provided).  One of the car parks (I think Marine) is conveniently situated for a visit to Trago Mills' Falmouth branch (see my previous answer).

 

Argus never seems to move.  I suspect she is aground on a reef of beer cans.

[Francis Macnaughton]

1 hour ago, Seahawk said:

  (Nowadays I wouldn't be surprised if there was a site somewhere on-line listing what warships you couldexpect to see on the day, just in case Russian spy satellites had missed any.)

 

There is a site showing planned Naval ship movements at Plymouth plus the Brittany ferry at  https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/qhm/plymouth

 

[Chewbacca]

I know this is probably way too late but HMS COURAGEOUS was open as a museum in Devonport.  Their website which hasn't been updated for a wee while says that it is closed for maintenances until early 2021 but worth a call I suppose if anyone's in the area.