The Royal Navy Submarine Museum

Star attraction rules the waves in Gosport

The Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport isn’t the sort of place you stumble across. The pedestrian traveller must take a clueless 10-minute walk from the ferry terminal before they become aware they are heading in the right direction by the sight of a large, rusty submarine in the distance.

On arrival, you can be forgiven for being disappointed. It’s easy to imagine the museum growing from humble beginnings – a collection of navy buildings converted to house a few odds and ends that might interest ex-servicemen or enthusiasts only. However, once you progress into the more modern parts of the museum, which have been erected next to the star attraction, the WW2 submarine HMS Alliance, the claustrophobic allure of life beneath the waves reveals itself.

Bold and lively displays combine interactive features and videos to explain the scientific principals and engineering at work in both older and modern nuclear submarines. The sections with video testimonies from crusty old submariners do a good job of adding a colourful context. There is also plenty for little hands to play with, including a room themed on pirates.

The only section that might not engage so much are the parts dedicated to models of submarines and the old belongings of submariners, which lack the dynamism of the other exhibits. This is in sharp contrast to, for example, the X24 four-man submarine, which is imaginatively displayed next to large blow–up prints of the Victor comic strip describing its exploits during WW2.

• Tickets to the museum are £10.00 for adults and £7 for children aged 5-15.
  For more information visit www.submarine-museum.co.uk