Chasing Shadows and Shooting Stars

October 2009

Spooky Tour of HMS Alliance

Hundreds went on a search of the Universe at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum for stars in the Galaxy and spooks in the shadows at a special family event Chasing Shadows & Shooting Stars on Halloween at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport. Activities for families included star gazing in a state of the art planetarium, playing with shadow puppets and a spooky torch lit tour of HMS Alliance, the WW2 submarine.

Jackie Edelman, Education Officer at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum said, “Halloween can be a vulnerable time for children out trick and treating. Our event was developed so that the whole family could enjoy Halloween together. Visitors loved it and we are very grateful to Hampshire County Council for its support."

Star Gazing with Simon Ould in his Planetarium

Shadow Puppet Theatre with Armchair Theatre

May 2009

Ladies Return to the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.

Mrs. Trudy Powell and Mrs. Joan Chadwick both from Fife in Scotland, live just a few miles from each other and share a common bond. Both have lost a loved one who served in submarines during WWII. It was not until both of them had made separate pilgrimages to the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport that Archivist George Malcolmson noticed that they had both made a long journey from the same area and for the same reason. George put them in touch with each other and they have now formed a new friendship. Both ladies joined up for a repeat journey to the museum in April 2009. 

Mrs. Joan Chadwick's husband Stoker Petty Officer Jack Whiting was lost in the submarine HMS Trooper sunk in the Mediterranean in 1943 and Mrs. Trudy Powell's father Chief Petty Officer Stoker Albert "George" Spowart was lost when the submarine HMS Tempest was sunk in the Mediterranean in 1942.

During their visit they both paid their respects in the "Submarine Memorial Chapel" Touring the museum they saw their loved ones names in the museum's "Area of Remembrance".

Other additions to the website

Prince William visits the Museum
Prince William visited the Museum on 10th June 2008, the day it was announced that he is to become Patron of the HMS Alliance Conservation Appeal. You can read about the visit and the appeal here and may also like to look at the article and short video of the visit in the Portsmouth News.

The Cold War
This section of the website explores the unique and critical role of Bristish submarines in the cold war. The documents have been produced for the National Museum of the Royal Navy and can be seen on the NMRN website together with documents from the other Museums.

• How Lord Mountbatten secured a US reactor for the Royal Navy
• Polaris and the Royal Navy Handbook
• The British Polaris Project

Shop
The on-line shop has run successfully for over a year and is now providing an important revenue stream for the Museum. The shop has full secure credit card payment and is a great place for unique gifts, books and submarine memorabilia. Items are added to the shop regularly, so if there is something you would like to see , contact Lynda at [email protected].

Venues
Our Museum has facilities that are ideal to host almost any function, large or small. A series of pages have been published to promote the venues. Click here to see what we have to offer.

We are constantly developing the site and welcome your feedback on this latest update and any views or ideas you may have for future work. Email ideas to [email protected] We are developing broadband applications on the website and would be particularly interested in hearing from anyone who may have material we can use.

June 2008