HMS Victory: "Incredible progress" being made to conserve Admiral Lord Nelson's Royal Navy flagship

The team at the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) has hit a milestone whilst delivering £42m worth of structural repairs. The 100th futtock, a large piece of timber that forms the ribs of the ship, has been installed as part of the ten year project.

To celebrate the latest achievement in “The Big Repair”, the 16-strong team of shipwrights have left their legacy on the ship. Each expert shipwright carved their name onto the timber before it was lowered on the starboard side of the hull.

Project manager Simon Williams said: “Conserving a ship of this scale, age and importance is a unique challenge but thanks to the skills and expertise of our shipwrights, and the wider project team, we are making incredible progress with two-thirds of planned futtock repairs complete.

“During our work we have found items that tie us to shipwrights who have worked on the ship in the past such as a payslip, a ruler and various shipwright timber marks, and it is now the turn of our shipwrights to leave their mark. In doing this, we are demonstrating that Victory is so much more than the story of Nelson and Trafalgar, but about all the more people and events that have shaped her history and enabled her to survive.

“We are about two-thirds of the way through the futtock repairs but we’re mindful this could change as we continue to review more of the ship’s timbers during the project, and learn more about Victory’s condition.”

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Historic timber marks can be seen in various sections of the ship. The Big Repair is due to be completed by 2032. Rot was found on the outer shell of the warship, with woodboring Deathwatch beetles attacking its timber frame. Conservationists are hoping for the project to secure HMS Victory’s future for 50 years and beyond.

NMRN principal heritage advisor Rosemary Thornber said: “It is believed that these marks etched into the ship’s timbers, usually using a rase knife, were used as part of a wider identification system to track the construction process of HMS Victory. They’d normally indicate a date, the part of the ship the timber relates to, and the Admiralty Broad Arrow, along with the initials of the dockyard manager receiving the timber. Now these marks serve as a tangible connection between the generations of skilled craftsmen who worked on the ship previously, and today's ongoing conservation efforts.

HMS Victory remains open to the public while The Big Repair takes place. Further details can be found on the NMRN website.