For one special weekend, the heritage of the submarine service will be on show for everyone.
On Saturday 8 September, Fort Blockhouse and the SETT Tower are opening their doors to their hidden heritage and on Sunday 9 September, a special British Signed Language tour of HMS Alliance will take place as part of the Gosport Heritage Open Days event. The Fort Blockhouse Submariner's Tour will include a visit to the Submariner's Memorial chapel, the Officers Mess to see the Wyllie paintings and new for this year a visit into the SETT tower where submariners are trained to escape.
Bill Sainsbury, Event Manager at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum said, "We are really delighted to have the support of Fort Blockhouse for the behind the scenes tours and be able to hold a special BSL tour of our own historic HMS Alliance"
HMS Dolphin was the home to the Royal Navy's Submarine Service for most of the first 100years of the RN submarine service from 1904 – 1999. Now known as Fort Blockhouse, the behind the scenes tour will be led by a retired submariner and will include a visit to the Submarine Memorial Chapel, the 19th century ramparts, the Harold Wyllie paintings in the Officer's Mess and the SETT Tower.
The British Signed Language tour of HMS Alliance will be led by a veteran submariner guide and interpreted into BSL. HMS Alliance was designed during the WWII for service in the Far East and was launched in 1945, as victory was achieved. She then began a distinguished 28 year career during the Cold War until she retired as the centrepiece of the Submarine Museum. Alliance is currently undergoing a £6.75m conservation project.
Heritage Open Days tickets are free but must be booked in advance either online at http://www.eventbrite.com/ or by calling the Royal Navy Submarine Museum on 023 92545036. For more information visit http://www.submarine-museum.co.uk