Royal Navy Submarine Museum

Come down this weekend and enjoy the excitement of The Subaquatic Steampunk Weekend!

Today marks 20 years since the launch of HMS Vengeance. It was built in Barrow-in-Furness by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd (now BAE Systems Submarine Solutions).
HMS Vengeance carries the unopened "last instructions" (letters of last resort) of the current British Prime Minister that are to be used in the event of a national catastrophe or a nuclear strike.
The letters of last resort contain orders on what action to take in the event that an enemy nuclear strike has destroyed the British government and has killed or otherwise incapacitated both the Prime Minister and their “second person” in command. In the event that the orders were to be carried out, the action taken could be the last official act of Her Majesty's Government. These letters are stored inside two nested safes in the control room of this submarine.

Join us for our event 'Life on a Submarine' on Monday 17 September and hear all about the remarkable story of HMS Alliance, Britain’s only surviving Second World War ocean-going submarine.
Find out how this historic submarine adapted to the demands of the Cold War, supported special operations around the world, tested new equipment and has become a fully restored museum attraction. Listen to oral history clips of submariners and look at evocative objects such as a woolly pul...lies and long johns. We’ll even share the smell of the diesel engines for a real experience of what it was like to live beneath the waves!
Entry: £2 Please book your place by calling: 023 92 891 370 ext 2021 or email community@nmrn.org.uk
Find out more about HMS Alliance: https://bit.ly/2wJhQ0u
images: HMS Alliance-leaving-Portsmouth---September-1 947, HMS Alliance off Portugal - Crew members on bridge
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Over at our sister site, the Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower, we just found an actual message in a bottle in the camber. We fished it out and here is the message from Reuben Mould. Have you ever sent or found a message in a bottle?
Help us let Reuben from Southsea know we found their message by sharing this post! Thank you!

The National Museum of the Royal Navy is looking for volunteers to join its crew of guides on HMS Alliance here at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport. Our Knowledgable and engaging guides bring the submarine to life for our visitors by answering questions, sharing anecdotes and leading tours through the boat itself, plus being a big part of the community of our museum.
If this sounds like you please join us for our open day on Thursday 6 September 10:30am - 13:30pm at Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Haslar Jetty Road, Gosport, PO12 2AS
Email: volunteering@nmrn.org.uk to register your interest or call 02392 891 370 ext:2016

Our Archives will be open to all, will collections officers ready to answer your questions on the Navy, Marines, ships, people, events & more in the Museum's library. We can help you with your research, from academic publications, to simply discovering more about naval history. Admission to the event is free with an NMRN Membership or valid attraction ticket. No need to book

We are celebrating all things unicorn tomorrow with our Unicorn Festival Day!
Join us for all things magical on Monday 6th August and create your own unicorn horn.
Find out more and get the KIDS GO FREE offer: https://bit.ly/2n715rW

Do you have a child under 5? Join us today for exploration, fun and discovery inspired by the 50th anniversary of the film Yellow Submarine. Part of our Summer of Love programme you can drop in whenever you like between 11am-3pm for sensory play, art and craft and lots more!
Under 5’s only. Free no ticket needed. Just a waterbus ride from Portsmouth, find us at Busy Boats Bay, Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Haslar Jetty, Gosport, PO12 2AS
Get all this and more for kids this summer at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard​. Find out more about KIDS GO FREE offer: https://bit.ly/2zsSsAG

It's Black Tot Day today!
A great today to come down to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard to join in the celebrations! Why not catch a waterbus over to us for some submarine action!

Great article in Hampshire Life magazine of summer fun at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard which includes us! Don't forget KIDS GO FREE until 2 September!
Read more: https://bit.ly/2JXSiRS

Thanks to the Telegraph Travel for mentioning us in their "The world-class British museums your children must visit before they turn 16" for our Yellow Submarine tribute (free; 14, 18 & 21 August) and Silent and Secret exhibition. Make sure you don't miss our Beatles-inspired shenanigans! https://bit.ly/2L8O9jF

Is there a better view to enjoy the sun than at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum?

Upcoming birthday? Holiday? Anniversary? Just want to say thank you? We've got you covered.
We now offer gift cards on our online store!
— Products shown: Gift Card.

Ex-serving personal?
Did you know the Royal Navy Submarine Museum and Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower both stock the hard to find 'Pusser's Rum'!
It's a fast seller, so make sure you grab a bottle as soon as possible!
... https://shop.nmrn.org.uk/…/prod…/puss ers-rum-gunpowder-proof
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Come along and learn about family history with one of our museum curators. Whether you're wanting to learn about naval history or want to discover more about your family history. Our team will help you find the answers.

For the very first time 'Ask the Archives' will be coming to Gosport!
This is your opportunity to interact with one of our museum curators and learn from their expertise.
Being held at: ... Royal Navy Submarine Museum on the 11th of July (10:00-16:30). Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower on the 8th of August (10:00-16:30).
This is a free to attend event for all those with an NMRN Membership or any valid attraction ticket.
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loved it. so much better than i thought itd be and everyone is passionate and enthused in what they do.

We visited today with our 2 children and it was fantastic, our retired submariner brought it to life, we were all captivated with his explanation and stories. My son loved being teased about being put in a torpedo shaft! Highly recommended and a must visit.

We had a fascinating couple of hours here on Sunday !! The staff were very pleasant and helpful and our tour guide around the Submarine was both informative and entertaining !! The Submarine tour was, in itself, just amazing !! Never having been in a sub before, I was amazed at how narrow and haphazard it all was but our guide explained everything to us so well !! Took my five year old grandson who loved it all !! My only thought would be that the museum needs some kind of indoor cafeteria especially on a cold day like on Sunday !! Definitely would visit again !!

Superb place to visit, full of history and great value for money. Would recommend it to anyone.

Really interesting museum, really got a feel for life on s submarine and how brave and stoic the crews must have been.

Really informative and easy to get too via waterbus from Portsmouth or 15 mins via taxi (£6) if you can’t drive ...from the explosion museum (also a Portsmouth dockyard attraction)

Outstanding museum.

I was walked round the submarine by a gentleman called john who knew his stuff and ripped my for being ex RAF.

He was also very good at deflecting the annoying bloke during the tour. He answered every question with the old handedness one would expect.... I would recommend him for promotion. But as he is an retired civilian he now already has the highest rank in the navy...... top bloke john....

I had never been so close to a real submarine, but this one you get to go in. The staff are excellent, friendly and very knowledgeable. The museum isn't big but it's packed with info and exhibits, which I found very interesting. If you have a spare couple of hours , it's worth taking a look

Had a great day with my oldest friend who visited us from Birmingham. The staff were very helpful especially the ex submariners who were aboard HMS Alliance. We also visited the Explosion museum which was included in the ticket. At the end of our day we boarded the water bus back to the Navel Dockyard and this too was included in the ticket price. Overall a great day well worth the money and I would thoroughly recommend a visit.

A fantastic opportunity to see inside a real submarine. Knowledgable and passionate guides made our trip all the more enjoyable. We loved it!

We attended one of the Sleepovers the museum offers for youth groups and our cubs really enjoyed it. The volunteers did a good job running the activities and the tour of HMS Alliance was interesting. I would recommend doing one of these if you run a Scout/Guide or other youth group.

The tour guides were great and very informative. Never been inside a submarine before so was a real treat and really got a feel for the interior throughout the decades. Definitely recommend.

Really enjoyed the visit . My father had served on submarines in the 50’s . I have always wanted to go on board one . The information about the submarine was very good . Apparently the museum has several things in storage , as there isn’t enough room to show everything . This is a shame , as one of these pieces , was off , one of the submarines my father was on .

Overall a great museum, unfortunately we went in half term so the tour was busy and rushed, the guide was knowledgable but I think for the price the gaps between the tours should be greater.



Great interactive exhibits etc but I’d like more info and detail on the overall service. And maybe more detail on Holland 1. I ended up googling it’s history.



But overall well worth the visit.

It’s a museum that focuses on the world of submarines & submariners, from the earliest one manned to a second world era sub. We had an excellent day, aside from the guide inside HMS Alliance. He was obviously very knowledgeable and I imagine he’s ex-navy, which might explain his condescending remarks when explaining the many valves that control depth of the vessel. His words “I doubt any of the women here will understand this, unless they are mathematicians”.

There were several sharp intakes of breath from the ladies in our party.

Whilst this sort of comment might have acceptable during his Navy Career, in today’s day and age his comments were not only shocking that someone would say that but also very offensive.

Did it spoil our day? A bit, fortunately the other staff we encountered were much more pc friendly and polite.

Hard not to like, plenty to see and do for a couple of hours at the museum, would hve given 5 but a number is interactive thibgs weren't working.Good value with a shuttle ferry to see some of the other places.

Great fun, really enjoyed our trip with the grandchildren, highly recommended. One slight little annoyance was the amount of interactive displays that did not work. A bit of maintenance is required.

At great experience for a land lubber

Will and have recommended to others

Staff good working like a well oiled machine

Pity on static displays to educate ones self further

A number not functioning

Last visited about ten years ago, probably longer, lived and worked in Haslar so would recommend stepping onto the Alliance. Not totally sure it has improved that much, the Alliance is first class, however group sizes are too large, it used to be about 8 or so and you walked through with a guide, as an exhibit the Alliance has improved but spending 10 minutes stood in a confined space.... and missing a chunk of detail, not sure that added value to my visit. Love the X sub and Holland exhibits, but the the whole museum feels so much more hollow, over simplified and sanitised, great for the kids I guess. Lovely staff, and a car park (simple things), visit as had the Dockyard ticket, glanced at the entry prices.....ummmm, nope, as part of ‘doing the whole thing’ yes, brilliant, but not as a specific visit. What happened to the Resurgam and detail about Rev Garrett??

loved it. so much better than i thought itd be and everyone is passionate and enthused in what they do.

We visited today with our 2 children and it was fantastic, our retired submariner brought it to life, we were all captivated with his explanation and stories. My son loved being teased about being put in a torpedo shaft! Highly recommended and a must visit.

We had a fascinating couple of hours here on Sunday !! The staff were very pleasant and helpful and our tour guide around the Submarine was both informative and entertaining !! The Submarine tour was, in itself, just amazing !! Never having been in a sub before, I was amazed at how narrow and haphazard it all was but our guide explained everything to us so well !! Took my five year old grandson who loved it all !! My only thought would be that the museum needs some kind of indoor cafeteria especially on a cold day like on Sunday !! Definitely would visit again !!

Superb place to visit, full of history and great value for money. Would recommend it to anyone.

Really interesting museum, really got a feel for life on s submarine and how brave and stoic the crews must have been.

Really informative and easy to get too via waterbus from Portsmouth or 15 mins via taxi (£6) if you can’t drive ...from the explosion museum (also a Portsmouth dockyard attraction)

Outstanding museum.

I was walked round the submarine by a gentleman called john who knew his stuff and ripped my for being ex RAF.

He was also very good at deflecting the annoying bloke during the tour. He answered every question with the old handedness one would expect.... I would recommend him for promotion. But as he is an retired civilian he now already has the highest rank in the navy...... top bloke john....

I had never been so close to a real submarine, but this one you get to go in. The staff are excellent, friendly and very knowledgeable. The museum isn't big but it's packed with info and exhibits, which I found very interesting. If you have a spare couple of hours , it's worth taking a look

Had a great day with my oldest friend who visited us from Birmingham. The staff were very helpful especially the ex submariners who were aboard HMS Alliance. We also visited the Explosion museum which was included in the ticket. At the end of our day we boarded the water bus back to the Navel Dockyard and this too was included in the ticket price. Overall a great day well worth the money and I would thoroughly recommend a visit.

A fantastic opportunity to see inside a real submarine. Knowledgable and passionate guides made our trip all the more enjoyable. We loved it!

We attended one of the Sleepovers the museum offers for youth groups and our cubs really enjoyed it. The volunteers did a good job running the activities and the tour of HMS Alliance was interesting. I would recommend doing one of these if you run a Scout/Guide or other youth group.

The tour guides were great and very informative. Never been inside a submarine before so was a real treat and really got a feel for the interior throughout the decades. Definitely recommend.

Really enjoyed the visit . My father had served on submarines in the 50’s . I have always wanted to go on board one . The information about the submarine was very good . Apparently the museum has several things in storage , as there isn’t enough room to show everything . This is a shame , as one of these pieces , was off , one of the submarines my father was on .

Overall a great museum, unfortunately we went in half term so the tour was busy and rushed, the guide was knowledgable but I think for the price the gaps between the tours should be greater.



Great interactive exhibits etc but I’d like more info and detail on the overall service. And maybe more detail on Holland 1. I ended up googling it’s history.



But overall well worth the visit.

It’s a museum that focuses on the world of submarines & submariners, from the earliest one manned to a second world era sub. We had an excellent day, aside from the guide inside HMS Alliance. He was obviously very knowledgeable and I imagine he’s ex-navy, which might explain his condescending remarks when explaining the many valves that control depth of the vessel. His words “I doubt any of the women here will understand this, unless they are mathematicians”.

There were several sharp intakes of breath from the ladies in our party.

Whilst this sort of comment might have acceptable during his Navy Career, in today’s day and age his comments were not only shocking that someone would say that but also very offensive.

Did it spoil our day? A bit, fortunately the other staff we encountered were much more pc friendly and polite.

Hard not to like, plenty to see and do for a couple of hours at the museum, would hve given 5 but a number is interactive thibgs weren't working.Good value with a shuttle ferry to see some of the other places.

Great fun, really enjoyed our trip with the grandchildren, highly recommended. One slight little annoyance was the amount of interactive displays that did not work. A bit of maintenance is required.

At great experience for a land lubber

Will and have recommended to others

Staff good working like a well oiled machine

Pity on static displays to educate ones self further

A number not functioning

Last visited about ten years ago, probably longer, lived and worked in Haslar so would recommend stepping onto the Alliance. Not totally sure it has improved that much, the Alliance is first class, however group sizes are too large, it used to be about 8 or so and you walked through with a guide, as an exhibit the Alliance has improved but spending 10 minutes stood in a confined space.... and missing a chunk of detail, not sure that added value to my visit. Love the X sub and Holland exhibits, but the the whole museum feels so much more hollow, over simplified and sanitised, great for the kids I guess. Lovely staff, and a car park (simple things), visit as had the Dockyard ticket, glanced at the entry prices.....ummmm, nope, as part of ‘doing the whole thing’ yes, brilliant, but not as a specific visit. What happened to the Resurgam and detail about Rev Garrett??