A TINY SHIP WHICH MADE HISTORY

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 96, 20 October 1934, Page 25

A TINY SHIP WHICH MADE HISTORY

A half-size copy of a little sixty-foot Vessel which sailed round the world more than four centuries ago, led a. naval battle, and once journeyed 3000 miles with its. ballast composed entirely of gold and.silver, was one of the chief attractions of. Plymouth Navy Week (says:t*he.."Ohristian Science Monitor").

The ship, Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hind,1 was specially built, so. that' Plymouth^ might have' a floating reminder of her famous -sailer, similar to the model of Nelson's Victory, which lies in Portsmouth Harbour.- •"'■• -

Both, were on- view^amid- the modern battleships;- and submarines and the displays of drill and diving which form the main-item* b£ Navy Week, held annually- 'at Plymouth, Portsmouth, and Chatham.- ■'

This new Golden Hind is built correct in every detail and measurement down to the smallest details of the rigging, Such careful-work involved the collaboration of many celebrated'experts, itt old-time marine architecture. Old records had to be scoured to find her pxact proportions, for no authentic riodel of the ship is known. This long pd detailed, rosr-nrch brought to light

many forgotten documents on ancient maritime customs and methods of building, and has led to the building up of a library of data which-is claimed to bo unique.

Despite the fact that' tho Golden Hind carried, according.'to the authorised version of Pratty's and Cooke's Narratives, .."164 able and\. * ■ sufficient men and in addition about twelvy gentlemen and Drake," the puny vessel was by no moans slow.

Her.sis s.ajls carried her .from Florida to.: Plymouth. in ■ : twenty-fiye 'days, and she led the. harrying-'.attach-upon, the Spanish . Armada, sailing with - - vsueh speod that she could come-right abeam of the huge galleons and ;iail away again before being = damaged. ' At Portsmouth a new feature of the Navy Week was an exhibition of naval charts. Actual instruments' which took part in sounding over 3600' square miles of sea bed last year were on view. In addition there were demonstrations of devices used in coast-lino survey. All the stages by which observations becomo finished charts aro also traced, and there was a fine, show of historical charts, including on© of a survey of Portsmouth Harbour made in. 178-.