NEWS STORY
Posted: 19/05/2004 10:06:41

Nelson's Oak

A first rate ship of the line, such as HMS Victory, was built using the timber from six thousand trees, of which 90% were English Oak. Lord Nelson anticipated the future requirement of durable Oak timber to the dockyards of the Royal Navy, and in 1802 ordered that thousands of acorns be planted in the Forest of Dean.

Now over 200 years later the Oak from this forest is being used to restore Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory, moored in Portsmouth harbour. The wood will help repair the ship in time for next year’s 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

Dean timber used for the construction of naval warships was always marked using a distinctive hammer stamp, and Lieutenant Commander Frank Nowosielski will use one of the original hammers, on loan from the Dean Heritage Museum, to stamp the naval timber before it leaves the Forest of Dean later today.

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