HMS Victory in dry dock c1926 or 1927 (National Museum of the Royal Navy/PA)

One hundred years ago today, on January 12, 1922, Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar, HMS Victory was moved to Drydock No. 2 in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard for restoration and preservation. In honor of the anniversary, it was announced that an additional £35m is being committed for continued repairs to the historic ship. 

A dockyard spokeswoman said: “Rotting planking will be removed from the hull and replaced with new oak, repairs made to the ship’s structural framework, and she will be fully re-rigged, in a process lasting 10 to 15 years and costing £35 million.

“The project will provide visitors with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to see beneath Victory’s skin and experience a first-rate line-of-battle ship being taken through a great repair.”

The new project is part of a 20-year conservation program. A new docking structure utilizing 134 high-tech “props” to distribute the load across the hull was completed this summer.