H.M.S.Ganges

Wisdom is Strength

The Royal Naval Training Establishment Shotley was commissioned on 4th. October 1905 as a Boys training ship. Shown here is the mast with boys on and above the shrouds. More boys on the safety netting and telegraph post .Believed to be photographed in 1914. Health and Safety rules not applying! The lower section of the mast came from H.M.S.Cordelia, with the upper sections being recovered from H.M.S.Agincourt. The whole being erected to give the boys experience aloft.

The long covered way c1920. the boys still dressed in white duck suits. Along either side were the majority of the boys mess decks.

Seamanship training room Shotley Barracks where boys received basic classroom instruction on seamanship.c1920

Swimming bath where non swimmers learnt to swim, shown here in a harness on a pole held here by an instructor.This at Shotley barracks.By the mid 1950`s the harness had gone and non swimmers had to jump in or be pushed in at the deep end and make their own way to the shallow end. The swimming test was still taken in a heavy canvas duck suit.c1920