the Solent & Southampton Water,

Into the Solent.

/ Andy Finnegan / 3 Comments

On Wednesday I took an afternoon small boat cruise into the Solent taking in No Man’s Land, Spitbank and Horse Sand forts, designed and built in the 19th century by Lord Palmerston to protect the eastern approaches to Portsmouth Harbour. 

Leaving from Gosport on one of the Hythe ferry boats The ” Spirit of Portsmouth” the trip gave a good close-up of the forts.

Below is a picture of one of the other ferries similar to the boat we were on.

One of the fortification Towers at the entrance into Portsmouth Harbour.

Heading out of Portsmouth we passed Fort Gilkicker one of the shore forts {which I have posted about in the past} This fort is being restored and redeveloped into apartments.

A pilot boat headed out to meet an incoming ship into the Solent.

Spitbank Fort.

No Man’s Land fort.

Horse Sands Fort.

Returning to Portsmouth Harbour we passed the now no longer used Submarine training escape tower – I understand the tower was filled with water and the crew could practice emergency escapes from a stranded submarine there.

Further pictures from the boat trip will be posted later.

Goosander.

/ Andy Finnegan / 4 Comments

These diving ducks are a member of the sawbill family, named for their serrated bills, that they use to catch fish. A largely freshwater bird, they first bred in the UK in 1871. It built up numbers in Scotland and, since 1970, it has spread across northern England into Wales, reaching south-west England. Its love of salmon and trout has brought it into conflict with fishermen. This bird seen today in Titchfield Habour is a female (the male has a green head).

2 Spitfires Today.

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Seeing and hearing a distant Spitfire over the Solent I decided to call into Solent Airport on my way home today. There were two Spitfires on the ground.

Piotr Kuryłłowicz, 1919 -2024.

The name on the side on BS410 got me googling.

Piotr Kuryłłowicz died on March 13, 2024, at the age of 104 the last known veteran of the 315th Fighter Squadron “Dębliński” from a Polish Siberian family, Piotr Kuryłłowicz, like many pilots at that time, began his aviation career with training at the Military Gliding Camp in Ustianowa. Shortly after that, he joined the Aviation Cadet School in Dęblin. As a graduate of the famous accelerated XIII officer promotion course, he was evacuated on September 18, 1939, to Romania, from there he got to France, and then on to Great Britain.

While in Great Britain as a Flying Officer with service number 780962, he underwent training at 55 Operational Training Unit at RAF Aston Down. He fought in the 317th Fighter Squadron “Wileński” and the 315th “Dębliński”. It was while serving in this unit that, on Tuesday, May 13, 1943, he took off from RAF Northolt and was shot down over France, by either a Focke Wulf or ME 109.Kuryłłowicz – parachuting near Occoches, he was captured and sent to the German POW camp – Stalag Luft III in Żagań.

Favourite spot.

/ Andy Finnegan / 3 Comments

At the Little Bridge at Titchfield Harbour where the River Meon reaches the sea, there is a favourite spot under the bushes where a Grey Heron likes to fish. Often people miss him! If you wait for a while he may come out into full view.

Warsash.

/ Andy Finnegan / 2 Comments

As we approach the 80th anniversary of D-Day I visited the village of Warsash on the River Hamble. Today Naval vessels and Landing Craft have been replaced by pleasure boats.

G.A.F.I.R.S.

/ Andy Finnegan / 2 Comments

A few hour’s walk out to Gilkicker Fort on this wet morning and a stop to take a look at Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service.

Gosport Lifeboat Station is a volunteer-operated independent lifeboat station located near the Gilkicker peninsula at  Gosport – it operates lifeboat services in the Solent from  Portsmouth Harbour to Titchfield Haven. There are 235 Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat stations around the United Kingdom, and there are 65 lifeboat stations which are not owned or managed by the RNLI, GAFIRS is one of these. Like the RNLI, All Lifeboat services work with  HM Coastguard their equipment, training, and procedures comply with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Rescue Boat Code of Practice.