That’s a big moment! Hope all goes well ☺️

Huddled with my best mate round his Amiga 500 Plus, black and yellow Zip Stick joysticks in hand. Don’t think I ever beat him, but had fun trying!

Nelson passing through the Suez Canal en route back to Britain, October/November 1945, with crewmen relaxing on deck. She was made flagship of the Battleship Training Squadron before being paid off in 1947. Nelson was next used as a bombing target, before being scrapped in 1949.
📷 IWM A 30997
🧵10/10

Fireworks of a different kind - Nelson, illuminated by strings of lights, in Trincomalee Harbour on VJ night, August 1945. The ship had only arrived from Britain the previous month, following a lengthy refit after detonating two mines in the English Channel on 18th June 1944.
📷 IWM A 30997
🧵9/10

Evening of 9th September 1943. Viewed from the carrier HMS Illustrious, Nelson’s anti-aircraft guns open up against a nocturnal attack by torpedo bombers. During this action, she fired her guns under radar control - including fused high explosive shells from the 16-inch turrets.
📷 IWM A 20641
🧵8/10

Ship’s company of Nelson assembled on deck to view an ENSA show in May 1943 at Gibraltar. Part of a ‘Spring Tour’, the cast included Vivien Leigh, Beatrice Lillie and Leslie Henson. Shortly after this, Nelson received a brief refit in Britain which added new radar and AA guns.
📷 IWM A 17072
🧵7/10

Nelson anchored off Mers-el-Kébir on 20th November, following the surrender of Vichy French forces. She had become part of Force H, mainly covering troop convoys to reinforce the Allied buildup and guard against possible sorties by the Italian Fleet.
📷 IWM A 13034
🧵6/10

16-inch shell being sent into the hydraulic hoist to one of Nelson’s three main turrets. She and sister ship Rodney were the only two Royal Navy battleships to carry 16-inch guns in the Second World War. They proved less accurate and reliable than their 15-inch predecessors.
📷 IWM A 2003
🧵5/10

7th May 1942: Nelson opening fire during gunnery trials following a refit after being struck by a torpedo launched from an Italian SM.84 in September 1941. Somewhat ironically, this destroyed Nelson’s torpedo room, tearing a 40x20ft hole in her hull in the process.
📷 IWM A 9283
🧵4/10

View of Nelson’s 16-inch turrets in late 1940. She had recently been fitted with Unrotated Projectile launchers on the turret roofs, a new and entirely useless ‘parachute and cable’ rocket propelled anti-aircraft weapon. They were removed from all capital ships by early 1942.
📷 IWM A 1994
🧵3/10

Nelson in heavy seas during a sortie into the North Sea, September 1940. The ship had only recently returned to service after detonating a magnetic mine and suffering heavy damage in December 1939. 73 crew were injured, of whom 52 suffered lacerations from broken toilet pans…
📷 IWM A 1182
🧵2/10

"It just works"
youtu.be/OIf7vLeGa70