The Society for Nautical Research South
The Society for Nautical Research (South) – SNR(S) – is a lively, friendly group of people
who meet monthly from October to June to learn about and discuss matters of nautical and
maritime interest. We meet in the convivial surroundings of the Royal Maritime Hotel, Queen
Street, Portsmouth where our speakers are drawn both from our own ranks and external
experts. During the ‘closed’ season from July to September, we offer members and their
families optional day excursions and a short residential trip which are extremely popular.
We welcome visitors for a free introductory meeting, after which they may either pay per
meeting or take out an annual membership (recommended).
Note that we are a separate (but affiliated) organisation from the Society for Nautical Research.
Please see the Membership page for a complete list of membership benefits.
Latest News
Airframe Assemblies
Airframe Assemblies is a company on Sandown Airport which restores classic aircraft. They focus mainly on Spitfires though when we visited, they had a pair of Hawker Tempest wings and a Focke Wulf 189 [...]
Portsmouth Royal Dockyard Historical Trust
It’s always great when members get to participate in something that is not widely available to the public. Ten of us were able to take up our member, Cheryl Jewitt’s offer of a visit [...]
Our summer started with a splendid lunch at the bistro
Our summer events season started with a splendid group lunch at the bistro - or more accurately Brasserie Blanc in Gunwharf. Food, service and value were all excellent and (unlike too many places) they [...]
Fanning the Coals and Forging the Weapons
Mark Barton brought Fanning the Coals and Forging the Weapons, the history and experience of Royal Navy engineers, to life in his fascinating talk. Commander Mark Barton BEng, MA, PhD, CEng, FRINA, RNR completed [...]
Villeneuve and Barham
Our May meeting brought contrasting views of two near contemporaries: Admirals Villeneuve and Barham. Paul Chamberlain spoke on Villeneuve: The Inconvenient Admiral. The Napoleonic wars saw some 200,000 French and Spanish prisoners of war [...]
Midshipmen’s Journals
Brian Lavery’s talk on Midshipmen’s Journals in History drew on his current research on the insights available from this under-appreciated resource. Originally a strictly factual echo of the ship’s log, midshipmen were given more [...]