HMS Victory Restoration Using Oak Beams

Oak Beam repair and replacement on HMS Victory, Portsmouth

Over the decades, WL West & Sons have supplied timber for the ongoing restoration of HMS Victory. We were approached in 2016 to perform a beam survey on the Orlop deck of HMS Victory, the lowest deck and where Horatio Nelson was taken after being shot, but before he died.

The beams run Port to Starboard (left to right for the landlubbers amongst us), and tie the sides of the ship together holding up the deck above.

Over the years the oak beams have deteriorated, making repairs urgent. Some beams had to be re-attached to the sides of the ship, to do this we had 166 high quality Stainless Steel coach bolts manufactured by Technifast Ltd. These coach bolts ranged from 250mm long to 750mm long, and were designed and installed by our craftsmen.

Some of the oak beams required the ends replacing. This entailed cutting the decayed part out, ensuring the part of the oak beam being retained is properly supported, and scarfing a new piece of beam into the ship.

The project was very successful, and we’re pleased to have been part of the ongoing restoration of Lord Horatio Nelson's flagship, and the oldest commissioned warship in the world.