On the morning of 10th October 1982 the remains of Henry VIII`s warship the Mary Rose were raised from the Solent. The timbers broke the surface of the waters which had hidden them for 437 years and within a year, the first paying visitors were gazing at the ship in her new home.

In disbelief Portsmouth found itself once again preparing for war in the spring of 1982. Shortly before dawn on 2nd April 1982 Argentine troops had invaded the Falkland Islands. A taskforce of ships left from Portsmouth which included the aircraft carriers Hermes and Invincible.

Crowds lined the shores on the afternoon of 16th June 1987 to watch the return of HMS Warrior, the Royal Navy`s first ironclad warship, which had been based at Portsmouth for most of here life. She was launched in 1860 and weighed 9,000 tons, she was the pride of the Victorian Navy and did not ever fire a gun in anger, due to her ability to discourage trouble.