A Rotten Tale

In 1866, HMS Ganges became the boys' training ship anchored in Falmouth harbour, before moving on to Harwich and later the name transferred to the shore Royal Navy Training Establishment (RNTE), just across the river Stour at Shotley in 1905.

The mast pictured, was taken from HMS Cordelia, a Comus-class corvette of the Royal Navy, built at the Portsmouth Dockyard and launched on 25 October 1881. On 29 June 1891, during gun practice while on a cruise from Fiji to Noumea, a gun burst killing five, mortally wounded another and injuring thirteen crew. She was sold on 5 July 1904 for breaking up, thus releasing it's foremast for many more years of service.

RNTE HMS Ganges, closed its doors to new boys in 1976. In its heyday, the manning the mast ceremony was carried out at least annually. As late as 2007, the mast looked relatively complete and although by then the rot had set in, an incredible 126 years had passed since the launching of the Cordelia!

In the last 10 years, property developers who own the land, have allowed the rot to continue unabated. In spite of the significant local landmark being grade II listed, there is no requirement for the owner to maintain it, only not to wilfully damage or remove it.