Forces HMNB Portsmouth Community Information Portal

Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth

HMNB Portsmouth
Portsmouth Naval Base is at the heart of the city of Portsmouth and has been an integral part of the city since 1194.

Portsmouth’s establishments include HMS Nelson, HMS Excellent (training establishment), and HMS Temeraire (the centre of Naval Sporting Activity). It is home to almost two-thirds of the Royal Navy's surface ships, including the aircraft carriers, Type 42 destroyers, Type 23 frigates and a mine countermeasure squadron, as well as fishery protection and training units. It provides lodging facilities to Royal Navy personnel serving at the base and onboard Portsmouth-based ships.

Portsmouth Naval Base, known as HMS Nelson, includes several attached but independent organisations such as the Naval Historical Branch, Royal Marines School of Music and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.


Portsmouth itself has good road connections – the A3(M) puts London only 1 ½ hours away and the M275/M27/A27 connects the city with Britain’s motorway network. The rail network offers direct service to London taking approximately 80 minutes, and is well connected to the UK’s major cites with connections through London or Southampton.

Portsmouth also has an excellent local and national public transport system, and recently extended cycle routes and footpaths makes the city easier, more environmentally friendly and safer to get round. It is also home to a ferry port that offers sailings to France, Spain and the Channel Islands. Airports such as Gatwick, Heathrow and Southampton are within easy reach, none being more than 70 miles away.

Portsmouth has been making history for over 800 years with its Royal Navy and Literary connections.

Sports facilities are widely available across the City and outlying area. This includes publicly run facilities and private facilities that both offer a selection of membership schemes. Unit facilities and their availability to service families vary from unit to unit.





The information on this site has been compiled from various sources accessible on the internet:  acknowledgements are due to MOD Website,  RN website,  HIVE website, & Wikipedia. 
The site is intended to be an impartial and useful source of information about the Forces Base and surrounding area for members of HM Armed Forces, their families and civilians working on the Base. There should be nothing of a sensitive nature as everything here is readily available on the internet.  If you spot anything that is out of date or just plain wrong, please contact us.